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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to New York
In the winter, I like to stay in my local neighbourhood, the Upper East Side. Of course, you can go to a trendy high-energy place downtown and listen to music, but for the holidays I prefer somewhere that nurtures the soul. It’s not that I’m nostalgic, but I like the feeling of being in another dimension.
One of my favourite places is a French bistro called Quatorze. It’s a staple of the Upper East Side, serving classic, hearty French dishes like soupe à l’oignon and cassoulet. But I go there for the choucroute: sauerkraut with sausages and different pieces of pork in it, which is typical of Alsace. It’s a very wintry dish. I usually have dinner there with my wife, Sandra, but if I’m on my own, I like to eat at the bar. The service is great. They make you feel like you’re a regular, and I especially like that I am usually the youngest person in the entire place. It’s not cool, for sure, but it feels good to be there — like being in Paris, surrounded by vintage posters.
Across the street from my apartment is Sotheby’s, where they display the artworks before the auctions. I don’t usually buy art at Sotheby’s, but I enjoy looking. The same goes for the collections of Birkin bags and beautiful, limited-edition Rolex watches. Downstairs, there is also an excellent and well-priced wine store. I might find a nice rosé from Provence or a good white Burgundy, or head to the little café there run by Sant Ambroeus. I like it because it’s very simple. You can have a salad and a soup; it’s not a huge commitment.
Another place I love in my neighbourhood is Campagnola, an old-school Italian — or really more of a typical Italo-American restaurant, where Joe Biden went to eat recently for his granddaughter’s birthday. Walking into Campagnola is like being transported back in time to 1960s or ’70s New York. I like to go there on Sundays, especially in winter. It’s so convivial.
When you arrive they bring over a plate of Parmesan and salami. They have a list of specials, written on a board, which has been the same for ages. The waiters too have been there forever. They know what you’re going to drink and what you like to eat; they always bring me a Macallan 12 double and know that I’ll order the osso buco. But they don’t rush you. This is somewhere you can take your time and enjoy the music from the piano bar. There are two pianists — one on Sundays, one during the week — and both are legends who will try their best to sing any song on request. You can sing along if you like — not that I do. Sandra likes to dance, though, and the bar is very lively.
Sometimes I want to be transported to another century. And for that I go to Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle hotel, where the lighting is very warm and everyone looks beautiful, the pianist is damn good, and so too are the old-school waiters. Not to mention the cocktails. They are really fantastic. I get the martini or a Manhattan, and usually nibble on some olives or chips, or sometimes order the burger. I just enjoy the retro feeling of the place, especially during the holidays. It’s warm, cosy and embodies the charm of the winter season in New York. If it snows, go to Bemelmans.
On 93rd Street and Lexington, Kitchen Arts & Letters is a store specialising in books related to food and wine. It’s very cute and very dense, with an incredible selection of imported cookbooks as well as antique ones from Julia Child and way before her, which you can’t find easily in stores any more. I also love the smell of all the old books. I’ll go here on a whim to explore. I find it soothing to browse — and, of course, it’s a great inspiration. At Le Bernardin, we have a library of 600-700 books that I use for research, but I go to the store for fun and pleasure. I never leave without buying something. One book I bought there was Heston Blumenthal’s The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, filled with incredible art, recipes, photography — a true collector’s object.
Not far from Le Bernardin is Yakitori Totto, a Japanese restaurant I like to go to if I can leave work a bit early, either by myself or with a friend. It’s an adventure. You take a steep and narrow staircase to get up there, and if you’re walking in (they accept reservations online), you have to provide your name and number, and they’ll tell you how long you have to wait. They claim they don’t know me, although I’ve been going there for years, so there’s no way you can skip the line. But I just have time to go to McGee’s, the Irish pub across the street, and have a Guinness before I receive the call to go back.
My menu highlight is the grilled chicken cartilage — it’s tiny and has a weird, crunchy texture. I always get the chicken hearts, the liver and the tsukune meatballs, made from all the different parts of the chicken, as well as the shishito peppers and asparagus — I always eat vegetables. The kurobuta pork is also good and, at the end, the mochi ice cream. I feel like I’m in Tokyo when I’m there, sitting at the counter, where you can smell the meat cooking.
There is one place that I’m willing to leave the Upper East Side for, though, and that’s Balthazar. The SoHo brasserie is often my reason for heading downtown. I love having lunch there — the crowd is a good mix of tourists and New Yorkers, and it’s very, very high energy; you really feel the pulse of the city. I’ll have a big platter of oysters, clams and shrimp, then an extra-spicy steak tartare and french fries, with either a dirty martini or a good bottle of red wine.
But I really love going to Balthazar for breakfast. It’s much more peaceful in the morning. They play classical music and it just has a good vibe, especially during the holidays when they have all the decorations up. I’ll go at around 9.30am or 10am, sit in a booth and start my day slowly. I usually order a decaf coffee and a croissant, maybe hard-boiled eggs or bread, butter and marmalade. Afterwards, I often go for a walk along Elizabeth Street. I like the stores in the Nolita neighbourhood — Stadium Goods (on Howard Street) for rare and limited edition trainers, and the streetwear at Undefeated (on Kenmare Street). But it’s never long before I head back north, to hunker down in the homeyness of the Upper East Side.
Eric Ripert is the executive chef and owner of New York’s three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin
What are your favourite haunts on the Upper East Side? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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