Lure Fishbar Chef Preston Clark’s Favorite Moules Frites, Steak Tartare, and French Onion Soup in New York — Resy | Right This Way

Lure Fishbar

4.6 ·
Seafood · $$$
SoHo

Published: June 22, 2023

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In this edition, we’re chatting with Preston Clark, who took over the executive chef mantle at Lure Fishbar in 2014 after a lifetime spent in restaurants.

Clark’s own family lineage includes a number of heralded New York chefs. His chef grandfather paved the way for his own father, Patrick, who famously pioneered a style of casual yet refined French dining to a generation of Americans in the 1980s.

Through the ’80s and ’90s, Preston followed in his father’s footsteps, literally trailing him to work at The Odeon in Tribeca and Cafe Luxembourg in the Upper West Side.

“I was 10 or 11, and I remember having my first crock of French onion soup at Cafe Luxembourg,” says Preston. “There was this depth of flavor from the caramelized onions. And then so many different textures from the bread and the cheese. My love for French food started there.”

Food aside, he grew to appreciate the long windows and casual vibes of bistros — all while absorbing life lessons from his dad. Words of wisdom that he still recalls and recites to this day include: “What you do now sets the precedent for what you can do later,” and “One of the keys to success is persistence.”

Patrick passed away in 1998, but Preston, then 16, carried the baton. After stints at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Cafe Meze, Preston went on to cook at Jean-Georges, where he climbed the ranks from line cook to sous chef. But it was during his decade at Lure Fishbar that he expanded on his classical French foundation, with his own repertoire that includes lobster-and-crab ravioli in uni cream and an innovative program of dressed oysters.

On his evenings off, he goes back to his childhood love for French restaurants. From birthday splurges with his girlfriend to Thursday night hangouts with his friends, here are Preston Clark’s go-to French spots in New York.

Venues:

  1. Restaurant Daniel

    • Upper East Side
    • French
    • $$$
    • I love having the proper multi-course French dinner with all the bells and all the trimmings in that high-end, four-star service style of restaurant where it’s almost like they pay attention to every detail before you can think about it.

  2. Le Bernardin

    • Theater District
    • French
    • $$$$
    • The last time I was there, it was for my girlfriend’s birthday and we had the tasting menu with the wine pairings. I always knew that you were being watched very, very carefully.

  3. Jean-Georges

    • Upper West Side
    • French
    • $$$$
    • This is the restaurant that I kind of grew up in. Dishes are executed flawlessly; the recipes are measured down to a tenth of a gram.

  4. The Odeon

    • Tribeca
    • I always get the oysters: Island Creek from Massachusetts, with a splash of mignonette. The size of the oysters is good.

  5. Balthazar

    • Soho
    • I always get the oysters. I recently had their gougères (baked cheese puffs).

  6. Boucherie

    • West Village
    • I got the rack of lamb. They serve it as two large pieces.

Lure Fishbar is open daily for lunch and dinner. Follow Preston Clark on Instagram.

Caroline Shin is a food journalist, and founder of the Cooking with Granny video and workshop series spotlighting immigrant grandmothers. Watch her award-winning show on YouTube.