Food + Drink

Alain Ducasse Eats New York

From haute French fare to hot dogs, the chef and author of J’aime New York shares his top spots to dine in the city with Jetsetter's Leigh Crandall

See recent posts by Ben Solomon

Chef Alain Ducasse is best known for the highfalutin French fare he serves at restaurants from Paris to Provence, London to Las Vegas, which has earned him a constellation of Michelin stars (19 at last count). So guess what Ducasse says no visitor to New York should leave without sampling? A multicourse degustation with wine pairings, perhaps? A foie gras and truffle mille-feuille? On the contrary, Ducasse’s must-eat is the humble hot dog. “Whether it’s from a corner cart or an artisanal spot like Bark Hot Dogs in Brooklyn, everyone should try one,” he says of the street food staple. “It’s the quintessential Big Apple bite.” {“type”: “right-quote”, “text”: ““New York encourages a sense of discovery—I’m never sure what I’m going to eat next.””} The city’s cuisine in its many guises is the focus of Ducasse’s new coffee table tome-meets-restaurant guide, J’aime New York. Destinations range from the eponymous eateries of other famous chefs, such as Daniel Boulud (Daniel) and Jean-George Vongerichten (Jean-George), to New York-centric specialists like Jewish appetizing experts Russ & Daughters, where Ducasse says he’d like to spend a day in the kitchen “to benefit from their expertise in exceptional varieties of smoked and cured fish.”

With behind-the-scenes images from photographer Pierre Monetta and short, diary-like summaries for each entry, J’aime New York reads like a food fan’s love letter to the terroir of the city. “New York is very special to me,” says Ducasse, who met his wife Gwénaëlle on a flight from Paris to JFK. Ducasse opened Benoit, his first Manhattan bistro, in 2008, and he says the city’s culinary trends, including its food trucks and urban pastoral movement, continue to inspire his cooking. “New York encourages a sense of discovery—I’m never sure what I’m going to eat next or what it will taste like. It’s an awe-inspiring place.”

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”For

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”For

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”For

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”For

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”For

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”For

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