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Dryden

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    Per Se

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    We ate at Per Se for the third time a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to respond with our comments as to some of the issues raised in this thread. But first, a story.

    We had decided to take my parents to Per Se, as a way of thanking them for all of their help on a variety of things over the past few months. The morning of our reservation, my wife and I found out that we were, in fact, pregnant. We did not wish to disclose this fact to my folks, but at the same time, had been informed by her doctor that there were several things which she absolutely should not eat or drink, including:

    Wine

    Raw fish

    Foie gras

    Tuna

    Not exactly sure what to do, we called Per Se, and explained the situation, including the fact that under no circumstances were they to reveal to the 2 older people at the table what was going on. While they suggested that she order the vegetable tasting, she was quite adamant that she would prefer not to, and they understood. We were not sure what, exactly, they would do, but had faith they would figure something out.

    We arrived for our reservation and were seated. All decided to order the chef's tasting menu, with my wife (obviously) opting out of the foie gras. The course of big eye tuna in the middle of the menu loomed quite large, however. I surreptitiously confirmed with the waiter that he understood our situation, and my wife begged out of consuming wine, saying that she was just too tired and would fall asleep in her food.

    When the amuse was brought out, there were 2 tomato cones, for the ladies, and 2 salmon cones, for the gentlemen. A very clever touch to mix things up, but not be too obvious about it. For the hearts of palm salad/foie gras course, something inexplicable happened. The kitchen sent out the wrong number of each, and there was a bit of commotion until the whole affair was straightened out. It was utterly perplexing - a service snafu of this level seemed pretty unlikely to happen at Per Se. The reality of what was going on sank in 2 courses later.

    At the beginning of the next course, the waiter came by to apologize for the service error. He indicated that as a way to make up for the mistake, the chef would very much appreciate being able to substitute a vastly better piece of cobia for the much inferior tuna, and would be honored if we would accept this. My folks gladly accepted, none the wiser. The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, but I have to give the folks at Per Se a huge amount of credit - this was, without a doubt, totally slick and impressive. I'm not sure if they run into requests like this all that often, but they did a simply phenomenal job.

    As for the sous vide lobster, it is a bit tough - too much so. I didn't have an impossible time cutting it with the knife provided, but the flavor was not so much better than that of the butter poached lobster to make me wonder why they are choosing to serve it this way. A sharp meat knife would certainly seem to do the trick, in any case. As for the cheese course, it was the cheese gnocchi with olive oil, which we have had several times. Certainly not the greatest cheese course of all time, but quite a bit more satisfying than many.

    The new chocolate selections from the new pastry chef (name is eluding me), which I don't believe anyone has mentioned so far, are truly outstanding. I think the quality of the macarons has gone up, too.

    Is it as good as it was a year and a half ago? Possibly not, but it's still one of the 2 or 3 best meals in New York, and a very strong case can be made for it being the best on any given one. There are a couple of courses that could probably use a bit of strengthening, and the knife with the lobster should be changed, but the personnel remain absolutely top-notch in every conceivable way.

    Shake Shack

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    I'd like to add to smgarsh's comment. I've probably been to the Shake Shack >50 times by now (I both live and work within a 5 minute walk). The single best burger I've ever gotten there was one that was made just as they were opening (I was the first customer) and it was made to order. Just for me. The extra care that went into it was obvious.

    Basically, if you want to get the absolute best Shack burger you can possibly get, go at 10:59. It's worth it.

    Food Tour of Chelsea/Meat packing district

    in New York: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    The union square market, better known as the greenmarket, has a variety of fresh local produce, baked goods, and flowers. It is only open Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat, and the exact vendors and products available can vary quite a bit.

    There isn't much in the way of clothes shopping in Union Square, only a couple of stores and nothing really remarkable. There are a lot of restaurants in the area, though.

    Wild Salmon, you say?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    One aspect of this discussion that I find interesting that no one has brought up is the issue of health with respect to salmon (and other farmed, or potentially farmed) fish. My wife's ob-gyn has told her that while she is pregnant, she is to eat 1 serving of wild salmon per week - whether she wants to or not. Farmed salmon are a big no-no, however. Mislabeling, in this case, could very much be hazardous to a person's (and a person's future children's) health.

    Iron Chef America (Part 2)

    in Food Media & Arts

    Posted

    To answer some questions posed above: Cat Cora is the Kobe of the new show, she hasn't replaced anybody. Alex Lee did also make a potato dessert, but his was more of a light potato tart with apples - he made a point to explain how they got thinking about pommes d'terre, and how that should go with pommes, and there you have it... unlike Cora's, his dessert was very well-received by the judges' comments.

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