Café Boulud is one of the hottest boîtes in town.

Question: What are your favorite restaurants?

Scott Conant:You know, I love Daniel.  I happen to- I think Café Boulud is probably one- one of my favorite restaurants.  I happen to think Daniel is fantastic as well.  I mean it’s- you know, his restaurants are phenomenal.  Jean-Jorges, I went to lunch at Jean-Jorges the other day, and I’ll say this on camera-- hands down the best lunch in New York City, I think.  Jean-Jorges is a phenomenal restaurant, but at lunch it just- like, it sparkles, it shimmers, it’s approachable; and it’s just fun.  I mean, it’s really- how many four-star restaurants can you say that about, right?  I mean it’s- it’s really- it’s really a great spot.  So, you know, there’s- there’s- those chefs of that caliber, Daniel and Jean-Jorges, obviously Thomas Keller is phenomenal; but even the guys, you know, that are- that are kind of the same age as I am-- Wiley-- this is perseverance.  I mean he’s just like focused.  Marcus Samuelson, against- you know, against- against all odds he opens up an African restaurant.  Like, who does that?  Like, God bless him.  You know what I mean?  And- and he’s a wonderfully-talented chef, and he’s trying to do things that are from the heart and personal and all that kind of stuff, and there’s something to be said-- I think there’s- there’s something to be said about that.  There’s so many- so many wonderfully-talented chefs and also great business people as well.  I mean if you go around this city and look at all the successful businesses in this town, and before you know it you, you know- you realize there’s a lot of- of-- there’s a huge pool of- of, you know, people to look at and say okay.  And then there’s also the- the times when you look at some people and say, “You know what, that’s the guy I don’t wanna follow.  That’s the example I don’t want to- to- to have.”

Recorded on: 03/24/08