The French Dip Takes Center Stage in New York
Laporte, who just turned 30 and has 2.6 million followers on TikTok, has been delighting viewers since COVID, cooking big, salty, high-fat 'Five Napkin' foods (which is also the name of his cookbook), including his signature French dip.
Salt Hank's French dip sandwich ($28), made by chef Daniel Rubenfield (who is a Thomas Keller alum), is based on Laporte's same recipe. It starts with a fresh demi-baguette from Frenchette that's appropriately sturdy enough to absorb the jus without disintegrating. Laporte says he tasted nearly 150 baguettes before he settled on this one.
The bread gets a good swipe of horseradish and roasted garlic aioli, then a half-pound of thinly-shaved Pat LaFreida prime rib that's been roasted in a compound butter. It's topped with tangles of onions that have been caramelized for 12 hours. 'They reduce so much you're getting like two onions per sandwich, sticky and gooey to the limit,' says Laporte. On goes a blanket of provolone cheese, before the sandwich is thrown into the convection oven to melt everything together. A steamy cup of homemade beef stock fortified with bouillon and a massive pile of potato sticks complete the meal.
The crusty bread, hot steak, golden frizzled potatoes, and provolone blistered to the point of becoming a cheese crust bring to mind what might happen if a bowl of French onion soup became a sandwich. It's almost too much of a good thing, like sitting across from Pedro Pascal in a muscle tee.
The French dip has not only been drawing lines on Bleecker Street; the sandwich is showing up all over the city. In the West Village at Anton's, chef Nick Anderer serves au jus with a sesame seed baguette overstuffed with rare roast beef ($26). Nearby at Minetta Tavern, ribbons of pink steak and horseradish sauce are blanketed by a soft roll with a good crust, ideal for soaking up the terrine of jus. It's also on the menu at 4 Charles Prime Rib ($39.99) and its Midtown sister restaurant, the Monkey Bar ($39.99), where hot prime rib is tucked into a Parisi Bakery bun, accompanied by both horseradish dip and au jus.
The French dip at Minetta Tavern. Minetta Tavern/Official
Things get a little different at the Landing in Midtown West, the first NYC restaurant from Chicago restaurateur David Morton. Chef Jon Ho said the sandwich was inspired by his childhood favorite: dry-cured rib-eye is dunked in beef au jus, swaddled with melted Muenster cheese, and topped with diced sour pickles — a welcome jolt of acidity — on a ciabatta coated in herb butter ($30). 'It immediately became a best seller,' says Morton.
Down in the Seaport at the Fulton, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has merged two viral trends: his short rib smash burger is actually a French dip. It's layered with buttermilk crisped onions, topped with gruyere and dijon-chile mayonnaise, and it comes with a side of onion jus.
But perhaps the most bedazzled version is at the opulent Times Square steakhouse Gui, where a 24-hour koji-cured prime rib is rubbed with a five-pepper spice blend, slow-roasted for 10 hours, warmed in bourbon-beef au jus, topped with caramelized onions cooked in beef tallow and soy, and finished with a horseradish cream featuring yuzu and chiles ($29).
The French dip at Gui. Dan Ahn
'There is a reason that French dip is trending,' says Gui chef Sungchul Shim. 'Thin-cut prime rib between beautiful bread and luxurious au jus is irresistible to anyone. And accessible luxury is also something very trending as well.'
The French dip is also on an influencer high. Mentions of the sandwich on social media are up 70 percent from June to July, making it the top month for French dip social media mentions over the past two years, according to global food and beverage intelligence company Datassential. The social media saturation tracks with the sandwich's heightened popularity: the company reports that over the past four years, French dips are showing up on 25 perfect more of fine dining menus.
The French dip at the Corner Store has been a top seller since the day the West Village restaurant debuted in September 2024. The sandwich puts 72-hour dry-aged wagyu on a house-baked baguette with horseradish aioli and a two-day au jus ($38.95). 'There is no question that they taste amazing,' says Michael Vignola, the head chef of the restaurant's parent company Catch Hospitality Group. 'When they're made right, they hit every note — rich, savory, nostalgic. They're also not easy to execute, so you can't get a great one just anywhere.' Well, actually, maybe you can, especially throughout New York.
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Less than a week ago, Frank Caprio posted what appeared to be a self-created inspirational poster that read: 'A life built on kindness is a life that echoes long after we're gone.' Caprio, dubbed 'the nicest judge in the world,' died Wednesday at the age of 88, but it seems his message is sure to live on. The Rhode Island jurist passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his family announced on social media. Caprio served as chief judge of the municipal court of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1985 to 2023. He is survived by his wife Joyce Caprio, five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. 'Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him,' his family wrote. 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After his retirement he was given the ceremonial title of 'Chief Judge Emeritus' and his courtroom was renamed in his honor. Caprio was known for his compassion in the courtroom, as videos of him treating defendants with empathy and respect gained more than a billion views on social media and earned him the title of 'the nicest judge in the world.' Caprio's Instagram account and Facebook profile each amassed 3.4 million followers, while his TikTok had 1.6 million followers. Earlier this year, he published a book titled Compassion in the Court, outlining lessons he'd learned from his life and career. Caprio, the son of an Italian immigrant who worked as a fruit peddler, once told his alma mater Suffolk University's law magazine, that he believed Caught in Providence resonated with people because, 'they feel that they are talked down to and scorned. In the 100,000 or so comments I have gotten from viewers around the world, the most common words are compassion, understanding, and fairness. I think we have given them a sense of hope through the decisions I make.' He said he leaned on 'the rule of common sense' when considering leniency toward defendants and did not view verdicts that made the defendant's life worse as justice. At times, Caprio would bring the children of defendants up to the bench. In one case, he asked a six-year-old girl to help him decide on the verdict for her mother who faced a $100 fine plus additional penalties amounting to a total of $300 for parking on the sidewalk. Caprio gave the defendant's daughter four options: charge the full amount of the penalties, waive the penalties but keep the $100 fine, reduce the fine to $50, or waive the fine entirely. 'What would you do to be fair about this whole thing and how much would you charge?' Caprio asked. The girl chose the third option, but Caprio offered her another deal. 'She buys you breakfast when you leave and I'll dismiss [the case], is that a good deal?' Ultimately, she agreed. 'I don't wear a badge under my robe,' Caprio was known for saying. 'I wear a heart.' While remembered for his time as a judge, Caprio also had a political career. He served on the Providence City Council from 1962 to 1968 and ran as a Democrat for Attorney General of Rhode Island in 1970 but lost to Republican Richard J. Israel. He served as a delegate for five Democratic National Conventions. In December 2023, Caprio announced he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, completing radiation treatment last year. On Aug. 19, Caprio shared in a video from a hospital bed that he had suffered a health setback. 'I ask you again, if it's not too much, that you can remember me in your prayers,' he said. Caprio died the following day. 'Judge Caprio was a Rhode Island treasure,' Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee posted on X. 'On a personal level, he was a friend who faced his illness with bravery, and I will miss him dearly.' McKee ordered Rhode Island flags at all state agencies and buildings to be flown at half-mast in honor of Caprio. 'Judge Caprio not only served the public well, but he connected with them in a meaningful way, and people could not help but respond to his warmth and compassion,' McKee continued. 'He was more than a jurist—he was a symbol of empathy on the bench, showing us what is possible when justice is tempered with humanity.' Joe Shekarchi, Democratic speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, posted on X that Caprio 'was known everywhere for his compassion and good humor on the bench and was beloved by Rhode Islanders and worldwide fans of his show.' 'Judge Caprio utilized his position for the greater good and helped countless individuals who appeared before him to turn their lives around,' Shekarchi said. 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