The best restaurants in New York
What can you do? You’re an incurable romantic when it comes to New York. Your Manhattan is black and white. The Chrysler Building is front and centre of your skyline, the full moon speared on its silver spire like a cocktail onion ready for a Martini. Which reminds you, you haven’t had a really great, really cold Martini in far too long. It reminds you that you should go uptown to The Carlyle. “It is the heart, always, that sees before the head,” wrote Thomas Carlyle, for whom the hotel is named. And when it comes to the newly re-vamped restaurant, he’s absolutely right. Loving Dowling’s happens as soon as you step into the eclectic, 1940’s-inspired dining room where manners are old-school and ties are encouraged. It’s first and foremost about heart, not reason – though, there are also good reasons. There’s Steak Diane, for heaven’ sake. Wheeled out into the bustling room on a trolley, to be flambéed table-side, to oohs and ahs from fellow diners as the air fills with the scent of Cognac. So what if your partner’s scallops are getting slightly chilly while your steak is still cooking? Why focus on timing when you can sink into dreaming? Have another glass of Champagne. Look around. The room has undergone an upgrade, but not an erasure of 90 years of history. Who’s been here before you? Starlets in mink and diamonds and the Sugar Daddies who bought them shrimp cocktail. Artists and writers, captains of industry, celebrities and royals, all tucking into oysters, just as you have, all part of a timeless moment of conversation, conviviality, and hospitality. A collage of paintings, photos and graphics catches your attention. Can you spot the five never-before-seen works by Ludwig Bemelman whose famous murals adorn the near-by bar? Or did another piece of table-side theatre distract you; a waiter expertly filleting a Dover Sole, swathed in a buttery sauce? The menu is orchestrated by chef Sylvain Delpique, formerly the executive chef of the now shuttered 21 Club (note to fans, he brough the chicken <i>paillard</i> with him). It celebrates a by-gone era of American dining, which feels absolutely right in this storied space. There’s a wedge salad – blue cheese, bacon, tomato, just as it should be. Shrimp cocktail with brandy cocktail sauce. Steak tartare. <i>Foie gras</i> terrine. One modern addition that more than holds its own? Waffle fries, perfectly suited to dipping into a silver jug of warm Bearnaise. Reviewed by Katherine Knowles
David Chang’s influence on New York City›s dining scene and beyond has been huge: anything new or re- imagined from his growing stab- le of restaurants always merits attention. With the lease on the original Ssäm Bar coming to an end, Chang has decided to re-locate the restaurant from its East Villa- ge home of fifteen years to the South Street Seaport, the historic waterfront district spa- ce that was previously home to Wayõ cock- tail bar. Head Chef Eunjo Park’s New York Kore- an menu has fire-cracking hits all over it, kicking off with chilli jam popcorn shrimp, the gochujang-based sauce inspired by dak kang jung, sweet and crisp nuggets of shrimp replacing chicken, as a nod to this new seaport location. Park’s signature dishes include her kimbap (Korean sushi rolls), like extremely spicy scallop with crispy tempura & a pick- led onion-shiso kimbap. The famous ssäm makes an appearance via versions that include a sizzling skirt steak, galbi-marina- ted and sliced and served with watercress, onions, garlic and ssämjang. Rice cakes with cacio e pepe, black truffle and par- mesan; spicy pork sausage ragù with Chine- se broccoli and Sichuan peppercorn – it’s all a riotous progression of lip-tingling fla- vours, full of verve. The wine list is a vinous playground, with a strong grower Champagne list and savvy picks of Riesling from Klaus-Peter Keller in Rheinhessen and Sauvignon Blanc from Shaw + Smith in Australia’s Adelaide Hills.