Chef Daniel Boulud has been instrumental in shaping New York’s fine-dining scene, infusing the city with his French sensibility through a list of iconic restaurants, including Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Daniel, Four-Star Le Pavillon and the recently re-opened mainstay, Café Boulud. As Boulud’s native France defines these intuitions, New York City, where the beloved chef has called home since 1982, inspires his latest venture, La Tête d’Or, a Manhattan-style steakhouse with a French touch.
The stunning Flatiron District space with an art deco flair feels distinctly New York. The dining room in the redesigned One Madison Avenue office tower is as spacious as it is glamorous, with plush velvet banquettes, lofty ceilings and moody lighting. The dining room houses the menu’s focal point: a custom-built, two-level charcoal and wood grill for premium, painstakingly prepared cuts of meat.
Although the fall 2024-opened space is regal, there’s a sense of pageantry to the proceedings that is unmistakably fun. There are the blue-jacketed waiters wheeling around a trolley crowned by prime rib, the giddily high seafood towers and a dessert menu prominently featuring customizable soft-serve sundaes.
In a city crowded with steakhouses, chef Boulud has achieved the remarkable feat of making one that feels uniquely his own.
The Space
The New York-based Rockwell Group, the team behind Forbes Travel Guide Recommended New York EDITION and the Four-Star Equinox Hotel New York, has designed a restaurant that beautifully combines Manhattan glamour with captivating French flair. This fusion echoes Boulud’s vision of a Manhattan steakhouse with a European sensibility.
The 120-seat La Tête d’Or — the restaurant gets its name from a sprawling park in Lyon, the city where Boulud grew up — radiates glamour. It’s grand without being imposing. This balancing act is executed by a design with ample deep blue-hued banquettes, warm lighting inspired by French brassieres, amber votives on every table and upholstered walls. The grandeur of soaring, 18-foot ceilings; gleaming mahogany finishes; velvet textures; and custom blue-and-white china work create an elegant but approachable ambiance.
La Tête d’Or features an atmospheric bar that sets the mood as you enter. The brass-paneled doorway leads to a circular bar topped with bronze quartzite, which serves as the room’s focal point. Surrounding the bar are custom blue leather stools that invite you to linger. The space is completed with custom-made red velvet armchairs and black-and-gold glass tables. Enjoy a perfectly crafted signature cocktail, such as the French Connection (blended gin, Campari, white vermouth, Cointreau and cranberry nectar), either before or after your meal.
The Dishes
The aforementioned, two-level grill in the open kitchen serves as the centerpiece of the dining room and suggests the restaurant’s focus on exceptional meat. The menu lists 10 varieties of premium cuts, ranging from Japanese A5 wagyu striploin to bavette from Snake River Farms, known as pioneers of American wagyu. Order the Scharbauer Ranch American wagyu and you’ll be greeted with pageantry: your server will wheel over a prime-rib trolley, slice your meat tableside and proceed to generously ladle your entrée with either a bordelaise or béarnaise sauce inspired by Boulud’s time early in his career at a Copenhagen restaurant. Other accompanying sauces include au poivre, diable and Périgourdine, adding French flavor to your meal.
But there is much more to the menu than merely beef. Like any reputable Manhattan steakhouse, La Tête d’Or offers a lavish seafood tower, available for two or four, that showcases tiers of lobster, oysters, shrimp and king crab. Equally indulgent is the house-made pasta topped with caviar. The menu also includes a classic wedge salad, but with a French twist — it comes with crispy shallots and smoked beef tongue alongside the standard iceberg lettuce and Roquefort dressing. Another starter features perhaps the finest handshake of the two culinary traditions — a piece of bone marrow, wood-fired and infused with New York deli delicacies, pastrami and sauerkraut.
The Drinks
La Tete d’Or’s head sommelier, Evan White, who previously worked at Le Pavillon, has crafted a wine list worthy of being paired with the exceptional proteins. Twenty wines are available by the glass, and naturally, the vino list centers on big, bold reds from Bordeaux, Napa Valley and Tuscany.
However, those who prefer their meat with a martini will not be disappointed; the restaurant mixes up four creative varieties, ranging from the LTD Dirty (Belvedere and brine washed in olive oil) to the winkingly named New Money (Venice aperitivo, Appleton Estate rum, amaro and citrus).
The Dessert
The selection of sweets is nothing short of delightful. Pastry chef Maria Arroyo’s decadent devil’s food cake with a whipped ganache and a cheesecake with a cranberry compote are two of the standouts. Diners can also craft their own sundaes, inspired by chef Boulud’s love for American ice cream parlors. The soft-serve treat, with its perfect consistency and luscious texture, is offered both in traditional flavors such as coffee, chocolate and vanilla, and the more elevated berry-cassis. Unique toppings like cranberry meringue kisses and house-made sprinkles promise a memorably playful end to the meal.
