BryanZ

The point I was trying to make, and this may have been lost through the course of the discussion, is you can't let small faults be magnified by price. Yes, I look at my dining experience in very minute detail, which some might interpret as looking for faults, but, as a whole, if one goes into Per Se with a humble attitude and is willing to disregard, at least slightly, the cost, it is very difficult to have a bad meal there. (That was a run on sentence)

If you don't know the format, it's $12/course with a 2 course minimum. In addition, you'll receive a very nice trio of amuses, chocolates, macaroons, and their signature marshmallows. Personally, I recommend 3 courses, which is actually more like 5, with the amuse and complimentary "desserts". With that much food, you will be more than satisfied and can enjoy a lengthy lunch. My favorite dishes besides the foie terrine are the asparagus with morels and mace scented lobster ($5 supplement). Generally, however, it's hard to pick a bad dish.

Need a quick compilation of the best restaurants in the Hamptons. Everything from quick lunch places to restaurants that offer complete tasting menus. I'm staying in Montauk so recommendations in East Hampton or near Montauk are preferred. I am aware that the dining scene in the Hamptons in generally lacking but please enlighten me. Price isn't an issue, as I'd much rather pay more than drive to middle of Long Island from Montauk.

Ditto on the balsamic strawberry foie gras - I had a bite of my friend's last night, and it was FANTASTIC. ← I've had most of the summer menu at lunch and dinner and the foie dish is the only thing I've conciously ordered twice.

Incidentally, I work in a law office with a bad keyboard that doesn't always respond to my wishes. I think I won't edit my post in honor of the playful banter that has ensued.

I'll be there in about a month.

For some reason, I wasn't able to access this page a few days ago. I had wanted to make a full post on a recent meal I had had at Cru, but I think that an abridged version is all I will be able to remember. My general feelings for this restaurant are very positive, though not up to the standards of my favorite dining destinations. After eating ridiculously well this summer, Cru will be remembered as very good meal, but will not go down in the figurative history books. I must qualify all of this by saying that within the same week of dining at Cru, I had already enjoyed tasting menus at wd-50 and Per Se, two nearly incomprable restaurants each in very elite but distinct classes. Cru's food was fun but not as engaging as wd-50. It was well-prepared but nowhere near as exacting and controlled as Per Se. In my eyes, Cru is a solid 2-3 star restaurant that prevails over the majority but cannot break into the ranks of the true elite. My favorite dishes of the night included: -A beet and cheese amuse served in an inflated plastic wrap balloon. The goal of this dish was to deprive one of all sense of smell and taste until the soft beet and cheese mixture was literally sucked from the plastic balloon into the mouth. Very, very strange presentation and even offensive to some but I'm into that kind of weird stuff now. It was a fascinating dish. -The selection of 3 tartares on the tasting menu was very enjoyable. Three very distinct flavors, playing to both Asia and France, while doing the proud flavors of both countries justice. -Gently poached artic char. Excruciatingly delicate, with the slightest hint of char's distinctive flavor coming through. -Sous vide surgeon was perfectly done. A great example of what sous vide can do to the meaty but delicately flavored fish. The only disappointing dish of the night was the lobster dish. It was by no means bad, but it simply did not live up to the quality of the other dishes. The broth/sauce served with the lobster was somewhat vaguely flavored. Again, not offensive by any means just not particularly assertive or delicate. Also, I'm confused the restaurants that serve whole lobster claws. To be honest, the gain in the presentation if offset by the unpleasant meat of the upper claw "fingers". The last time I was at Le Bernardin they served a claw but they, at least, removed the skinny "finger". The skinny "finger" left on at Cru is both aesthetically unpleasing and not enjoyable to eat. (I realize that I sound retarded referring to the "fingers" of the claw, but you'll just have to take my word for it.) Also, while our server was very pleasant when he was present, he was curiously absent for the duration of the savory part of our meal. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he never once checked up on us during the savory courses of our tasting menus. Again, not the end of the world, as we had no real complaints while we were eating, but a little more attention would've been appreciated. In all, a very good restaurant with slight blemishes. I would certainly go back, but I cannot put Cru on list of "favorite" restaurants in the city.

Jessica's chicken dish sounded so gross. A steam roulade with goat cheese? Somehow, that doesn't seem that apealing.

So what's the best rodizio in Newark if this place isn't up to par?

A jacket is not required for the main room during lunch. Many people are pretty casual at lunch. With that said, however, I always wear a jacket when I'm there, but that's just me. Don't bet on walking in. Definitely try to make a reservation, as all the times I've been there for lunch, the room has been full. On a personal note, get the strawberry foie gras terrine. It's an awesome dish.

Where is this place and how much do they charge?

Great article. I wish you could've delved into the science even further.

The old-fashioned way. I was trying to swing a connection I had for earlier in the summer but that never materialized, so I simply got on the phone 2 months before the day I knew them to reopen at about 9:58 AM and redialed like crazy. My word of advice is stay on the phone even if you can't get through. I was getting busy signals for quite some time and still managed a reservation. Bux, you raise some very good points. In terms of table quality, I was simply speaking from my experience and preferences. As for the comparison between Daniel and Per Se, perhaps overall I would be more inclined to dine at Daniel because it is easier to get a table on shorter notice and costs somewhat less. Still, Per Se is an amazing restaurant that I can find few faults with. It is somewhere people should try to experience if they have the means.

Finally made it to Per Se for belated birthday dinner#3. After finally experiencing this restaurant, I think that it is obviously an excellent restaurant but not necessarily head and shoulders above the other NYC 4-star competitors. I dined there last night, July 20, the first night of service after their closure in the middle of July. Everything appeared to be running smoothly and service went off without a hitch. My only issues with service were so slight that they're hardly worth mentioning here, and, in general, every aspect of service was certainly up to par with other top NYC restaurants. I know that discussion of the space and room has been covered before, so I will my keep my impressions brief. Firstly, I enjoyed the space that the room afforded very much. The decor is clearly modern and urban chic, but tastefully done. My sister still enjoys the opulent, yet ungaudy feel of Daniel, but I think that Per Se is more quintissentially New York. I also like how there are no bad tables. The almost circular amphitheater feel of Daniel seems to be somewhat exposing for those seated on the lower level. The seating at Per Se offers diners both full on window seats or a raised, more private second level that allows one to look out across the room and onto the park and skyline. I would be hard-pressed to choose between the two. With all respect to Jean Georges, a restaurant I've been dining at with more and more frequency, it cannot compare with Daniel or Per Se on the decor front. July 20's Tasting Menu included the following: Salmon Cones - A great starter. Beautifully controlled balance of salmon and mild onion flavors with excellent mouth feel. "Oysters and Pearls" - Everyone knows of this dish, and for good reason. Probably the best cooked oyster I've ever had. Confit of Fennel Bulb Salad - Pure, subtle flavors of licorice and early summer vegetables. Delicate sweetness from poached figs that was not at all over powering. Pan Roasted Fillet of Atlantic Halibut - Marvelous color and elegantly straight forward presentation. Stark white halibut with a perfectly golden crust on one side. Brandale (salt cod) cake had strong salt, perhaps too much for some, but I loved it. I am usually not a huge fan of salt cod but the assertiveness of this cake greatly appealed to me. Sweet Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster - I inquired as to whether this was still being precooked sous vide, as this method caused a good deal of controversy on this board. Indeed, the lobster is cooked sous vide and finished in a light butter poach. I was especially excited to try this dish, as this dish was the inspiration for a six pound lobster I recently prepared. Anyway, this was an excellent dish, but the lobster consomme was the true star of the dish. Such strong, pure flavors. No guise of extraneous spices or seasonings with an amazingly rich but deceptively simple flavor profile. Finally, I can see how some might find the lobster difficult to cut but at no point did this hamper me. The meat was exceptionally tender and flavorful. Aiguillette of Libery Valley Pekin Duck Breast - A surprisingly hearty and masculine rendition of duck breast and bing cherries. This dish was most evocative of highly elevated bistro cuisine. As I was eating this, I wondered what type of beef course would follow this very savory duck course. Ultimately, the decision to serve a decidedly more savory and less sweet duck was not a bad decision, as the beef course to follow was exceptionally rich and earthy. Snake River Farm's Calotte of Boeuf Grillée - As far as American or European beef goes, this was spot on. Although it did not have the delicate tenderness and flavor of true-Wagyu, the richer, beefier flavor of this dish was perfectly suited for this dish. The sauce that accompanied this beef was on the same revelatory level as the lobster consomme. It was neither too thick or heavy, but it exploded with truffles and the aroma of roasted animal bones. In direct contrast, the crispy bone marrow was subtle in flavor, picking up the the aroma and flavors from the sauce below, but offered a great contrast of textures. Brin D'Amour - This cheese/light salad course was a clean and simple end to a series of highly focused and intense savory courses. The sheepsmilk cheese was good, though not on par with other cheeses I had recently sampled. Still, the sweet, acidic tomatoes and cool cucumber help to settle the palate in preparation for dessert. Strawberry Sorbet - A fascinating yet confusing dish. Intensely sweet and fresh strawberry sorbet was paired with a strawberry olive oil sponge cake. The dish exhibited good depth of flavors for a dessert and relatively convincingly paired sweet and savory in an unconvetional fashion. This olive oil cake was much more delicate and finer than previous renditions I had sampled and helped make this dish a a puzzling transition between the preceeding savory courses and rich dessert courses to follow. Snickers Bar - A rich dessert made up of a series of powerful, distinctive, yet familiar flavors. The flavors of peanut butter, milk chocolate, caramel, and nougat were all separate components of the dish but combined very strikingly. This is the type of dessert that you dive into with large forkfuls, mixing as many as the different components as one can fit in his or her mouth. Various mignardises followed: creme brulee for the ladies, apricot pot au creme for the gentlemen, shortbread cookies, sea salt caramel truffles, various chocolates (of particular note were the passionfruit, basil, and balsamic vinegar), and a bag of macaroons to take home. All in all a striking meal, especially when looked at retrospectively. Although the cost is certainly very expensive, Per Se is definitely a restaurant that every "foodie" should experience at least once. The small details in regards to service and food are more focused here than any other restaurant. To me, Per Se is about extreme devotion to food and coaxing the very best out of the very best ingredients. It does not try to elevate food through cloying overmanipulation but simply presents the very best in the best way possible. In this realm of dining, price and value cannot be at the forefront of one's mind; one must simply enjoy the passion behind the food that is being offered.

I'm sorry you had a poor experience. Having recently been to Per Se, I can honestly say that Chef Shelton's cuisine is the closest thing that New Jersey has to a Thomas Keller-esque experience. To me, both restaurants share similar philosophies; they both focus on the intricacies of fresh ingredient based flavors.

Everything here is all in good fun. I'm curious to hear about your supposed favorite place in Durham, foodiehall.

I can finally comment on all the aforementioned comparisons between Nicholas and the Ryland Inn. I very recently dined at Restaurant Nicholas and between my dining partner and I, we tried every dish on the tasting part of the menu. With that said, the food there is very, very tasty, though not consistently transcendent. There are certainly great items on the menu that I enjoyed thoroughly, but it simply falls short of some Chef Shelton's delicate creations. As albie states, The Ryland Inn is in a class by itself in New Jersey, in price, food quality, and experience. While Nicholas is a great restaurant by nearly any standards and a good value, The Ryland Inn is more impressive and memorable overall.

First of all, I commend anyone who makes it to the end of this. With that said, I will begin. We had a 7:30 reservation and walked into a nearly empty room. This was rather ominous, but by 9 or so the restaurant was full. Before I get to the food, let me make some general comments. I love the casual and open feel of the room. The semi-open kitchen is perfect for the space and sets the mood for the restaurant. It was exciting to see Wylie and Sam stepping into the doorway from time to time to watch the flow of the dining room. Like others have suggested, we asked for two separate tasting menus. The kitchen accomodated us without a problem and did a superb job of pairing the courses. We felt as though we were always in sync with each other but also enjoying very different dishes. As I always do, we passed dishes across the table at the halfway point (it's a ritualistic thing) so by the end of the evening I had sampled over 20 dishes. I also requested a pen and notepad, as I had come unprepared, and received both items without a problem. ---Stop reading here if you don't want a course by course breakdown. This is most of the menu so it will be long. I will continue with my post meal feelings after I discuss each course---- These are my impressions of what my girlfriend and I shared: Amuse: Watermelon, boquerones, lovage, cashew - An amusing twist on an amuse staple, anchovies. Assertive yet playful with the sweet, juicy presence of the watermelon. Roasted foie gras, passion fruit scramble, saltine puree - Roasted foie should be served at more restaurants. It provides a far more elegant flavor than the omnipresent seared foie. The passion fruit scramble appeared to be a powerfully infused, loose egg custard. Saltine puree was very interesting; it added a powerful savory/salty undertone and possessed a seemingly distinctive Japanese bonito flake flavor. Foie gras, candied olives, green peas, beet juice - I loved this presentation. I have a particular affinity for deep crimson beet reductions and when this terrine yielded its dark filling, I was particular pleased. The candied olives were a new experience for me, an excellent mix of bitter, savory, and sweet that went well the dish. The textural component these added was also quite welcome. Finally, the pea soil that everyone has been raving about is just as interesting everyone has said. The differences in texture between the dry parts and those wet by the beet reduction is quite distinct. Octopus, celery pesto, pineapple mojama, marcona almonds - Another dish that played with a wide spectrum of textures and flavors. The crunchy almonds, firm octopus, concentrated sweetness of the pineapple, and bright citrus notes of the celery puree combined very well. Hamachi, smoked banana, parsley, juniper - At first I thought the soy poaching gave the hamachi too much salt on the palate. When combined with the smoky sweetness of the banana, however, the flavor melded beautifully. The strong herbal and pickled flavors from the parsley salad helped to cleanse the palate after the strong flavors of the fish and banana. Interestingly, puffed rice and crispy skin added the parsley salad added a definite smoky, salty, and, in particular, crispy textural component that was quite different from the vegetable crunch that the pickled parsley stems imparted. I wish I had more of this to fully appreciate the mixture of soy and banana, a rather unlikely flavor combination. Venison tartare, edamamde ice cream, crunch pear - The tartare had good salt that helped bring more flavor to the lean venison. There seemed to be mint in the tartare, as well. The edamame ice cream was my first taste of the many revelatory sorbets, ice creams, and foams to follow. It certainly tasted like edamame but also had a nutty/vegetable protein flavor that seemed very fitting to the sorbet. The dried pear with what I think was cinnamon and/or nutmeg added further spice to this dish. Beef tongue, fried mayo, tomato molasses - Perhaps the definition of an exceedingly creative deconstructed dish. The beef tongue was quite tasty but I might've preferred it sliced slightly thicker. I realize that this might lead to the tongue overpowering the dish, but I think that beef tongue is not seen enough on menus, so I wanted a more assertive, meaty presence. The tomato molases, serving double duty as the "tomato" and "barbeque sauce" in the deconstructed dish, was deeply savory with strong caramelized overtones and sweet molasses/brown sugar undertones. The fried mayo was amusing in its deceptive simplicity. It reminded me of the boardwalk and the requesite fatty, fried, and savory goodness of that kind of food. I know, however, that this mayo is gelatinized in a process that I don't even understand. Finally, the finely minced romaine lettuce hearts linked imparted a cool essence in both flavor and literal temperature. Shrimp noodles, smoked yogurt, sweet paprika, nori - For god's sake, this is a noodle made of shrimp, in itself an accomplishment! I had read about the enzyme isolated to make these noodles but this was the first time I had tried it. Other than the distinctive shrimp flavors the salty powdered nori and acidic smoked yogurt sauce served as good foils for one another. Shrimp cannelloni, chorizo, thai basil - Imagine a the combination of a Vietnamese shrimp spring roll, liquid sausage, and the controlled citrus acid of preserved lemon and you have this dish. The wrapper of the canelloni was, again, made of shrimp and was filled w/ more shrimp, preserved lemon, and Thai basil. What was most suprising about this dish, however, was the smooth sauce that honestly tasted just like liquified chorizo. It was spicy, meaty, a little bit fatty but presented in a cream-like sauce; I was baffled. An unlikely flavor combination between the cannelloni and the chorizo but, no surprise, it worked. Slow poached egg, parmesan broth, tomato - my notes for this dish begin with "EGG!!!!". This dish was marvelous beyond my wildest imagination and, again, baffled me with its deceptive simplicity. The egg is slow poached at 147 degrees for one hour in its shell and transforms into the most perfect example of eggy goodness. I just recently returned from Japan where raw and lightly cooked eggs are far more popular than in this country and was yearning for a dish that captured the true essence of egg. This dish did that and further elevated it to far greater levels. The addition of the rich, smooth, and pungent parmesan consomme only added to the depth of the dish. Finally, the crunchy chickpea noodles added a crunch textural component. Carrot confit, hibiscus sorbet, nasturtium, crispy lamb belly - This is another dish I wish I had more of. It still confuses me, though I must admit it works on many levels. First of all, various types of sweet come through in this dish. The carrot confit showcases the carrot's inherent sweetness, while the hibiscus sorbet adds a delicate floral and herbal sweetness. The lamb jerky bacon anchors this dish in more savory ground as it gives a strong but pleasant lamb flavor from a very thin piece. Beef flat iron, smoked lilly bulb, radish, lovage - Again, I've recently returned from Japan so I know true Wagyu beef. This was a decent version, though, I must admit, not as good as particularly good beef in Japan. With that said, however, the sauce that accompanied the beef was both smokey and sweet. The composed salad that was also served with the beef was an eclectic mix of lilly bulb, radish, and frozen grapes. An interesting mix of temperatures and textures. Squab breast, mango-ricotta, pumpkin seeds, sansho - This squab breast was ridiculously tender, probably the most tender squab I've ever had. This was topped with a fascinating savory chocolate sauce with Japanese dashii. This sauce was both bitter and salty and complemented the slight sweetness of the squab. Again, the use of a toasted seed or nut, in this case pumpkin, added a roasted flavor component and a crunchy textural component. Finally, the mango-ricotta sauce was a very light cheese sauce with a distinctive but light essence of mango. This also added brightness and depth to the dish. Duck breast, pickled leg, parsnip pudding, rye berry - This duck breast had a marvelously rich duck flavor that is characteristic of well-prepared, high quality duck. I love how the rich essence of duck lingered on the palate even after the dish was eaten. The ryeberry sauce was an interesting choice for the duck, as it imparted a grainy, mealy flavor that was quite a departure from the traditionally sweet sauces. Parsnip puree is a favorite of mine, as I love the bitter and sweet flavor, as well as the smooth, silky texture. Grapefruit in grapefruit - Grapefruit is my favorite citrus, and arguably one of my favorite fruits. Therefore, I liked the double dose of grapefruit presented in this dish. The light grapefruit foam was served around a scoop of tart grapefruit sorbet. The foam would rise to the top of my mouth with each bite, a very pleasant effect. At the bottom of the dish were shortbread cookie crumbs with cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace that were evocative of ginger snaps. Ice cold milk, cereal - This toasted rice sorbet was unlike anything I've ever had. The toasted, slightly burned flavor characteristics of toasted rice were obviously present in this dish. This dish also included a jelly beneath the sorbet that I believe was red bean. This smooth jelly and slightly icy sorbet were served with the toasted rice grains, the cereal part of this dish. Finally, a cilantro syrup added a herbal tartness to the whole dessert. Lemon curd, basil meringue, blackberry chutney - This smooth eggless lemon curd was toppoed with bits of crumbled pie crust. Beneath this was the blackberry chutney that was actually more like a syrup. The curd itslef was very clean and tart, quite palate cleansing. The lemon basil foam was of particular interest. Distinctively herbal and sweet, as basil always is, but highlighted by the citrus acid of the lemon. Tomato-mango, yogurt sorbet, pink peppercorn - This was the first time I had had tomato in a dessert. It was very tasty, and the stewed, softened texture lended itself well to the rest of the dessert. The yogurt sorbet tasted very much like a sour cream sorbet that I make with both sour dairy and sweet flavors. The pink peppercorn added a subtle heat and spice to the dish and went well with the tomato. Local strawberries, paremsan ice cream, sansho pepper - After having being recently exposed to true strawberries, it is rather difficult to eat the supermarket variety. Now that I have had strawberries with parmesan ice cream I think that eating strawberries any other way seems a crime (though the bruleed strawberry foie gras tart at Jean-Georges is none to shabby either). The parmesan ice cream was rich and cheesy without being too heavy, and, of course, the strawberries were beautifully ripe, small jewels. This dessert was also served with a smooth, seedless strawberry gellatin of some type that had a very concentrated strawberry flavor. Caramelized banana, chocolate ice cream, licorice - I had sampled this classic flavor combination at lunch that day, as well, at DB Bistro. Both desserts were very nice but very different in execution. This dessert presents a banana custard along with a bruleed, slightly spiced banana. The rich, slightly bitter chocolate ice cream along with the licorice flavor cut the creamy sweetness of the banana. Caramel panna cotta, sweet corn streusel - This dish was surprisngly unsweet. The corn streusel included slightly dried corn in a crumb like meal, very similar to the pea soil from the beet foie course. This streusel was excellent and matched well with the deep but subtle sugar flavors of the panna cotta. Curried chocolate almonds - Many people would say that the curry that coats these is overpowering. I thought so, too, but found that once gets the past the initial curry blast, the interplay between the lingering curry and chocolate is very interesting. ---The end of the course by course breakdown. I hope most of that is accurate, though there are bound to be grave misinterpretations.--- After the meal we got to meet both Chef Wylie and Chef Sam, but to be honest I was at a loss for words at this point of the evening. We were at the table for about 3.5 hours and by the time we had finished I was delirious with contentment. It is a testament to the chefs that my 94-pound girlfriend matched me bite for bite throughout the entire meal. It is also a testament to Sam Mason's skills and good looks that my girlfriend wanted to seduce him. The only dark spot on the meal was an incident with a more than slightly inebriated man sitting next to us. He seemed to be upset that we were enjoying our meal so much and felt it his job to point his inherent disatisfaction with our topics of conversation. He proceeded to call our discussion of the dishes "boring" and generally made a fool of himself. Naturally, I do not fault the restaurant for this and our thoughtful waiter, I believe his name was Tona, handled this tactfully. As has been made very clear by this point, I cannot rave about this restaurant enough. I love how we were never once treated like children or ignorant teenagers. This happens from time to time, as we dine out very often at rather high-end places and are always the youngest couple in the restaurant. The staff was always respectful and knowledgable as to the origins of the more obscure ingredients. A great, fabulous, inspiring meal. I cannot wait to go back.

Sounds like the chef certainly is trying too hard. This seems to be a trend among restaurants trying to appear better and more impressive than they really are. Nothing bothers me more than to see a perfectly good broth, fish, or piece of meat muddied by unnecessary and often ostentatious flavor combinations that look good on a menu but are then convoluted on the palate.

What a RIDICULOUS meal! Full report coming shortly. I cannot say enough; this place was a revelation. I thought I knew a little something about food, how wrong I was.

Big day today: Having a DB Bistro Burger for lunch then heading over to wd-50 for dinner in an attempt to learn as much as humanly possible about the food I've read about and oogled over for past few months.

I use a simple Benzomatic that I think is suitable for food use. I found it in my garage a few years back and haven't noticed any harmful side effects, so perhaps ignorance is bliss. I must admit, however, that I have not been as ambitious as others. I generally use mine for the occasional caramelization of sugar on deserts and for tuna (Nobu Matsuhisa style).

That she was given a sous chef position is perhaps a better "prize" than simply getting put on the line, as I had previously thought. The show initially made it seem that she would be given some type of chef's position. Therefore, I was kind of bummed when the last episode made it seem like she would just be working the line. Thanks to Michael, this has been cleared up.

Is Katie still cooking at Olives?

Kaitenzushi is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. Every time I go to Japan, I always look forward to going to Tsukiji Honten in Shibuya. I just got back from Japan and ate their twice. It's ridiculously cheap and always crowded, the two defining marks of a good kaitenzushi. Although the quality is obviously not the best, you can't go wrong when all the plates are 105 yen, less than a dollar. Needless to say, I eat more than my fair share in such an eating conducive environment. I've gotten up to 25 plates, 50 pieces, without that much trouble. I can't wait until I can go back.