After a 24-hour delay, we finally made it to NYC's now rated #1 dining spot, PER SE. Open for almost two years, it is the east coast home of uber chef Thomas Keller (of French Laundry fame), but he apparently is not in the kitchen too much these days. Well, no matter, because everything was handled perfectly without a flaw, from our first call to the restaurant while being delayed flying to NY. After our 5-hour delay, we gave up making it there Thursday, and the staff was extremely helpful in fitting us in the next night; I gather because they are not fully committed this holiday weekend. Indeed, there was an empty table here and there as we dined, but ultimately, each perfectly placed table was filled by at least one party (perhaps not the maximum two they try for each night.
PER SE (www.perseny.com) is located on the 4th floor of the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle with tall two storey windows overlooking the circle, Central Park and just about everything from the Pierre Hotel on 5th Avenue up to Central Park North!
Walking into the entrance there are two huge dark blue French doors which we proceeded to enter. They are fake and as we approached a glass sliding door on either side opened for us to proceed....this was weird. Once inside, we are met by a very modern sleek decor that is never overdone, and actually quite understated. The front bar area is large with a huge glass walk-in wine cellar, the dining room much larger than I had expected, but roomy, spacious and comfortable to the max. The inner side of the dining room is raised several steps to a "mezzanine" offering optimum outside viewing for all. We were in a corner cushioned curved sofa "booth" like structure that overlooked the whole dining room and had a superb view for the both of us as we sat side-by-side, but on a small curved settee so we could converse without turning our heads. Every aspect of the decor was very well conceived. We arrived about 10 minutes late for our 5:30pm sitting as the park was still all brightly lit for a clear and beautiful summer's day. A huge fireplace on the outer wall was two-storey high and had a small block of votives in it which was odd, but no bother. As the evening progressed, the sun eventually set and the entire East Side of Manhattan was bathed in pink light which was simply gorgeous.
We asked for bubbly water and were told that PER SE had its own water, sparkling or not, at no extra charge. I am proud of these new filtration systems in high end restaurants, and also the fact that they don't nickel and dime us for the water and don't waste glass or plastic on bottles as well..VERY GREEN.
The sommelier at first seemed daunted by some of my questions, but he did know a lot about the "recommended" wines at the top of each section. When asked what varietals each of several wines contained, he seemed lost. He was a very nice guy, and ultimately led us in the right direction. We started with a bottle of LUCIEN CROCHET PINOT ROSE 2008 from Sancerre which was a new rose to us made from Pinot Noir and had an intense pear flavor and huge pear finish as well, yet was bone dry and delightful.
Have I droned on too much and you are all wondering WHAT DID we eat? or perhaps HOW MUCH WE PAID? PER SE offers only two tasting menus and nothing a la carte, so go planning to eat a lot and to dine a long time...this is your performance for the evening, as I like to say when attending the theater of food. The menus change daily and the vegetarian option is $255, with the Chef's Tasting at $275 with several options for "supplements."
The amuse arrives and is a small curved silver bowl holding two Mornay-filled Gougeres (those divine light cheesy French pastry puffs of air) as well as the French Laundry's signature SALMON CORNET, a small sesame-seed tuille filled with salmon tartare over creme fraiche, always as nice fresh start to any meal.
Our regular menu began with "OYSTERS & PEARLS," a Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with two petite ISLAND CREEK (Mass) OYSTERS and a large tablespoon size mound of STERLING WHITE STURGEON CAVIAR. This was when we knew we were in for treat after treat as each bite melted in our mouths and excited our palates to no end. Incidentally, the crystal is fine restaurant style and the china a white on white houndstooth pattern that again allows the food to shine.
We came back to the French Laundry with our next "not on the menu" course of the EGG CUSTARD with BLACK TRUFLFLE Ragu and the Chive Potato Chip sticking out from the perfectly cut open at the very top only egg. This is a dish I always remember fondly and love to see heading me way at any fine dining spot.
The bread and salt presentation was next, which took quite some time as a silver container of LESCURE Salted(Fleur de Sel) Butter from France and an organic non-salted one from STRAUSS Family in Marin County accompanied it in a different container (so we could remember which was which). The salts number six with Fleur de Sel and Sel Gris (Gray Fleur de Sel) from France a Hawaiian red Halekulani and black Kilauea, a pink Himalayan and our favorite the English Malden Sea Salt from Essex, which flakes in crystals that are quite large, but has a divine flavor on almost anything, especially fish.
The soft round buttery rolls that came first had fleur de sel on them to boot, but the breads that followed a couple courses later were more complex: German pretzels, Red Potato sourdough, baguettes and the wonderful Alsatian Rye made with duck fat and Riesling! Need I say more. Beware of the breads, there is much more to come.
We upgraded the next course for $30 each to the TERRINE of HUDSON VALLEY MOULARD DUCK FOIE GRAS with a layer of Strawberry Gelee and a Telicherry Pepper-Scented Yogurt with some fresh strawberry slices, watercress and a balsamic reduction. There was also some fresh ground Telicherry pepper to accent the foie gras which was the perfect spice, although we sometimes alternated with the salts, yogurt and balsamic. The terrine was rich, creamy and voluptuous enfolding our tongues in each bite. Fresh toasted brioche arrived, but we used very little of it. About two bites into the terrine, there was a fresh plate of brioche with a remark that "foie gras needs warm brioche." We noticed this was repeated at all tables and we sadly remarked that it was a bit wasteful, as we would have been fine with the first slice.
The other options on this course were Janson Mills' Golden Polenta Cake with Marinated Summer Squash, Garlic Confit, Eggplant Aioli & Arugula Pesto or for an additional $75(!!) Buckwheat Rigatini with Shaved Australian Black Winter Truffles.from a huge lacquered box and done with great flair at each table that ordered it.
Grilled "Pave" of PACIFIC BIGEYE TUNA was a perfectly rare cube of fish with HARICOTS VERTS, Yellow ROMANO Beans, Confit of La Ratte Potatoes (what maketh a potato confit anyway?), frisee lettuce and FRENCH PICKLE SAUCE. First, I must disclose that despite being English, Will is not a big mustard fan, yet he gobbled us this mustardy pickle sauce faster than I could blink. The fish was seasoned with our new favorite MALDEN Sea Salt and again we marveled at the kitchen's restraint, yet perfect combination of excellent ingredients.
The next course had two options so we shared a half of each. PAN SEARED DAY BOAT SCALLOP with Heirloom Cherry Tomato, Compressed English Cucumber, Field Mizuna and "Sauce Choron." I asked what Compressed Cucumber and got an entire chemical explanation which in a nutshell is the result of fooling around in the kitchen with veggies and putting them in bags and vacuuming out the air to get a different texture--IT WORKS! Here I did complain about the stupid big bowls that allows the silverware to fall into the food! HOW DUMB.
The other half of this course was a SAUTEED CALIFORNIA RED ABALONE with "Ris de Veau" (aka SWEETBREADS), Trumpet Royale MUSHROOMS, Greenmarket Carrots and "Bearnaise" Reduction Sauce. I thought this was the better of the two as the abalone, mushroom and sweetbread played off each other with quite similar textures and fooled your eyes and mouth. A true treat and brilliant creation, and now time to rest. We had slowed down the dining as we proceeded and the table of 4 next to us passed us and left an hour before us! We waited about 20-25 minutes and enjoyed the first tastes of our red wine a RIBERA del DUERO 2005 from FINCA VILLACRECES. It was a perfect wine after some breathing for the rest of our dinner.
Our first meat course was a perfect HERB ROASTED CAVENDISH FARM's (Vermont) QUAIL with Black Mission Fig and Fig Marmalade with Red Belgian Endive and Quail Jus. I loved the marmalade and fig as well and the red endive was a nice treat. The quail itself was extremely tender and not gamey at all, indeed almost "quail light" and truly a quintessential treatment of the meat.
The second meat course was RIBEYE of ELYSIAN FIELD's Farm LAMB "Poche en Boullion" with Brentwood Corn Kernels, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Young Onions & Garlic Scapes with "Beurre Colbert" Sauce. I asked whether the butter was named for Claudette or Stephen, and was told, the French Colbert butter. OK, so I joked and lost. The butter was actually for the corn and mushrooms which were the teeniest chanterelles I have ever seen, yet the whole dish was again a perfect production to end whatever act we were up to.
The cheese course was "NEVAT" a Spanish goat that Will called simply boring. It was served with Pain de Campagne Melba Toast, Holland Peppers, Violet Artichokes, Cilantro Shoots and Red Pepper Syrup all of which surpassed the cheese in flavor. The softish slightly aged cheese just lacked character. It was served with Lemon Poppyseed or Prune.Hazelnut Bread, both of which were fresh and tasty as well, but just did not make the cheese any better.
At this time, we noticed a cloudy wine taste being poured at the next table. It turned out this couple were celebrating their 25th visit to Per Se...WOW! Our sommelier Anani told us it was a Slovenian unfiltered Robiolla Giralla grape from Radikon Winery and offered us both tastes...don't bother. This is the first wine I ever had a garlic aftertaste from!
We ordered a glass of DOMAINES de SCHISTES "Solera" from Rivesaltes in Rousillon which is a sweet white Grenache served chilled and tasting like a fortified rose, but not as intense as a port. We loved it!
Our first dessert was BLUEBERRY SORBET with Blueberry "Flapjack" (a rolled oats like granola-bar kind of thing) over Madagascar VANILLA FUDGE and Blueberry Crisp. This was a three bite dessert that we both agreed surpassed all others, and indeed many other desserts we have had round the world. I ADORED the simple sorbet, but paired with the rich fudge and chewy oats it was simply a celestial cuisine experience.
An extra dessert course was added, which we thought was one of the meal's highlights, despite its simplicity: COFFEE & DONUTS was a Brioche Sugar Donut with a Donut Hole sitting in the hole of the larger donut. Paired with this was a divine CAPPUCCINO Semifreddo with hot steamed milk on top in the small cup. The donut idea has been used in so many places, but never taken to such heights with brioche dough and the semifreddo pairing!
The next dessert course was a choice, so again we decided to try both and switch halfway. The "MUD PIE" had a disc shaped Dark Chocolate Mud Cake with Liquid Caramel Sauce, "Chocolate Cremeux" and Caramel Parfait with Sassafras Ice Cream which we both agreed was just too chocolaty rich and heavy for our tastes, especially after such a large meal. The "TORATA di CILIEGE e NOCCIOLE" was a Piedmont Hazelnut Praline with poached Brooks Cherries, Hazelnut Financier and Cherry Reduction with Yogurt-Tarragon Sorbet. While also extremely rich (Washingtonians would be reminded of the similar signature dessert from Michel Richard, also seen today at Tom Power's, ex of Citronelle, Corduroy), it was not as heavy and the cherries created a balance with the tasty sorbet minimizing the sweetness factor. At this point, I was still in heaven from the Blueberry Sorbet & Donuts prior, and little could impress me.
I was wrong, as the post-desserts arrived in the form of a three-bite VANILLA BEAN CREME BRULEE that was warm inside with a superb crunchy topping, that Will having been dubbed as "Creme Brulee Queen of DC" years ago, along with me, endorsed as one of the best ever. It's partner was another three bite delight of PANA COTTA with a layer of STRAWBERRY-LEMON Verbena Jam on the bottom. We were back in the group of those totally impressed with the pastry chef, who it turns out comes from the UK!
The Mignardises were about to come and Will was feeling totally guilty that we had left Samuel over five hours earlier with our dear friend Aunty Lauren (Flanigan, for opera lovers) who had taken him to her apartment to visit her new dog and cat, out for dinner, and then back to the hotel for bed! We asked to have the fruity chocolates packed up as a gift for her and took these along with an additional packages of oaty praline-like bars and made our way back to the hotel.
In a nutshell, there is little to fault at PER SE save the large awkward bowls, the one sink in the men's room that just won't come one at times, and a dessert here and there that is too heavy. Well, with all the other brilliantly impressive desserts, it mattered little to us as we left feeling the omigod way-too-huge bill was really worth the overall experience.
