October 15, 2008
One of the thrills of this business—particularly in times of recession—is returning to an old favorite to see how a business fares. Some months ago, we rejoiced in the news that Picholine was offering $50 gift cards in honor of its 15th anniversary. This seemed to be yet another of Terrance Brennan's clever marketing strategies; rather than announce what effectively becomes a 10% off dinner for two, Brennan instead gains valuable marketing insights into his clientele by issuing such cards. The diners, convinced of receiving a great value—and it is—happily return to the restaurant. As we had recently given too much attention to Brennan's other signature restaurant, Artisanal, we were thus pleasantly surprised to discover a nearly-full Picholine last night, and proceeded apace to order the Tasting Menu, a superb seven-course meal with wine pairings.
For those who haven't visited Picholine since 2006, Brennan's renovations feature a modern design to match the Mediterranean cuisine. The wine and cheese bar, while nearly deserted last night, has a stripped-down menu that offers excellent values and clever pairings. The two main dining rooms, with 84 seats, offer intimacy and tranquility. In fact, it was more than two hours into our three-hour dinner that we for the first time espied a mobile phone; we cannot recall any experiencing in any other top-ranked restaurant in recent years so much edenic respite from the ever-trilling cell.
A clever amuse of tempura oyster mushrooms on skewers inserted into a vase of wheatgrass and pink rock salt set the mood. Served with a green-hued dipping sauce and a cauliflower panna cotta and paired with a glass of Champagne, this starter evoked the end of summer, reminding us of the spectacular Columbus Day weekend weather. We quickly moved to a Hudson Valley Farms Foie Gras Torchon with pistachio crust accompanied by sweet and sour heirloom beets. There followed some exquisite Sheep Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with artichoke barigoule, bottarga and parsley pistou. Part of the joy of this modest portion was gazing upon the various colors, which of course changed as the pistou was stirred into the gnocchi and ultra-thin shavings of vegetables. There followed a succulent portion of Nantucket Sea Scallops with cauliflower silk, crumble and grapefruit grenobloise, an intriguing blend of textures of flavors. Having up to this point consumed solely white wines—including an impressively splendid Quarts de Chaume, a charming Loire, and a crisp Alsatian from Marcel Deiss—we politely balked at being served a Chardonnay with the next course, and instead received a solid and refreshing Italian pinot noir from Piemonte to accompany the Roasted John Dory with salsify textures and mushroom "cappuccino". The foam into which we dipped bites of the John Dory was truly memorable. How to describe the next course? Jamison Farm Lamb with tomato tarte tatin, fennel and arugula pesto was truly divine, small bites of tender lamb matched to an impressive Zinfandel. Though a modestly effervescent dessert wine did not stand up to the various cheeses we selected that ranged from the hard Swiss mountain Hoch-Ybrig to the sheep's milk Berkswell from England to the blissfully unctuous Stanser Fladä, we were pleased with the accompanying chutney and medjool dates. While the fabled cheese service seems no longer as elegant nor innovative as we jaded folk remember, we do take great pleasure that each diner still receives The Cheeses of Picholine brochure to take home and admire, with his/her selections marked as an aide-memoire. The Warm Caramel Apple Brioche with apple salad and salted caramel ice cream matched both mood and season whereas the outstanding Liquid Chocolate “Tart” with Earl Grey Meringue and Confiture de Lait Sorbet was out of this world. We were surprised by an additional dessert that arrived with a marzipan tablet engraved "congratulations"; our ever-alert captain "thought I had overheard something was being celebrated" and accordingly took action. While the congratulatory remark concerned a modest bi-weekly foreign-language quiz at Columbia University, we were of course reminded at how Picholine continuously manages to dazzle the clientele through gracious gestures, by allowing substitutions and by meeting the discerning guest's every need.
Tags:
artisanal, picholine, terrance brennan
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Posted on 10/15/2008
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