While blogs are perversely aflutter with greatly exaggerated news of the forthcoming death of fine dining and haute cuisine, we thought perhaps it might be useful to determine if at least one recent posting was true: that a reservation for Thomas Keller's unparalleled Per Se could be easily had via OpenTable. Indeed, we determined we could easily accomplish this, and thus one week later set off on our appointed task.
Nearly a year had passed since our unforgettable Easter spent at Keller's French Laundry in Yountville, California, reached on that beautifully sunny Sunday after a relaxing drive from the Bay Area. We had arrived 30 minutes early, and occupied ourselves with touring the impressive vegetable garden just across the street from the restaurant; as the day went on, the growing crescendo of small flourishes and nuanced touches in course after course culminated with massive chocolate Easter eggs brought to the table after the mignardises. Inside these hollow eggs were wrapped caramels placed by the pastry chef. At the time, it seemed no dining experience in the United States would equal or surpass it.
Yet entering Keller's fourth-floor realm at the Time Warner Center could hardly be a more different experience than driving to the French Laundry. For starters, the Time Warner Center remains a ridiculous tribute to the imperial superego of a faltering corporation, filled with stores (excepting Whole Foods) that generally appear to be mostly empty. While attending performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center remains a highly satisfying experience, casual or fine dining at this shopping mall would appear to be foiled by the rather generic frilly surroundings. Keller's designer, Adam Tihany, adroitly managed to challenge this with his blue-door portal evocative of the French Laundry. As one enters through sliding glass doors—after walking down a long corridor filled with vitrines of blown glass of relatively questionable aesthetic value—perhaps the most polite thing one could say of the fourth-floor realm outside Per Se's dining room would be ars ut artem falleret, art to deceive art. The entry portal and its exaggerated luxury, of course, serve to remind the power brokers, gourmets and gourmands alike that Keller's architectural confection per se, i.e. with all due respect to its inherent nature, offers the required amount of artifice and edifice in a most New York way: with soaring ceilings and the lavish building materials that symbolize the go-go years of this decade. The wine cellar tempts, and the lounge features plush banquettes as well as a few appropriately-placed pieces of furniture overlooking Central Park. Stated differently, instead of the tranquil solitude of Yountville, the New Yorker awaiting one of the 15 tables here leaves chaotic Columbus Circle for a tamed and ordered sphere—evocative, subtle, and chromatic in a highly structured form quite like Mondrian's Broadway Boogie-Woogie. How interesting then, to be confronted with a perfect view of the Museum of Arts & Design from Per Se's tastefully-appointed dining room. Edward Durrell Stone's transformed lollipop building that lost its spun-sugar motifs in its aesthetic redesign perhaps symbolizes the sort of pleasure that awaits in the Kellerian world: the refinement and tempering of forest and sea. Out of a multitude of ingredients comes a unique dining experience in which we are told "no single ingredient is ever repeated throughout the meal".
To digress slightly, we just read that Per Se's cavernous lounge might be opened "some sort of more casual dining," which would be a pity as seemingly every place in these United States is now casual. In our nearly four hours at the French Laundry last year, we saw only one diner use a cellphone, whereas in the first ten minutes at Per Se we unfortunately became aware of four of them. The trendy desire to share a distinctive experience through photographs ("Let's take a picture of every course") as well as orally ("Guess what we're having?") perhaps might be irreversible, yet the quiet splendor of the dining room is in fact mitigated (punctuated?) by this now-unstoppable technology. Or as a well-known French pastry chef admitted to me earlier this morning as we overheard a customer loudly talking about the practice of hiring prisoners as laborers: "I wish I could put one of those damn blocking machines in here; I can't stand it."
In any case, we began with gougères and the signature tuile with salmon and crème fraîche, which certainly put us in the appropriate mood to receive the first course, "Oysters and Pearls" that consisted of a resplendent Sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and Sterling white sturgeon caviar—a well-known ingredient most beloved at the French Laundry. The subtlety of this dish cannot be overstated; aside from the magnificent appearance, texture and taste, its sheer ingenuity alone was simply extraordinary. We both opted for the Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras ($30.00 supplement) served with a duck consommé "en gelée" with subtle and ingenious slow baked beets and red ribbon sorrel augmented with kumquat coulis. As at the French Laundry, when the servers perceived the thick toasted brioche had cooled to a point where it would not offset the terrine, it was as if by magic replaced with another plate of hot brioche. You might find these details trifling, or instead you might find them simply reflective of a master chef who overlooks no minor detail in order to please his patrons. Similarly, perhaps the handsome dish of six sea salts to accompany the terrine could on the one hand be seen as ostentatious, or instead perhaps simply a rather delectable accompaniment that involves choosing among some of the most intriguing and flavorful salts known to man.
Food and wine critics, not to mention all manner of gourmets and gourmands, enjoy impressing their fellow diners with tales of fine dining—this restaurant here, that wine tasting there—and generally manage to repeat details ad nauseum at meals such as at Per Se. Thus it was with great excitement that our inquiry about a certain varietal was responded to by the sommelier both with great enthusiasm about this particular part of California near Mendocino as well as a truly masterful declamation of the vintage, the vineyard and the general vicinity. In other words, he went beyond impressing us with his impressive depth of knowledge. Never mind that this, our first bottle, was neither particularly expensive nor unusual; he spoke of this Syrah from a vineyard unfamiliar to us with the same energy one presumes he would reserve for a Corton-Charlemagne at ten times the price. (In a tip of the toque to reality, we note that our expense account no longer affords the possibilities of the Trockenbeeranauslese, Yquem and Bordeaux that so appropriately ruined our late youth.) Though the mark-up on the nearly 50-page wine list seems quite high even to the casual observer, it does remind us that Keller makes very little (if any) profit on the menus per se; the top quality of the ingredients, their preparation, and the service make the execution of these prix fixe menus extremely expensive. When you further consider that unlike at nearly every other restaurant in this country that service is included, it makes them seem all the more valuable.
Hence the shock to be thusly confronted with a butter-poached Nova Scotia lobster, a substantial piece of tail meat accompanied by a striking serrano ham croquette, Cripps Pink apples and mâche with an apple cider emulsion. Though a trip to Maine two weeks ago again reminded us the present fate of the lobsterman in this troubled economy is indeed a miserable one, we might accentuate the only positive details: an overabundance of lobsters along the Atlantic Coast has made fortune smile upon the diner who wishes to eat them. It might seem near impossible to follow this delicate crustacean with anything more impressive, yet the Liberty Farm Pekin Duck breast with rhubarb and turnip confit and Sauce "Périgourdine" nearly set us into orbit. Flown in from an unincoporated area of Sonoma County near Petaluma, both the climate and method of raising their poultry makes these ducks about as flavorful as one can find. And then appeared—as we switched to a hearty Zinfandel—the most marvelous carré d'agneau rôti (call it a lamb chop, if you will) with morel mushrooms and fava beans with Béarnaise reduction and tiny potatoes that we presumed from their flavor were from the Goshen/Warwick area but came instead from a California farmer's market. This Elysian Fields Farm lamb from Orange County, NC, was truly superb.
There followed a Brunet of poached apricots, hazelnuts, marinated sunchokes and frisée, a modest portion of tender bites that eased the way for the ensuing caramelized banana sorbet with maui pineapple and lime salt. It did not escape our attention that our wine and water glasses were constantly refreshed, and that the service at all times was more attentive than I've experienced in any of the other top New York restaurants that we have reviewed here in recent years. Finding the bombe au pamplemousee not quite to our taste, we instead opted for the mille-feuille de poire, an intensely flavorful walnut bavarois with bosc pears and candied walnuts and licorice ice cream. Mille-feuille indeed—for it was followed by the luxurious signature Keller mignardises of chocolates, truffles, hard candies and caramels. Despite that the economic downturn has sealed the fate of an increasing number of figures who seem right out of Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium, in turn affecting an untold number of Keller's well-to-do patrons, the dining room of Per Se nevertheless remains packed. A testament, no doubt, to Keller's ability to deliver the most outstanding dining experience found in this country. When we discussed our experience with a colleague who had dined at Per Se last year, his response summed it up: "I couldn't really eat anything the next day. Anything else seemed a letdown."
Photo credit: Deborah Jones
Tags:
adam tihany, french laundry, per se, thomas keller, time warner center
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Posted on 3/19/2009
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Some say that cocoa beans were so valuable to Mayan traders that when Christopher Columbus saw them picking up cocoa beans they had dropped, he commented it was as though their eyes had fallen out. Fast-forward 500 years, and there was similar clamoring amongst the NYC.com food editors over who would attend this week's Private Wine and Chocolate Tasting Class by Outdoor Bound held at Divialicious Chocolate in SoHo with owner and chocolate connoisseur Jackie Gordon at the helm. In an added stroke of good fortune, the wine and expert advice was provided by Jean-Baptiste Humvert from Wine Therapy.
A gourmet selection of six artisanal ouverture chocolates was paired with four wine varietals; in other words, 24 different flavor combinations were represented. With such generous glasses being poured by Connie Magee, owner of Outdoor Bound, the pre-Valentine's Day crowd rather quickly expressed considerable collective delight.
Jackie took the assembled group through a step-by-step process of the proper way to taste and to critique chocolate, and how this process of evaluation relates to the wine. Indeed, her very learned approach to chocolate was highly appreciated, and her many talents can be visually summed up via the display boards at the store displaying intriguing information—such as a chocolate flavor wheel that helps one identify flavors and hone one's preferences.
There is a fascinating amount of science to chocolate making, and in the United States our palates have fortunately developed significantly over the last 15 years during the "Chocolate Revolution" that has exposed us to ever-more sophisticated varieties. Accordingly, the United States has quite measurably improved in terms of the quality of chocolate we manufacture.
Jackie was quick to inform attendees that experiencing chocolate is in fact a very personal thing; thus, irrespective of what others might think it is what you the individual consumer prefers that counts. Perhaps for some it might have been difficult to tell the difference between the various chocolate and wine pairings, but when giving the proper concentration on the tasting techniques one can rapidly detect subtleties such as "grassy" undertones.
In conclusion, this event was both a marvelous way to meet others with similar oenophile/chocophile tastes; unlike many other such tastings, this event is quite enjoyable whether attending alone, as a couple, or even with a group of friends. We moreover noticed as a few of the ladies displayed some rather highly festive spirits as the night progressed that this event would even function as a splendid way to commence a bachelorette party.
At the end of the evening after such highbrow tastings, we felt rather meek creeping out of the store with a purchase of coconut white chocolate—potentially the chocolate equivalent of choosing a McDonald’s hamburger over a Filet Mignon. Nevertheless, Jackie displayed an incredibly gracious esprit about said purchase; it is testament to their fantastic chocolate that we did consume the entire supply upon arriving home.
Tags:
chocolate and wine tasting, connie magee, divalicious chocolate, jackie gordon, outdoor door
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Posted on 2/13/2009
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While NYC.com offers you dozens of recommendations on how to celebrate romantically on the big day, I can highly recommend an event on February 11th that will delight you and your best beloved: a stunning selection of artisan-made couverture chocolates and four wine varietals, tasting at SoHo's Divalicious Chocolate.
Jackie Gordon, along with experts from Wine Therapy, will guide you through each pairing, giving a detailed explanation of the chocolate-making process, of pairing chocolate and wines, and of the best consumption practices. This event is limited to just 18 participants, and it is a sit-down event. Each attendee will be provided with an individual tasting plate with a raw cacao bean and six artisan, couverture chocolates from some of the world’s finest chocolate makers (e.g., Michel Cluizel, Valrhona, Guittard, etc.) as well as a score sheet, flavor wheel and rating scale to write down thoughts and reactions to each chocolate. Each table will be set with palate cleansers and water as well as wine for tasting.
Read more about it and buy tickets here.
Tags:
chocolate, wine tasting
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Posted on 2/5/2009
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For the discriminating palate that enjoys the myriad flavors of Mexico ranging from the fulfilling Comida Yucateca to the complex Mole Poblano, New York frequently shocks when it comes to finding authentic regional cuisine of our southern neighbor. It was thus no surprise as to why we had assiduously avoided a smallish place on Seventh Avenue with the very gringo name of Trattoria Spaghetto or Ristorante Lasagna. In other words, file under: known quantity. Yet when a renowned member of the political chattering classes suggested on a snowy evening that the food and atmosphere at Salsa Y Salsa were worthy of our attention, we relented. We'd first enjoyed some holiday cheer at nearby Dusk, and it seemed a late-night dinner was in order.
For the past 15 years, our friends from Puebla and Michoacán have populated the kitchens of every type of restaurant imaginable, ranging from French patisseries to Ethiopian restaurants such as Midtown's Queen of Sheba. Consequently, their masterful abilities to delight with both standard American crowd-pleasers as well as global dishes such as Pad Thai has resulted in a fascinating fusion of eclectic cocina. The usual staples of American Mexican restaurants—Guacamole en Molcajete, nicely mashed with chunks of tomato and onion; Chile Rellenos, stuffed with three cheeses; Pollo con Mole Negro, with a nice Oaxaqueno mole—can all be found here, along with some more exotic dishes such as Patos en Mole Tamarindo (duck in tamarind mole) and Huachinango a la Veracruzana (red snapper with cornmeal tomato sauce). You'll also find a number of unusual margaritas, such as cactus pear. Our friend the politico, a vegetarian with a rather complex palate, decided on Fajitas, but with a Southeast Asian flair. Here's where creativity comes into play: the charming hostess offered to run next door to the Regional Thai restaurant to fetch snow peas, broccoli and a few other items, something our politico assented to with "Oh, they do this all the time. You just have to ask." Some minutes later a sizzling platter with Mexican Green Rice, Black Beans, Sweet Corn Salpicon, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, Warmed Tortillas, and the most exotic selection of perfectly-grilled vegetables this side of Bangkok emerged. There were beautiful rounds of squash, some perfectly cooked snow peas, and florets of broccoli—something we confess to never having seen before in a Mexican restaurant.
Coming on the same day as the sad news of the closure of Jose Hurtado-Prud'homme's Greenwich Village favorite Mi Cocina, we have to admit this simple restaurant with flowery oilcloth on the tables, stencils of Hibiscus on the walls, and a few festive lights strewn here and there surprised us in rather intriguing ways. Just as you'll never know from the simple décor what complex flavors you might get in the rural Yucátan, so too does this principle apparently hold in the biggest city of El Norte.
Tags:
comida yucateca, dusk, mole poblano, puebla, salsa y salsa
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Posted on 12/17/2008
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Believe it: $24 prix fixe lunches and $35 dinners at all of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurants. JGV has posted the following note: I've created my restaurants to be places that offer a gracious welcome, that pamper our guests with delicious food and friendly service. And now I want to extend more generosity to my fellow New Yorkers. I'm offering prix-fixe lunch for $24 and prix-fixe dinner for $35 at my restaurants in the city. The best deal, by far, is at Matsugen. In this mini-omakase dinner menu, you get six courses, including the black cod with miso and the Kamoseiro duck soup with soba noodles. It's a deeply satisfying meal that gives you a true taste of Japan. I also love the bento box lunch because one of the four courses is the goma-dare soba, my favorite dish there. Starting today, we're going to serve a $35 dinner at Nougatine too. It's a taste of Jean Georges for a fraction of the price. (And you can enjoy the view of the Christmas lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.) We serve our special three-course menu before 6:30 p.m. and after 10:00 p.m., making it the ideal stop before or after a show at Lincoln Center. Perry St offers their $35 dinner menus during the same hours; JoJo has the same early dinner hours and begins its late-dinner seating at 9:30 p.m. If you go to JoJo on a Sunday, you can enjoy the special prix-fixe all evening. At Vong, the $35 dinner menu is available all the time. For each of our restaurants, we've chosen the best dishes of the season, then it's up to you to choose an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. (Trust me — it's not easy. At Perry St, would you rather have the slowly cooked cod with aromatic black beans, sake, and ginger or the grilled hanger steak with smoked paprika butternut squash and caramelized Brussels sprouts? At Mercer Kitchen, would you rather start with the Endive and Frisee Salad with Blue Cheese, Pears, and Pecans or the Chestnut and Celery Root Soup with Pancetta?) While the restaurants serve the dishes unique to their styles, my signature warm molten chocolate cake is a dessert option on all of the menus. Because, as we all know, nothing can comfort you quite like chocolate. There you have it; a tremendous holiday special available for the foreseeable future.
Tags:
jean georges, jojo, matsugen, mercer kitchen, nougatine, perry st, vong, vongerichten
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Posted on 12/11/2008
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