LudoBird Opens at Universal Studios Hollywood CityWalk

World renowned Chef Ludo Lefebvre brings his famous buttermilk Provençal Fried Chicken-inspired menu to Universal CityWalk™ with the debut of LudoBird™, serving up a vibrant and flavorful take on the American classic fried chicken sandwich. CityWalk’s new establishment, LudoBird, which originated from Chef Lefebvre’s food truck concept called LudoTruck™, invites Universal Hollywood guests to dine alfresco on his tantalizing menu of fried chicken, signature sauces and side dishes.

“My cuisine is about the quality of the ingredients and freshness.” stated Chef Lefebvre. ” I want to cook good food for the masses at a reasonable price.” Hailing from from Burgundy, France, where he trained with the great masters of French Cuisine before moving to Los Angeles in 1996. Lefebvre explained that the years of training influenced what he is bringing to CityWalk in a big way. “30 years ago in France, I was taught that it was all about the freshness of the ingredients.” Chef Lefebvre continued, ”The three things to remember are Ingredients, technique and freshness.”.  From the City of Lights to the City of Angels, Chef Lefebvre has redefined fine dining at his acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant, Trois Mec, has given Angelenos a taste of a true Parisian Bistro at Petit Trois, and uniquely combined French and Mexican cuisine for the most exciting brunch spot in town at Trois Familia.

“We are thrilled to welcome celebrated Chef Ludo Lefebvre to Universal CityWalk as we begin to phase in the next evolution of our dynamic CityWalk entertainment complex,” said Larry Kurzweil, President of Universal Studios Hollywood. “LudoBird’s landing coincides with Universal Studios Hollywood’s much anticipated opening of ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,’ and we look forward to entertaining guests with everything that’s exceptional, from attractions to food.”

We tried the original style sandwich and were simply blown away at how good it was.  The batter on the chicken was thick and crunchy, with flavorful herbs and a savory crunch.  The sale on the sandwich too was surprisingly tasty, with the fresh taste of cabbage and cilantro and little bits of sliced jalapeño.  The Ludo Fries are thick rods of fried potato that have a crisp shell outside and warm inside.  We strongly recommend that you order the Honey Lavender Biscuit.  Drizzled in honey, infused with lavender,  the sugar coated biscuit is like a dumpling brûlée.  Heaven.

We asked Ludo Lefebvre what his top three ingredients were.  Without missing a beat he said, “My top three ingredients are butter, butter and butter” with all of his experience, Ludo Lefebvre could certainly offer advice to any start ups attempting to make their mark on the culinary word. “The most important thing is to be patient. ” Lefebvre explained. “To make mistakes, fix the mistakes and move on.  I’m 45 years old, I have been cooking for 30 years now, and I still make mistakes.  But I fix my mistakes.  The newer generation is not patient.  I cooked for almost 25 years before I opened my own restaurant.  When you do that you are responsible.  The first job as a chef is not to cook but to teach and to teach people how to cook you need to know a lot of things.  That’s my job.”

Chef Lefebvre continued, ”There are so many young cooks that come to my kitchen and want to be the sous chef but they don’t know how to butcher a chicken, they don’t know how to do a sauce.  How are they going to be a chef?  You need to be patient.  It’s amazing when a young chef opens a restaurant at 25 but it doesn’t matter if you are closing right after. It’s a lot of things to be a chef, to own a restaurant, you know?”

Chef Lefebvre was named “One of The World’s 50 Greatest Chefs” by Relais & Chateaux, a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2001 and 2015.  In 2015, Chef Lefebvre was “knighted” by the French government, receiving the prestigious Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettresaward, which recognizes individuals for their contributions in furthering the arts in France and throughout the world, for his outstanding achievements in cultural diplomacy.

We are nuts about this new restaurant.  Give LudoBird a try the next time you are at Universal Hollywood.  You will not regret it.

Source: micechat.com