A French ‘new wave’ of chic restaurants is sweeping NYC — and transporting diners to another world

A French new wave is sweeping the Big Apple — when it comes to restaurants, that is.

On a chilly February afternoon, a star-studded crowd packed into the formal dining room at Daniel Boulud’s namesake restaurant on the Upper East Side — and the atmosphere, like at any good French eatery, was cozy, casual and sophisticated.

Top chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Eric Ripert and Daniel Humm had all made the trek to celebrate what would have been the 99th birthday of legendary chef Paul Bocuse, a Lyon-born mentor to Boulud and the forefather of nouvelle cuisine.

The celebration showed that French fare is far from dead in New York City – despite the closings of mainstays like La Grenouille, Le Cirque, Lutece and La Cote Basque.

“New Yorkers have always been drawn to Parisian bistros because they offer a unique blend of comfort and sophistication that feels both timeless and effortlessly chic,” restaurateur David Foulquier told Side Dish.

This week, Le Petit Village opens in the West Village with executive chef Mehjabin Ahmed, who worked for Boulud, Humm, Vongerichten and Daniel Rose.

Other new, French-themed venues in New York include Chef Harold Moore’s Cafe Commerce on the Upper East Side, the Grand Brasserie in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall and Monsieur Bistro at 583 Lexington Ave.

They join surviving and revived French classics, from Balthazar, La Goulue, L’Avenue and Le Bilboquet, to Pastis, Frenchette, Le Rock, Le Veau d’Or and Le Coucou.

Foulquier and his brother Josh recently opened often-Instagrammed Chez Fifi inside a Manhattan townhouse at 140 E. 74th St.

The Foulquier brothers, whose We All Gotta Eat hospitality group includes hotspots like Sushi Noz, grew up in the neighborhood and named the restaurant after their mom. The design — from Stockholm-based Joyn Studio — is classic French-bistro style, with mirrors, mahogany paneling, blue accents and cozy banquettes. The main floor seats 40.

“The French bistro experience — casual, convivial, and rich with flavor — provides a perfect escape. It’s a way to transport yourself to another place, even if only for a few hours, and New Yorkers are experts at savoring that sense of ‘je ne sais quoi,’” Josh Foulquier said.

Ahmed earned her toque as a stagiaire chef at world-famous Noma Koan in Copenhagen, along with Bistrot Paul Bert in Paris and most recently at Jean’s on Lafayette Street in Soho.

The restaurant is from Mino Habib and Mathias Van Leyden, of  Loulou Petit Bistro & Speakeasy, who are now in partnership with New York Jets star CJ Mosley.

This new bistro, on the corner of Seventh Avenue South and Perry Street, offers dishes inspired by small villages in the South of France where Van Leyden grew up – such as coq au vin, cassoulet, raclette, ratatouille and beef Bourguignon.

The second floor includes a hidden speakeasy room designed for private events and cocktail tastings.

Boulud has done his fair share to keep the French culinary flame burning bright, recently crowning his empire with La Tete d’Or by Daniel, the city’s most elegant steak house, along with Le Pavillon, which he opened during the pandemic.

Vongerichten, meanwhile, opened Four Twenty Five on Park Avenue and Chez Margaux, his first private dining club, in the Meatpacking District, where his restaurant Spice Market once stood.
Ripert continues to lord over Le Bernardin, arguably the city’s best restaurant, while Humm runs the critically-acclaimed Eleven Madison Park.

The homage to Bocuse – who died at age 91 in 2018 in the same room above his restaurant outside Lyon, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, where he was born in 1926 – featured an elevated three-course pout-au-feu “celebrating all the categories of meats and vegetables and preparations,” Boulud said.

Other famous chefs in attendance included Tom Colicchio, JJ Johnson, Mawa McQueen, Angie Mar, Fredrik Berselius, Emma Bengtsson, Mary Altea, Alex Guarnaschelli, Simon Kim, Cedric Vongerichten, and Bocuse’s son, Jerome.

“I love to find an opportunity to gather friends in the middle of February on a cold day. It was perfect,” Boulud said.