snackspot: dainel's bistro a vin

The Gourmet Insitute proved to be good hunting ground for news. In Daniel Boulud's "our favorite things" demo this past Saturday (cue Julie Andrews) we got a preview of his new yet-to-be-named bistro/wine bar, across the street from Lincoln Center at 64th and Broadway. It is still very much a work in progress, but the menu will feature "Gilles Vérot Selections ," and this is the big news. Monsieur Vérot is a fourth-generation charcuterie chef from St. Etienne. He has two shops in Paris, in the 6th and 15th arrondisements. On Saturday, he made a tourte de canard aux figues, with layers of succulent duck, foie gras and fruit gift-wrapped in pastry and baked to perfection. There was rillettes de lapin aux olives, his award winning fromage de tête and a show stopping gigot de sept heures aux epices. In France, his creations are recognized as the crème de la crème. In Gotham, a virtual charcuterie wasteland (different of course from all the Italian salumi on offer around town), he should be instantly crown the Pied Piper of pâté as soon as they open. When is that? Sometime next year, but not soon enough.