NEW YORK, Oct 15 — For the seventh year in a row, Le Bernardin, the famous restaurant headed by the French chef Éric Ripert, has been voted the best restaurant in New York by the Zagat Guide. French cuisine is also moving into the other top places in the ranking thanks to chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
French cuisine is thriving in New York at the moment. Or so it would seem given the winners of the Zagat guide, which uses consumer votes to create its list of the best restaurants in the Big Apple. Foodies rate the food, the deco and the service on a scale from 0 to 30. No restaurant has ever scored a 30.
Éric Ripert takes first place
However, one chef is nearly there: Éric Ripert. This Antibes, France-born chef who heads Le Bernardin, which has been based in New York since 1986, got an average score of 29. A superb score that he has become accustomed to as he has been at the top end of this ranking for six years. His restaurant already holds a three-Michelin-star ranking. And Zagat's latest ranking confirms that customers and restaurant critics are in agreement about chef Ripert's culinary offerings, which are largely seafood-based.
The rest of the top-ranking restaurants also serve French cuisine. American David Bouley's restaurant called Bouley in the TriBeCa neighborhood scored highly. After studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, this Connecticut-born chef gained experience in big-name kitchens such as that of Joël Robuchon, Paul Bocuse and even Gaston Lenôtre. Next in the ranking comes Frenchman Daniel Boulud, from the Rhône valley.
His eponymous restaurant serves an updated version of traditional regional French cuisine. The chef features dishes such as duck terrine or fish accompanied by a Syrah reduction. Regional French cuisine of the Lyon area of France also featured in the list with La Grenouille, ranked 12th, known for serving must-have pike quenelles.
The fourth place in the list was awarded to one of the most famous French chefs outside France, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who hails from Alsace. He has built a gastronomic empire in the US which now extends to France. His eponymous restaurant ranks fourth while his more relaxed restaurant “Nougatine at Jean-Georges” came 15th.
Graffiti, a surprise entry
Beyond the circle of French eateries scoring highly, the ranking also surfaced some unique spots and in particular one everyone is talking about — Graffiti. Located in the East Village, this newcomer to the ranking got a score of 28 for its cuisine inspired by Indian flavours. The Zagat Guide also pointed to its high quality wine list and affordable prices. — AFP-Relaxnews
