Chef Daniel Boulud has opened his first steakhouse, La Tête d’Or by Daniel, at 318 Park Avenue South in Flatiron at the new office tower One Madison Avenue. Designed by David Rockwell and Rockwell Group, the space is grand yet inviting, with plush velvet banquettes and softly padded walls offsetting the soaring ceilings. Deep blue tones and dark wood add to the feeling of warmth in the 120-seat main dining room, bar, lounge and private dining rooms. Chef Boulud (Daniel, Café Boulud, Le Pavillon) is exploring classic New York steakhouse cuisine and enhancing it with a touch of French flair at the restaurant. “My cuisine is always rooted in tradition, with the use of the finest seasonal ingredients, and a steakhouse is the ideal showcase for these elements,” says Boulud. “It is quite a simple, universal pleasure, an excellent steak and a great sauce, but it needs to be executed with precision, and it needs to have soul. It is a joy to work at the wood-fire grill, with the highest quality meats and produce my own version of the steakhouse classics.” The menu features beef steaks, seafood plateaus, veal and lamb chops and a whole grilled lobster. Tuna tartare and crab cakes are served alongside tableside preparations of Caesar salad and a prime rib trolley where Scharbauer Ranch American Wagyu Ribeye is sliced to order. La Tête d’Or has opened in partnership with frequent partner SL Green, the developer of One Madison and One Vanderbilt with whom chef Boulud and his Dinex Group have had great success. “We are all great believers in the power of an exceptional restaurant, in the most spectacular locations, in this wonderful city,” says Dinex Group CEO Sebastien Silvestri. “New Yorkers have always loved a world-class steakhouse, and we are certainly aiming to bring them one to take note of.”
