Rahi means traveler in Hindu.  Besides perfectly fitting our approach to life, it is also a modern Indian bistro serving artisanal Indian cuisine by Chef Chintan Pandya.

Chef Pandya used to be the head chef at Junoon (one Michelin star) where we ate once three years ago, then he left to open his own restaurant in Greenwich Village.

Contrary to Junoon, which was more sophisticated, chic and expensive, Rahi is the bistro version, accessible and affordable for younger crowd.

For our lunch on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018, we all chose the set menu (starters + mains) at 22 USD, but guests can also opt for the three-course deal (starters, mains & desserts) at 29 USD.

The Eggplant Barta, charcoal smoke, onion and cumin was highly perfumed and a delicately spiced, but the killer starter dish was the Edamame Artichoke Chaat, spinach chips, tamarind and pomegranate: crispy, light, perfectly cooked and well-balanced, a real delight.

Their selection of Nans was terrific : Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Malai Paneer Naan and Booti  Wali Naan.

The drink list was short, but had a good selection of local and Indian beers as well as an incredible Kaffir Mango Lassi.

 The service was young but dynamic and charming.

Rahi may not have the same sophisticated and exclusive atmosphere as Junoon, but the food was quite good, more affordable and lively.

Rahi

 60 Greenwich Ave,

New York, NY 10011, USA

Tel: +1 212-373-8900

www.rahinyc.com

Westlight is a rooftop bar with sweeping views of Manhattan from atop the 22nd floor of The William Vale hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is probably one of the best views in New York City.

Westlight possesses a huge terrace with comfortable sofas, nice chairs, and big tables where you can dine on small bites inspired by street food and cooked by Chef Andrew Carmellini. It has also great, yellow binoculars to view Manhattan up close.

Inside the rooftop, there is a small bar decorated with a myriad of alcohol bottles and tables set lounge style. The cocktail menu was pretty good; their Cheeky Cherry Cola was a hit with our kids. It also had a quite long and exhaustive list of spirits, and a good selection of local beers, but most surprising  was their wine list which included some favorites of ours like Pierre Péters Blanc de Blanc, Billecart Salmon Rosé, Bruno Paillard Brut Premier or Krug Grand Cuvée.

We had to talk with the Manager of Westlight, Matthew Sylvester, to understand how Westlight had all these great bottles and found out that he went to Europe last summer to select most of the wines that were on the wine list.

Our group went to Westlight for a drink -- and also, of course, for the view.  We were accompanied by our kids ranging from eight to fourteen years old. They were all delighted by the breathtaking views of Manhattan at dusk.  Initially we did not intend to stay for dinner, but kids being kids, after admiring the great view at length, decided they were starving and were ready for some mighty burgers and French fries.

The food was quite good for street food, from the spicy coconut cashews to the Westlight Burgers, even if it did not come cheap: prices ranged from 8 USD to 21 USD.

Nevertheless, if you have only time for one rooftop bar in New York City, we highly recommend you go to Westlight in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Westlight

111 N 12th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA

Tel : +1 718-307-7100

westlightnyc.com

On October 31st 2018, we had lunch at Gabriel Kreuther's restaurant in New York City, which was an excellent way to kick off the festivities of Halloween.

The restaurant is located at 42^nd Street across from the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. The restaurant itself is beautiful, airy with salvaged-wood beams and design, comfortable furniture.

For our lunch, we opted for the three course menu at 89 USD per person.  The amuse bouche was a brioche with delicious cashew nut hummus and watercress salsa verde, then arrived our entrée, we all had citrus cured local fluke with yuzu yogurt – the wasabi cucumber vinaigrette was light, tasty and savory. Our mains were baked Atlantic turbot; green watch hatchery trout on Cedar Plank, heritage pork tenderloin and charcoal grilled black Angus tenderloin. Each dish was as appealing to the eyes as it was to the palate. After tasting everyone of them, it was clear to us why Gabriel Kreuther is a master cook and saucer. His cooking is highly technical, well balanced and extremely flavorsome.

The desserts -- by Marc Aumont -- sounded traditional and heavy on paper like the Decadent Chocolate & Caramel or Harvest Pear & Caramel, but it was delicate, delicious and surprisingly light. It was the work of a master pastry chef.

 The wine list was incredible and probably one of the best we ever came across in NYC with even a great selection of ciders, which we chose from by selecting Eric Bordelet’s Sydre Argelette served by the top sommelier Philippe Sauriat himself, probably one of the best and most knowledgeable sommeliers working in NYC at the moment.

 The service was very nice, attentive and professional as it should be.

We had the chance to discover Gabriel Kreuther’s cooking ten years ago, in 2008, when he was at the helm of The Modern in MoMA. Now, he is a better chef who took his cooking up a notch or two which has just got him his second Michelin star.  We are very happy for him as, in our opinion, it is well deserved. Congratulations to Gabriel Kreuther and his wonderful team! 

Gabriel Kreuther

41 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036, USA

Tel: 1 212-257-5826

gknyc.com

La Compagnie, the boutique airline, operates a 74-seat 100% business class flight between Paris (Orly Sud) and Newark, NJ airport. There are two flights a day.

• Checking in with La Compagnie at Orly Sud was smooth and easy: 7/10.

• Priority lane to immigration and custom checking relatively quick: 6/10.

• The Icare lounge at Orly Sud was average with a small offering of foods and beverages: 5/10.

• The boarding and the flight were timely : 8/10

• The plane, a Boeing 757, looked clean and well maintained but extremely noisy: 6/10.

• The 160-degree reclining seat was spacious with a good system of removable tray but with no storage space besides the overhead compartment, a fluffy pillow and a warm blanket:  5/10.

• The entertainment system was displayed on a 21"x22'' tablet and equipped with a good headset, but with a limited choice of films, music and TV shows: 5/10.

• The food and the drinks were surprisingly good and tasty, good bread too: 8/10.

• The crew on board was professional and helpful: 7/10.

Overall rating of our outbound flight: 7/10.

Our return flight B01200 from Newark, NJ to Orly Sud on Saturday, November 3rd 2018 was not as enjoyable, unfortunately:

• Checking in with La Compagnie at Newark airport Terminal B was smooth and easy: 7/10.

• No priority lane to immigration and custom checking, it was crowded: 4/10.

• The Art & Lounge lounge was undergoing renovation works so all the seats were packed, it was overcrowded, not very clean, smelly, worst than a third world garage with a very poor food and beverages offering: 2/10.

• The boarding and the flight were one-hour late due to a couple who arrived late and who forgot their luggage at the gate: 3/10.

• The plane, a Boeing 757, looked worn out and extremely noisy : 4/10

• The 160-degree reclining seat was spacious (the foot rest was not as comfortable as the one on our outbound flight though) with a good system of removable tray, a fluffy pillow and a warm blanket but again no storage space:   5/10.
• The entertainment system was displayed on a 21"x22'' tablet and equipped with a good headset, but with a limited choice of films, music and TV shows (the exact same ones as on our outbound flight even though the month had changed - other companies usually update their entertainment program monthly): 5/10.

• The crew did not give us prior notice they were going to serve breakfast, did not wake us up gently from our short night sleep by turning on the lights, making an announcement, asking us to pull up the blinds, put our seat in the upright position, etc. They just started serving breakfast when half the plane was still in slumber or half asleep in their reclined seats. They gave us the warm towel to clean our hands but never retrieved it and, last but not least, the breakfast itself was average with a terrible coffee: 2/10.

• The crew on-board looked overwhelmed, awkward, not well trained and badly managed: 1/10.

Overall rating of our return flight: 3/10.

Atomix is the new restaurant of the Parks, the couple who is also at the helm of the more casual Atoboy.

Everything at Atomix was exclusive: from the unassuming entrance at 104 East 30th Street in New York City to the cocktail bar on the first floor. We were immediately invited to take the stairs down to the lounge where we had some delightful amuse bouches  before eventually taking our seats around the table - a big U-shaped counter that seats 14 guests only. The atmosphere was zen and peaceful, very much unlike other restaurants in New York City usually very noisy and loud.

Once we were at our designed seats, our waiter served our drinks, a sublime bottle of Champagne Blanc de Blanc from Pierre Péters then our Maitre d', Ellia Park herself, presented us with a case filled with beautifully crafted and sophisticated pairs of chopsticks. We had to pick one to use during our meal. Then she gave us a beautiful card that looked like an arty postcard and that gave a lot of details about the dish we were about to be served. Then Mrs Park explained to us in a sweet voice and a serene manner with a soft smile her husband's, Korean chef Junghyun Park, cooking philosophy and the menu which came in ten dishes (Guk, Hwe, Sukchae, Gui, Husik, etc.).

Unlike at Jungsik, where chef Junghyun Park used to be a sous chef, Atomix is pure Korean food with a twist of European favorites such as truffles and caviar. The chef’s meal was like storytelling, each dish was like a chapter with intriguing ingredients and components. Like any story, it is better when it is good, and chef Junghyun Park knows how to tell it with truly refined dishes with a great ending.

The wine list at Atomix is extremely well thought through and ranges from 60 USD to 600 USD. Guests can choose a bottle from France, Europe or the USA, from the Champagne region or Santa Barbara domain, Oregon or the Douro in Portugal. As for us, we opted for an amazing Champagne Blanc de Blanc from Pierre Péters and a bottle of Nebbiolo 2012  from the Clendenen Family vineyards in Santa Maria which turned out to be a little bit too light for our Italian friends' palates, but for us it was a perfect match to the meat dishes prepared by chef Park.

The service by Ellia Park and her team was flawless, professional and smooth.

Atomix was one of the most accomplished and memorable meals we ever had in New York City and one of the best restaurants of 2018 for us so far.  It seems the Michelin guide agrees with us as they just awarded Atomix its first Michelin star - even though, in our opinion, it deserves two.

If you have only time for one high-end restaurant in New York City, do not think twice: go to Atomix! Yes, it is expensive and you must book - and pay - in advance, but it is worth it.

Atomix

104 East 30th Street (Park Avenue South & Lexington Avenue)

New York, New York 10016

www.atomixnyc.com