Daniel Boulud

Credit: Courtesy Daniel Boulud; Inset: Getty

Celebrity Diners Club

Oscar Night in N.Y.C.: What Daniel Boulud Is Serving

Originally posted 02/22/2013 02:40PM

Excitement is at an all time high for what promises to be a star-studded Oscar night, but for East Coast Academy members and celebrities that don't make the trek to L.A., Daniel is the place to be for the ceremony. Chef Daniel Boulud's namesake restaurant on the Upper East Side will be "the supporting actor" to the evening, Boulud says, revealing that the dishes he has planned are "a celebration of the movies" and "fun – not too cerebral."

Boulud also admitted he could not choose all the nominees to pay homage too. "[I] loved Argo, but except for giving you a big pile of caviar or a soup with saffron, I am not versed on Iranian dishes," he said at a preview of the meal earlier this week, adding he does "love the rice with butter" common to the country's cuisine.

As for the movies he did pick – No, Life of Pi, Kon-Tiki, Amour, Royal Affair and Les Misérables – he created six hors d'oeuvres inspired by the story and its setting. For Les Mis that means a bread basket of finger sandwiches because Boloud says "there will always be bread." And for Royal Affair he pairs smoked fish and potatoes for a "very Danish dish."

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Filed Under: Academy Awards, Oscars 2013, Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Amour, Movie News, Daniel Boulud

Credit: Greg Gayne/FOX (2)

MasterChef

Joe Bastianich Blogs: Frank and Josh Missed a Golden Opportunity

Originally posted 08/29/2012 08:40PM

Joe Bastianich is a successful restaurateur, vineyard owner and author of the memoir Restaurant Man. He's also a judge on MasterChef, which challenges home cooks to prove they can cut it in top professional kitchens. Each week he's blogging season 3 of Fox's hit show, offering an insider's take on the competition.

On Tuesday's MasterChef, our four remaining contenders were given the thrilling – albeit terrifying – privilege of preparing a meal for three of the most inspiring and intimidating culinary figures in the world.

Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud and Guy Savoy are about as high up on the ladder as one can go. No matter who takes the cake in the MasterChef finale, they will have the memory of this experience forever.

I think Frank and Josh missed a golden opportunity here. Everyone knows there is no love lost between them, but let's put their situation in perspective: Two months ago they were tinkering around at home where their biggest challenge was deciding what to prepare for their next dinner party – and now they're serving true culinary greats.