Daniel Boulud, the French chef behind the global culinary empire (15 restaurants plus several groceries), will open Le Gratin in the former Augustine space in The Beekman hotel starting May 6. The restaurant will be a Bouchon Lyonnais — dedicated to the casual and lively ambiance and hearty cuisine of Lyon, France.

“From the time I could hold a spoon, I remember savoring my favorite potato dish at home – Le Gratin Dauphinois,” Boulud writes on the restaurant’s website. “All along my life, to this day, we make this specialty on many occasions in my restaurants and at home. No dish remains more classic than this one. I want Le Gratin to feel like the perfect place to gather with good friends and to make it a downtown hangout where everyone comes to relax or to celebrate all of life’s moments”

Keith McNally outfitted the original Augustine space at The Beekman in 2015. It’s gorgeous, plush and a great mix of old New York and France — so I am assuming and hoping that Boulud felt no need to renovate. McNally closed Augustine in July 2020, along with his Soho stalwart (30 years) Lucky Strike, thanks to the damage done by the pandemic. By November 2021, Boulud’s company Dinex had taken the lease.