39
celebratedliving.com
fall 2009
Clockwise from top: chef Daniel Boulud; ostrich-leather banquettes at 1Oak; Chinatown’s Apothéke; hot spot Birch Room; squash blos-
soms at Greenmarket; and (center) themarble lounge at Tenjune
It’s considered the culinary epicenter of theworld, the placewheremany
a chef dreams of opening— and sustaining— a restaurant. Says chef
DAniel BOuluD
, whose classic French ne-dining restaurant Daniel
(danielnyc.com) recently underwent an elegant face-lift and continues to
top themost-desired reservations list, “NewYork brings together the
three essential ingredients of any top food city: the very best ingredients
from local farms and purveyors, and access to incredible products from
every corner of the globe; a talented, well-trained, and ambitious
international community of food professionals; and a general public that is
absolutely passionate about all things food-related.”
Eat
any trip toManhattanwill cross over
international taste lines. for Italian,
Boulud suggests the rustic
lOCAnDA
VeRDe
in theGreenwichHotel inTribe-
ca (greenwichhotelny.com). “Haveany
of chef andrew Carmellini’s pastas,”
advisesBoulud, “especiallyhis ‘grand-
mother’s ravioli.’and the fresh ricotta
appetizer is amust.”also onBoulud’s
dining list:
CORTOn
(cortonnyc.com),
the new venture between famed NYC
restaurateurDrewNieporent and chef
Paul liebrandt. “They’ve transformed
the old Montrachet into something
truly wonderful,” says Boulud. “The
room has an inviting glow and Paul’s
food is just edgy enough to keep you
guessing, but not so edgy that you
don’twantmore.”
Dr ink
Manhattanand cocktailingarepracti-
callysynonymous, andoftenaccompa-
nied by major celebrity spotting. a
recent NYC trend: below-restaurant,
insider hot spots, such as the
BiRCh
ROOm
, locatedbeneathButter (butter
restaurant .com), and
Tenjune
(tenjunenyc.com), below the luxury
steakhouse
STK
. another über-exclu-
sive lounge:
1OAK
inChelsea (1oaknyc.
com), which sports ostrich-leather
banquettesand featuresperformances
by John legend andWyclef Jean. a
hard-to-find (but easier to access)
watering hole is the sultry
ApOThéKe
(apothekebar.com),which is locatedon
a back street in Chinatown. Warns
Boulud: “I doubt they’ll ever have an
official sign outside, soyouhave to re-
ally look for theentrance.”
Sho p
for culinary goods, head to
ChelSeA
mARKeT
(chelseamarket.com), the
location of the food Network and the
Bowery Kitchen Supply, as well as
such restaurants as
BuDDhAKAn
(buddhakannyc.com) and Morimoto
(morimotonyc.com).Want to shop like
a local?OnMonday,Wednesday, fri-
day, or Saturday, wander the
GReen-
mARKeT
at Union Square, where
farmers from as far away as Vermont
sell fresh produce and flowers.
➤
VEnt ur E out
anyNewYorkerworthhisManhattan
driver’s license knows that over the
last several years Brooklyn has be-
come the new face of NewYork, while
still hanging tight to its old-world
charm.Manyare touting “NewBrook-
lyn Cuisine” (NBC) as the next big
thing: amovement thatmeldsManhat-
tan-trained culinary sophistication
with a passion for the artisanal and
sustainable. “So many Brooklyn res-
taurants have that homey, old-school
feel Manhattan used to have,” says
Butter’s head chef alex Guarnaschel-
li.Twoshe loves:
SweeTwATeRReSTAu-
RAnT
(sweetwaterny.com), with a
phenomenal brunch, and
The GeneRAl
GReene
(718-222-1510),whoseco-owner
spent timeasapastry chef atDaniel.
top:©BillMilne, FARRiGHt:© tHoMAs scHAueR
