29 New York Restaurants in 5 Days: An Expat’s Food Marathon

When my friend Parisian chef Daniel Rose was getting ready to open Le Coucou in NYC, I realized I had a great excuse to return after a long absence and eat my way through the city.  Since I refuse to waste any meals, I tapped my chef and food industry crew for tips on where to eat. We have a trick for finding places that work for us: When the wine lists are unapologetic in featuring small producers with little to no chemical intervention and the place has a convivial vibe, without question, the products are also seasonal and fresh. With this as a given, my only request was to skip “big” meals so I could speed date as many places as possible in five days. Et Voila! Within hours I had an over-the-top eating-and-drinking road map to NYC. Once on the ground, chef, wine director and restaurateur friends personally led me directly to their favorite local spots on the following food marathon from Soho to Brooklyn. NYC, you brought it, Merci—Wendy Lyn, Paris Is My Kitchen

When I started asking chef friends where to go in NYC they said: "Say hello to the guys at Contra!" Apparently it was a given that I was going! F&W Best New Chefs Jeremiah Stone (Chateaubriand, Rino) and Fabian Von Hauske (Noma, Faviken), with wine director Jorge Riera, are like brothers to the international food and wine industry. (1) Contra is their tasting-menu restaurant and (2) Wildair their shared plate-focused wine bar next door. (The aged Wagyu there and the potato crepe with uni and jalapeño are fantastic.) Both have killer natural wine lists thanks to Jorge's sharp focus on small French producers. contranyc.com; wildair.nyc

Paris Equivalent: lnaki Aizpitarte's Chateaubriand and sister wine bar Le Dauphin

Going to Nick Lawing and Severine Perru's (3) Ten Bells to drink grower wines with the growers after midnight is also de rigueur. You never know which restaurant staff you are going to run into (from NYC, Copenhagen, Paris or London) blowing off steam around the bar. tenbellsnyc.com

Paris Equivalent: David Loyola’s Aux Deux Amis Wine Bar

It is rare that I visit a restaurant twice during the same visit especially in a town like NYC, but I couldn't resist Danny Meyer’s (4) Untitled at The Whitney. Chef Michael Anthony’s seasonal plates are hyper-sourced with thoughtful flavor combinations—we especially enjoyed cabbage dumplings dressed with jalapeño vinaigrette and the grilled white shrimp with green beans, cornbread pancake and red pepper jelly. Equally impressive is Eduardo Porto Carreiro’s wine list featuring some small producer gems, as well as the fun and expert service. untitledatthewhitney.com

Paris Equivalent: If Frenchie’s Gregory Marchand opened in the Picasso Museum

Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield's gastropub (5) The Spotted Pig is another industry favorite. After a night of over-indulging, we met up in the West Village to carb out on Roquefort burgers, shoestring fries, huge Cubano sandwiches and duck fat-pork rillettes paired with Barbichon Pinot Noir Champagne, as one does. thespottedpig.com

Paris Equivalent: If the Bistrot Paul Bert had cheeseburgers

Dozens of chefs texted in response to where to eat sushi but this one got my attention: (6) "Shuko! Chef Nick Kim was Masa's sous chef for ten years, very cool NYC place!” lnsider tip: Choose a table or the bar when making your reservation for the omakase. shukonyc.com

Paris Equivalent: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa at Le Royal Monceau-Raffles

A runner-up among the sushi texts: (7) "Jado in South Harlem is right up there!!! Best anago you'll eat anywhere. 3-generation family recipe! Traditional Edomae - 400 years of history!" jadosushi.com

Paris Equivalent: Jin

Taavo Somer (Freemans) and Carlos Quirarte (The Smile) created a corner hangout for the artist and fashion set so (8) Le Turtle was on our list for afternoon people watching with rosé/Pét-Nat at the bar. But the whole roasted chicken for two stole the show as servers wearing grey linen jumpsuits carried it through the dining room. Customers were beaming, "It smells like pot!" We did not inhale. leturtle.fr

Paris Equivalent: lf Clown Bar married L'Avenue

Everyone, and I mean, everyone asked, "When do you go to Estela?" Thomas Carter and chef Ignacio Mattos's (9) Estela is darn near a cult destination for its seasonal cooking and exceptional wine list. But we were coincé (backed into a corner) because their new sister Italian restaurant (10) Café Altro Paradiso was getting tons of buzz and we were craving carbs big time after a huge day of wine tasting. Lucky to get seats in a packed house, we handed the menu back to the server saying, "We’ll take everything on the pasta menu!" Loved the Spaghetti with Sorrento lemons, basil and pine nuts. estelanyc.com; altroparadiso.com

Paris Equivalent: Chef Giovanni Passerini's new "Passerini "

You won't get past the bouncer without a confirmed reservation for one of the four tables at Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick’s quirky one-star tiki raw bar, (11) ZZ’s. A bearded bartender in a fancy hotel bellman suit shakes savory cocktails like the "coconut," filled with Trinidad rum, acacia honey and smoked cinnamon then burned with a brulée torch. Loved the crudo of cherry trout, trout roe and fried leeks, and the Shimaaji tartare "cake" topped with ricotta and caviar. Expensive, but a fun pre-dinner appetite opener. zzsclambar.com

Paris Equivalent: If Le Mary Celeste opened a cocktail-raw bar in The Ritz on Gilligan's Island

The team behind Paris’s Experimental Cocktail Club opened this smart NYC offshoot, (12) Compagnie. Several Paris chefs and wine industry folks met me to drink through somm Caleb Ganzer's fab small grower winelist (some fun Pét-Nats too!). Chef Eric W. Bolyard's toasted milk-lime-piment d'espelette popcorn and housemade buffalo chicken rillettes could be my new addiction. In Paris now wishing I could overnight JARS of it.

Paris Equivalent: lf Holybelly was a Wine Bar

NYC native chef Daniel Eddy spent three years in the kitchen of Paris' Spring Restaurant before moving back to open French restaurant (13) Rebelle with Branden McRill (Pearl & Ash) on the Bowery. What's not to love about fresh oysters, Champagne and his egg-and-spicy duck sausage sandwich on handrolled brioche for brunch? Wine list is exceptional. Tip: If you like chef counters, reserve seats overlooking the kitchen. rebellenyc.com

Paris Equivalent: lf Septime did brunch

Getting a tasting menu reservation at David Chang's polished (14) Momofuku Ko 2.0 is tough but worth it. The wine list is brilliantly organized just by the wine producers' names (Cathiard, Foillard, Ganevat). Insider tip: Plan to be there for a few hours. ko.momofuku.com

Paris Equivalent: If Restaurant AT had a chef counter

We devoured F&W Best New Chef 2013 Danny Bowien's family-size portions of Hainanese-style Koji fried chicken, char siu pork cheeks, stir-fried pork belly, green tea ramen, salt-cod fried rice, etc. Insider tip: Download the “Reserve" app to add your name to the (15) Mission Chinese wait list.

Paris Equivalent: No equivalent until he decides to open in Paris

Paris Chefs that did guest appearances with (16) The Musket Room’s Man Lambert told me, "Perfect ingredients! Technique is sooooo good! Wish I had a kitchen garden like that.” We spent time at The Musket Room bar trying some finds on the New Zealand-focused wine list. themusketroom.com

Paris Equivalent: L'Arpege

Chef Tien Ho and Roberta’s Carlo Mirarchi were adamant: (17) "Noodle Village! Best soup dumplings in NYC. Congee and shrimp wontons are just amazing! If only they were still open until 2am.” (They now close at 11pm.) noodlevillage.com

Paris  Equivalent: Ravioli Chinois Nord Est

Chef friends said "We love (18) Ssäm Bar!” “Fried duck dumplings? That's all you need to know." Insider Tip: Groups order Ssäm pork shoulder or whole roasted duck. ssambar.momofuku.com

Paris Equivalent: Sisters Katia and Tatiana Levha’s Le Servan

Danny Meyer's fun Southen cocktail bar (19) Porchlight by the Highline has John Lee Hooker on the playlist and an all-day bar menu: house smoked and cured beef jerky, sweet and spicy popcorn, and crawfish fritters with lemon mayo. Food & Wine's Best Mixologist 2015 Nick Bennett described the Flagg Day cocktail: "If an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan made tea." Bonus points for the rescued Mardi Gras pianos from post Katrina New Orleans. porchlightbar.com

Paris Equivalent: The Beast smokehouse and bourbon bar

Chef Jonathan Wu (Per Se) and partners Jason Wagner, John Wells and Wilson Tang (Nom Wah Tea Parlor) are out to redefine Chinese-American cuisine at (20) Fung Tu. Wu makes dishes like sweet and sour fried sweetbreads, smoked oysters in scallion oil, fava bean curd terrine with smoky chili oil and egg noodles with clams and Chinese sausage! Good heavens. Wagner's list is wonderful, especially the Vin Jaune. fungtu.com

Paris Equivalent: Trois Fois Plus de Piment

I am obsessed with (21) Maison Premiere. If you close your eyes long enough after an Absinthe, you'd reopen them and find yourself in 1930's New Orleans or Paris. Bartender Will Elliott's cocktails are top, but man,those freshly shucked oysters and the Tabasco shrimp and grits with bubbly in the back garden make this my new happy place. maisonpremiere.com

Paris Equivalent: Au Petit Fer à Cheval

James Murphy's (LCD Soundsystem) neighborhood spot (22) The Four Horsemen has "stay awhile" written all over it. Order chef Nick Curtola’s entire menu to share. Highlights: double fried chipotle potatoes, hand-cut raw beef tartare and sesame crackers, and warm house bread and cultured. Wine director Justin Chearno curated the list to feature small grower natural wines with a point of view.  Bonus points for playing entire albums. fourhorsemenbk.com

Paris  Equivalent: If Le Dauphin, Aux Deux Amis and Le Verre Vole Had a Baby

After all-night drinks and dinner in Brooklyn, I  wasn’t allowed to go home until I joined the  industry folks for a 1am "'nightcap" at Andrew Tarlow’s 1920's Kullman car underneath the Williamsburg Bridge. (23) Diner is the spot for natural sparkling wines and grass­-fed beef burgers and salty French fries. dinernyc.com

Paris  Equivalent: If Aux Deux Amis Married Bistro Paul Bert

"If you go to Brooklyn, go to (24) Roberta's, even if you aren't in the mood for pizza!” Who in the mood for pizza? We ended up here for a late-night wood-fired “original (tomato, mozzarella, caciocavallo, oregano, chili) with bottles of Pét-Nat. (25) Blanca is their fun, but, high-end tasting counter for 12 people that sells out quickly.

Paris Equivalent: Faggio Pizza

A pretty little small plates wine bar in Brooklyn. Although I loved (26) June's scallop and  baby  corn crude and okra polenta, drinking through Nick Gorevic’s natural wine list is reason enough to go.  junebk.com

Meant to evoke a vintage grocery-store bar-cafe, restaurateur Andrew Tarlow's (Reynard, Marlow & Sons, Diner) (27) Achilles Heel serves natural wines with oysters and plates of pâté and rillettes from sister restaurant Marlow & Sons. achillesheelnyc.com

Paris Equivalent: La Buvette

We only had time to  squeeze in some drinking  time at the vibrant (28) Vinegar Hill House  but it deserves a full meal visit on a hot summer night in the garden. 

Paris Equivalent: Frenchie Wine Bar

Missy Robbins (A Voce) opened her Italian spot in a former auto-body shop . I wanted to eat my weight in cacio and pepper fritters, but had to pace myself for the cauliflower/spicy soppressata/Sicilian pesto antipasti, spicy wood-grilled clams and veal bolognese pappardelle.

Paris Equivalent: Michele Farnesi's Dilia Restaurant

This chic boutique spot on the Lower East Side is around the corner from the fantastic Wildair wine bar. Staff are friendly, it is easy to grab taxis, and the pretty rooms are packed with fantastic amenities: glam Parisian bathrooms, luxurious bedding and room service from The Dirty French downstairs. Starting at $295 a night; ludlowhotel.com.

Paris Equivalent: Yves Camdeborde’s Hotel Relais St Gemain & Le Comptoir