Chef Daniel Boulud opens his highly anticipated, sprawling new seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan’s One Vanderbilt skyscraper this week. Le Pavillon debuts with a limited number of dinner reservations May 20, followed by a full opening on May 28. The restaurant takes its name from the New York destination that’s widely credited for putting French cuisine on the national stage during its run from 1941 to 1966. “Le Pavillon was synonymous with French dining in New York in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s,” Boulud told Wine Spectator. “Bringing back that name here to New York was very important.”
The cuisine focuses on seafood and vegetables, with an emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients. Menu items include roasted beets with sesame, poached halibut and baked lobster with purple potatoes.
Daniel Johnnes, wine director for Boulud’s Dinex Group, built the wine list to complement the delicate nature of the menu. His 650 picks comprise a plethora of seafood-friendly wines such as Chablis and Champagne, but that’s rounded out by a range of selections to ensure guests can find what they’re looking for—even if that’s a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon with fillet of sole. “We don’t like to lecture people and limit them in what’s available,” Johnnes said. “We want them to have a broad spectrum to choose from.”
“That’s really the DNA of many of my wine lists,” Boulud said. “It has always been a strong balance of French and American wines, but also others.”
Le Pavillon’s seafood cuisine is dependent on seasonal ingredients and local sourcing. (Thomas Schauer)
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