“At Le Bernardin, fish is the king of the plate, the rest merely serves to embellish it”, proclaims Eric Ripert. Influenced by his travels and by the multiculturalism of the Big Apple, this chef takes the rudiments of French gourmet cuisine and adds Mediterranean flourishes to create dishes like his monkfish recipe, a souvenir of Barcelona and tribute to the architect, Gaudi. It consists of pan-roasted monkfish with confit peppers, patatas bravas and a chorizo emulsion. A little corner of the ocean in the heart of Manhattan, the charm of this restaurant lies both in the quality of the cuisine and its elegant lines.