Per Se Supports American Wines

– note– this post was scheduled for Monday May 25th, but due to my site being down last week, it did not go live

Per Se, the epitome of fine French cuisine in America, has decided to show their love for American wine in a new dinner series entitled: An American Table at Per Se. Each dinner will be hosted by an American winemaker who will lead a discussion about their influence and inspiration while pouring a selection of wines tailored to the cuisine of Per Se, with specific tasting menus for each dinner.

Though expensive for sure, this event sounds like such a great opportunity for people to have a real discussion with winemakers about their passion. Most importantly, the focus is American wine, even New York wine at one of the dinners. It may not be in everyone’s budget, but a great concept such as this cannot go unmentioned.

If you’d like to continue your Memorial Day patriotism beyond Monday, and you have $325 (per person) to spare on what I’m sure will be an unbelievable meal with fascinating conversation, make a reservation at 212-823-9349.

The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, May 28th: Copain Wine Cellars and the Significance of Old World Influences
Thursday, June 11th: Per Se Celebrates the Wines of Greg Brewer and the Importance of the Land
Monday, June 22nd: Challenging Modern Winemaking: Abe Schoener from Scholium Project

Visit their website PerSeNY.com for more information.

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March Fresh Restaurant Openings

When I started this series last month it seemed a bit strange to begin a series of new restaurant openings when I know that so many are struggling. I thought maybe a series on restaurant closings would be more appropriate, albeit dismal. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised in how many hopeful restaurateurs are perservering. Sure, times may be tough for Per Se (they recently announced an a la carte menu instead of the $275 tasting menu), but it’s good eatin’ for bargain hunters. Last night we ate at Jean-Georges elegant Perry Street which now boasts a cheeseburger and fried chicken amongst its entree selections. High-end restaurants are trading down and affordable newcomers in all categories are sprouting up all over town. Here is a selection of the most notable:

Inakaya- I’m giddily excited about this new Robatakaya (large charcoal grill) restaurant in the New York Times building. Grilled meats, sushi and sashimi, vegetables and other traditional Japanese dishes are served as the chefs yell at you and pass dishes to you with gigantic paddles. Apparently the mochi-pounding ceremony cannot be missed. It’s not for everyone, but it’s certainly different.
231 W 40th Street, 212-354-2195

Fatty Crab UWS- A new location of the popular Fatty Crab in the Meatpacking district. Serves Malaysian specialties like short rib redang, fatty duck, and short rice noodles are casually priced, ranging from $14-$22
2170 Broadway, 212-496-2722

Harbour- This new West Village seafood spot, is more haute-natical than cheap eats, but it’s one to watch because it’s interestingly owned by an ex-chairman of the NY Mercantile Exchange. Still, having the proper funds is only part of being a successful restaurateur, so we will have to see how this one pans out. The menu, includes items like kampachi crudo and arctic char with grapefruit and miso.
290 Hudson, 212-989-6410

Minetta Tavern is a 72-year-old restaurant that received a face lift from Keith Mcnally (Pastis, Balthazar) over the past year, and finally re-opened after much anticipation. It once served traditional Italian food but is said to now have bistro-style food including French traditions like frog’s legs and steakhouse fare.
113 Macdougal, 212-475-3850

Dirt Candy- A kitschy Vegetarian (Vegan by request) restaurant offering eclectic items like kimchi doughnuts with almond hoisin sauce and Jalapeno hush puppies.
430 East 9th Street, 212- 228-7732

Num Pang- Is the new Cambodian sandwich shop by the owners of Kampuchea. Highlights include peppercorn catfish with house made sweet soy sauce and hoisin veal meatballs with jasmine rice. All sandwiches come with cucumber, pickled carrots, and the awesome chili mayo that I still remember from Kampuchea. (Under $10 each!)

Zuzu Ramen- The latest noodle bar to hit New York is in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with flavorful bowls like green curry miso ramen with slow cooked egg and ZuZu ramen in a dashi broth. Dumplings and salads are on the menu as well, everything is priced in the $10 range. Ramen may not the best dish for warm weather, but it’s certainly light on the wallet.
173 4th Ave, 718-398-ZUZU

La Carbonara- Owned by Enrico Malta of Bocca di Bacco and Puttanesca, La Carbonara is traditional Italian “comfort food”, with reasonably priced dishes and most wines under $25. The dishes get a little creative, but they don’t veer too far beyond chicken parmesan, as intended.
202 W 14th Street, 212-255-2060

Scuderia- Is an American-inspired Italian restaurant opened by folks from Da Silvano and Bar Pitti, two spots that have been on my wish list forever. Notable dishes include skirt steak with three dipping sauces, seafood stew, papardelle with beef cheek ragu and of course, meat and cheese plates a plenty. Whether it’s good or not, they certainly seem to be having fun!
10 Downing Street, Near Houston 212-206-9111

Libertador- An Argentinean steak house serving up empanadas and grilled meats.
1725 Second Ave, 212-348-6222

An Choi- A casual Vietnamese nook focusing on banh mi sandwiches (like roasted chicken with caramelized onions) and pho noodles (in a cinnamon-scented broth with beef).
85 Orchard Street, 212-226-3700

BXL East- Whaddaya know, I saved the best for last! When I hear new Belgian pub, I’m typically there a few beats later, so I can’t wait to check this place out. It’s a sister to BXL West. The food is Brasserie style with dishes like endive and roquefort salad, steak tartare, and moules frites.
210 East 51st, 212-888-7782

Have you been to any of these newcomers yet? Let me know how you liked’em!

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Per Se

There are few restaurants in the world that consistently deliver perfection. These are the restaurants against which all others are measured. Thomas Keller’s French Laundry is one of those restaurants and Per Se, his New York replica of the French Laundry, is as well. Per Se was not given 3 Michelin stars by accident. Just as with anything that has notoriety, one wonders- will it live up to the hype?

It absolutely does. The 9 course menu at Per Se changes daily, consisting of either the chef’s tasting menu or the tasting of vegetables. We chose the regular chef’s tasting menu and incorporated some additional courses from the vegetable. Our waiter, Michael, catered to our every whim, making recommendations and adjustments as we saw fit. The attention to detail in the service at Per Se is unparalleled. A caviar dish is served with a mother-of-pearl spoon because of the poor effect that metal has with caviar. A gin and tonic is made with homemade tonic, taking the drink to another level.

I really enjoyed exchanging banter with the female sommelier who spoke to me like an equal. Sometimes sommeliers forget that the purpose is to listen and help the patron, rather than showboat their wine knowledge. She was fun to rant with and helped us select the perfect bottles as we progressed through each course.

The decor at Per Se is meant to mimic the French Laundry, with its famous blue door and simple, quiet tones of brown and white. The space is not highly stylized, allowing the food to shine without distraction. Its high position in the Time Warner building, however, allow for spectacular views of Central Park. Seats by the windows are worthwhile.

The meal kicked off with the signature Thomas Keller salmon tartare ice cream cones along with some mini gruyere filled puffs. Now begins an absolute circus of dishes. We began with the celery root veloute then had two dishes each of a confit of young fennel bulb with mission fig marmalade as well as a soft boiled hen egg with hen of the woods mushrooms. Following this was a cauliflower panna cotta with an oyster glaze and white sturgeon caviar. A Gruner Veltliner that Michael suggested was an appropriate partner for the veggies.

We move on now to two foie gras dishes: the peanut butter financier which is composed of layers of foie gras and concord grape gelee with a balsamic glaze. A fancy PB and J. The other foie dish was a sauteed foie gras with frisee. We gobbled up both on brioche. A silver tray with tiny pots of exotic salts was placed on our table, containing anything from red Brittany salt to Jurassic salt, to a black volcanic salt from Hawaii. These were fun to match with each subsequent course.

We then sampled pastas including a papardelle and a risotto with corn and Parmigianno-Regianno, both served with a mountain of freshly shaved truffles on top. Seafood came next with langoustines a la plancha served with a confit of Yukon gold potatoes. A sea bass followed with chanterelles, artichokes, carrots and a violet artichoke emulsion. Both seafood preparations were delicate, allowing the freshness of the fish to be in the spotlight. Seafood was paired with a 1996 Mersault which was showing really nicely after being decanted for us.

Next came a braised pork belly with cream peas, sweet potato puree, and pea tendrils, hedonistically salty and rich. Cervelle de veau (veal brains) with beet, Burgundy truffles, and caramelized endive arrived next. This was my first veal brains experience. They certainly had a distinct, chewy texture but were cooked perfectly, erasing any squeamishness. My friend has a love for Amarone so we ordered a Giuseppe Quintarelli to enjoy with our final meat courses. A saddle of lamb was tender with rainbow swiss chard and pepper scented yogurt. Finally a sirloin of Wagyu beef melted in the mouth with bone marrow and matsutake mushroom.

It is difficult to compete with such an array of explosive flavors during the main meal but desserts held their end well. Two cheese courses followed: an aged goat and then a blue. Our dessert wine was an Amabile del Cere Bandito, a 1990 late harvest. It was honey sweet and had a beautiful amber color from its old age. The real sweets began with individual creme brulees, a testament to traditional French desserts. A “tentation au chocolate” followed with a milk sorbert and hazelnut streusel. Dessert continued (can you believe it?) with the famous coffee semifreddo with sugar coated doughuts, a course of espresso with candies and then finally the king of all chocolate trays. A server emerged with a tray containing nearly 60 individual chocolates in unique flavors like fennel, pumpkin, and quince. They were lined up and separated into milk, dark, and white. We each selected our final few sweet bites. I was amazed at the server’s ability to recite each choice by heart. We exited with amazingly full bellies and a gift of Per Se macaroons in hand.

The cuisine at Per Se is a graceful fusion of borrowings from Asian, French, and Italian cuisines. Very high expectations were surpassed with course after course of successful dishes. With nearly twenty courses, one would expect some to fall flat, but I was consistently impressed for the entire six hour meal and full for three days afterwards ;)

Per Se- 10 Columbus Circle at 60^th Street, 4^th Floor
Cuisine- New American, French
Food- Excellent
Service- Excellent
Value- Very Good
Word to the wise- Those blue doors don’t operate. Use the glass doors on the sides when you enter the restaurant. Learned that lesson the hard way.

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