French Restaurant Review: Essential by Christophe, New York City

 
French Restaurant Review: Essential by Christophe, New York City

Sample France’s refined cuisine in this New York address on the Upper West Side, headed by chef Christophe Bellanca

Having lived in France for 40 years, I’m always curious to sample Gallic gastronomy in the UK, America, Canada… anywhere other than France really. I find it interesting to see how French chefs express their esteemed cuisine using the produce of other countries, and how they accommodate local palates and dining preferences. It’s also revealing to see what French food means to diners elsewhere. In New York City, French chef Christophe Bellanca, who cut his teeth in Manhattan at Le Cirque and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, knows what makes New Yorkers happy, which is why Essential by Christophe, his year-old restaurant on the Upper West Side near the Museum of Natural History, has become a firm local favourite since it opened its doors to diners in December 2022.

The space occupies the ground floor of an elegant townhouse but it’s a light, relaxed, easygoing place with a décor of ton-sur-ton beige and blonde wood. Tables are generously spaced and some have banquettes, which makes it an ideal address for a tête-à-tête. Bellanca also won a Michelin star this year, which served to anoint his very appealing contemporary French cuisine. The carte is declined according to three-, four- and seven-course prix-fixe menus, which cater to differently gauged appetites.

Wild Black Sea Bass, © MARIE ENNECHART, STÉPHANE DE BOURGIES, LOUISE SWEET KITCHEN

Dining here with my niece, Nora, the last time I was in New York, I immediately saw the tastes and idiosyncrasies of New York. Briefly, New Yorkers are mad for Asian food, including sushi and raw seafood, whether ceviche or Italian crudo style preparations. They also still expect to see foie gras on a French menu, and they love classic French sauces, like the beautifully made Albuféra sauce which glossed my poularde or the Périgourdine (foie gras) sauce that accompanied my nieces’s perfectly cooked, rare venison.

Other dishes we loved included octopus with a carrot-harissa sabayon, grilled red mullet with squid and a Malabar pepper sauce, a fluffy Comté cheese soufflé and poached Maine lobster with grilled baby leeks and a suave and very elegant tarragon-galangal broth. The orange marmalade soufflé with green cardamon ice cream was a cracking dessert, and service here is alert and friendly. Located in a convenient and well-heeled residential neighbourhood, Essential by Christophe is a great place to dine amongst New Yorkers instead of tourists and also experience Christophe Bellanca’s deliciously cosmopolitan French cooking.

Essential, 103 West 77th Street, New York, NY,

Tel. (1) 646-478-7928

Prix-fixe menus $140, $180, $240.

From France Today Magazine

Lead photo credit : © MARIE HENNECHART, STÉPHANE DE BOURGIES, LOUISE SWEET KITCHEN

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Alexander Lobrano grew up in Connecticut, and lived in Boston, New York and London before moving to Paris, his home today, in 1986. He was European Correspondent for Gourmet magazine from 1999 until its closing, and has written about food and travel for Saveur, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Travel & Leisure, Departures, Conde Nast Traveler, and many other publications in the United States and the United Kingdom. He is the author of HUNGRY FOR PARIS, 2nd Edition (Random House, 4/2014), HUNGRY FOR FRANCE (Rizzoli, 4/2014), and MY PLACE AT THE TABLE, newly published in June 2021.

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