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I thank you for the history lesson and explanation. I now won't feel so bad if I substitute poached eggs for the french-fried eggs. Before your explanation, I always through the Frugal Gourmet was the best at fabricating food history - now I know it was Dunand.

Thank you for all the help - but I would really like to hear the story. I'm not sure how I can fry eleven eggs at the last moment - I did it for four a few years ago. Since this dish can be altered, I'll probably opt for poached eggs and place them in warm water just before serving. Look foward to the "real" story.

As far as I know - no! The message on the machine still says everything is canceled through April 15th. But one post indicated an April 17th reservation was cancelled. I believe the last day the restaurant had accepted reservations was April 21st. It seems the re-opening will be closer to May 1st, but I'm not sure anyone can give a definitive date at this point.

I have a dinner party for eleven this coming Saturday and I was thinking of serving a classic Chicken Marengo. I haven't made this dish in a few years, but I seem to recall the dish was finished with either poached eggs or deep-fried eggs. However, in the recipes I have found (70) there is no mention of eggs at all - one does call for hard boiled eggs to be sprinkled over the top before serving. Am I mistaken about the eggs? Maybe I'm confusing it with another dish???? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations! If anyone else is interested in buying a B&B, there's one for sale in Saratoga Springs, NY. It's the Chestnut Tree Inn. The number is (518) 587-8681. It's a Victorian Inn, just a 10-minute walk from the track and a 5-minute walk from downtown. I've stayed there and it's very, very comfortable.

Excellent Jin, excellent!!!

I guess I need to clarify my point and position once more. Personally, I don't hold Pe Se/Keller or anyone else involved in the restaurant accountable for the fire or how long it's taking to re-open. I am looking at this from a PR standpoint alone and a NYC PR standpoint at that (having worked in the industry for the last 30 years). Everyone understands how the media operates. Already there have been inuendos regarding the "seriousness of the fire" et al. All organizations have in place what is called a "Crisis Management" scenario. It outlines what to do in case of the "unforeseen." The purpose is to make sure nothing is unforeseen and that the organization comes off credible in times of crisis. It's supposed to give the public and media a sense of composure with regard to management. The individual who used the "two weeks" obviously didn't read the CM manual. You always give a longer timeframe not a shorter. And then coming in ahead of schedule makes you look good. It's all about perception. From a PR standpoint and from that view alone, Per Se's image has suffered - not in my mind or probably not in the mind of anyone on this board. However, this board isn't the public at large or the media. While I totally understand that Per Se's clientele is just a miniscule portion of the public, there are people in that percentage who aren't quite as sophisticated as this board. Per Se will be a success not matter what happens, whether they make a token gesture or not, whether they make an attempt to honor the cancelled reservations or not. All I was suggesting is offering a small token of appreciation to those who were inconvenienced by the closing. If I was in charge of their PR, that's what I would do. The amount of books would total less than 1,000 and probably cost less than $10,000. It's a small price to pay for some very good publicity. I hope that clarifies my position.

I disagree. I think its "image" has suffered. And that's only natural. It's human nature to look negatively at something if false information is given to the public. Even if the "two weeks" statement was just an innocent error of judgement (and I believe it was) the public (unfortunately) and the media (even more unfortunate) always look for "conspiracy" theories. It's that horrible perception thing again. I don't think anyone's "opinion" of the place has changed because this has nothing to do with food (and it was only open five days anyway), it has to do with handling a crisis situation.

Again, I don't think Per Se owes the public anything! It's just good business sense to show the public you care. Per Se is a destination place and some people made intricate plans based on their reservation. While the fire is no one's fault, these "customers" were inconvenienced. A copy of the book costs nothing (relatively) and is a token of appreciation - just is good business 101. Per Se's (not Keller's) image has suffered because of the "two weeks" that was quoted in several publications. Better to have not given a time frame then an incorrect one - especially one that was off by so much. On this board alone, there were posts hoping their "date" would occur. Then the disappointment when the cancellation call came. Once again - the restaurant and/or Keller owes the public nothing. But some small "something" goes a long way perception wise. And we all know perception is infinitely more important then reality.

I don't think the restaurant "owes" the public anything either. I was looking at it from a pure public relations standpoint. It would be a great way to get some good press and cost next to nothing. Since the fire, their image has suffered. What was supposed to be a two-week blip has turned into at least two months. Showing your appreciation to the public is always beneficial. It's an investment that would be returned a hundred fold. Trying to re-schedule two months worth of reservations would be a logistical nightmare. But if they can accomplish it, all the more power to them. I realize that a lot of people will say this restaurant doesn't need to worry about PR and they will fill the house no matter what they do. True, but it never hurts to show a kinder/gentler side.

He has a new book out? From what I read, he has a new cookbook coming out late summer/early fall.

At this point, it seems illogical to attempt to re-schedule all the reservations that have been cancelled. Management should treat it just as they did February 2nd - open the phones lines and let people call. I believe the last reservations were taken for April 21st. Honor those if the restaurant opens prior (mine was already cancelled for 4/11). The question remains - what should the restaurant do (if anything) for the people who lost reservations? In my opinion, each should receive a copy of Keller's new book (signed).

If this goes much further and Keller goes back for the re-opening of FL, he may have cooked in Per Se for five days. Do you think he will stay in NYC longer or just leave it in the hands of his trusty and loyal underlinks?

Things seem to be getting worse - I just received a call canceling my April 11 (Easter Sunday) reservation.

My fault on that. I think my brain wrote the word smoked without my eyes seeing it. It wasn't, it was fresh. I will correct my review - thanks. The pomelo cells didn't really add much - they were very, very subtle.

I know it's been a long-time coming but here is the food review for my nine-course dinner, which occurred Tuesday, February 17. First, let me go through the wines. We had a half-bottle of the NV Billicart Rose Champagne with the amuse and the first two courses. Then I chose the 1997 Ridge Zinfandel Mazzoni Vineyard. Some may think a California Zin is an odd choice, but I wanted a wine that had enough fruit to mesh with the scallops and bass, and have enough strength to stand up to the rabbit and lamb. Both wines worked well and I was not disappointed with the pairings. The amuse was a finely cubed fresh salmon carpaccio served in a wheat "ice cream" cone with creme fraiche. The waiter instructed us to put as much as possible in our mouth, so all the flavors would come through at once. The tastes were sublime, the creme fraiche was silky and worked wll with the crispness of the "ice cream" cone. The next course was "Oysters and Pearls" - a sabayon a Pearl Tapioca with Bagaduce Oysters and Iranian Ossetra Caviar. At the end of the night, both of us thought this was the best of the nine courses. While the texture did lack any type of "crunch," the myriad of tastes that danced across the tongue were complex and layered. Long after the food was finished, the flavors lingered. I have never tasted better caviar and along with tapioca, this dish remains totally inspired. The second course was either a Dugustation de Pomme De Terre - a puree of Princess La Ratte Potato with a ragout of New Crop Potatoes and Perigord Truffles or a Tourchon of Mollard Duck Fote Gras with spiced winter fruits, frisee lettuce and toasted Brioche. If you chose the latter, there was a $20 surcharge. My wife had the potatoes and I had the fote gras. The potato dish came in a large round soup dish that was covered by layer of the vegetable, paper-thin sliced, fried and very crisp. I had a small taste and was quite impressed. The earthiness of the truffles was a perfect match with the crisp potatoes. The light sauce blended the flavors and gave the dish a unique richness. The Fote Gras was my second favorite course. It was silky, rich and had hints of sweetness. I was totally impressed with the perfectly toasted brioche. After I finished the first piece, the waiter removed the second piece and replaced it with a fresh piece in order to keep the toast warm - nice touch. The third course was Crispy Skinned Black Bass with melted cipollini onions, herb roasted salsify and picked Walla Walla shallot sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked and the bitterness of the onions along with the sweetness of the shallots made a perfect sauce for the mildly flavored bass. The portion was extremely small, but that was its only fault. The fourth course was Pan Roasted Maine Diver Scallop with Black Trumpet Mushroom duxelle, wilted arrowleaf spinach and madras curry emulsion. The scallop was sautted "dry" and that created a light crust. The combination of the duxelle, spinach and curry created intense flavors that seemed to overwhelm the scallop. I found that eating each separately was more enjoyable then the combination. The fifth course was a Double Sirloin of Hallow Farm's Young Rabbit with fennel bulb tapenade and pomelo cells with toasted almonds and spiced breadcrumbs. The rabbit was prepared medium and didn't taste like chicken . It had a "gamey" sweetness and was quite tender. The sauce with the breadcrumbs and almonds created layers of textures. The fennel added a freshness that was unexpected. I thought this ranked third on the night. The sixth course was Elysian Field Farm Selle D'Agneau Rotie Entiere with a cassoulet of Rancho Gordo Farm Pole Beans, lamb jus and thyme-infused oil. The lamb was rare/medium rare and cooked to perfection. If the aim was to mimic a mini cassoulet, it succeeded. While an very good dish, I thought this to be simple compared to the rest of the "entree" courses. The seventh course was Ossau Vielle Cave with pickled satur farms heirloom carrots and golden raisin emulsion. I agree with Steve that this was the worst course of the evening. Not that is was bad, it just didn't measure up the rest of the meal. The cheese lacked the needed intensity to match the highly flavored carrots. Number eight was the Lemongrass Sorbet with a ravioli of Maui pineapple with lime curd. I was impressed with the freshness of the lemongrass and the acidic nature of the pineapple. This course worked for me, though my wife felt the combination didn't work and was "fighting" in her mouth. Th final course was a Tentation Au Chocolat, Noisette et Lait - milk chocolate cream, hazelnut feuillantine milk chocolate and praline glaze with condensed milk sherbert. My wife had this course, I substituted another cheese course, which is explain in the next paragraph. Though I only had a small taste of this dessert, I thought its strength was in the texture. It was smoother than silk and combined perfectly with the crunch of the hazelnut and pralines. My wife said the strong chocolate flavor was lingering and remained in her mouth for an extended period of time. Needless to say, she thoroughly enjoyed it. Because I'm not a big chocolate fan, I was allowed to substitute a course from the five-course tasting - Roquefort Trifle with French butter pear relish and walnut dacquoise. This was the finest cheese course I have been served in a restaurant. Blue cheese and pears form a classic combination and this version intensified the flavors and allowed the cheese and fruit perform at their best. The meal ended with two three-tiered trays of petit fors. I tasted a macaroon and it was magnificent. My wife said the chocolates were outstanding. I won't try and rate Per Se, that would be an injustice to the restaurant. But two days in and it was working. I will go back, but at $633, I can't afford to go often. I will offer it the highest praise I can - it wasn't overpriced - the value matched the product.

Unfortunately, April 1 is also April Fool's Day!

I sincerely apologize for not posting the food review. I have been so busy in work that I haven't had the chance. I can't do it from home because my Apple doesn't allow me to post (hell, I can barely read the messages). In any event, I will make every effort to stay late one night and write the review. I have my notes with me. As an aside, the person who told me the opening would occur between the March 17-20, is now being non-commital and very secretive. Draw your own conclusions.

Abraham Lincoln, Jerry Orbach, Catherine the Great and Penny Tweedy (Secretariat's owner).

I thought Rocco's fire was started by the NBC Peacock. I wonder if Keller will delay his return to California and stay in NYC until he feels comfortable leaving Per Se to his underlinks?

I just heard from someone (who asked to keep her/his name anonymous) that a one-month closing is more likely than two weeks. No specific date has been set, but look for an opening around 3/17 - 3/20. This isn't written in stone, but this person should know.

I am adding one piece of information about reservations at Per Se. The waiter told me that the French Laundry runs an eight percent no-show rate. He anticipates the same number in New York. When the restaurant has a "no-show" they will first contact anyone staying in the Mandarin Hotel who is on the wait list. If that fails they will start calling people who are within a half-hour from the restaurant. So if you're on the wait list, you may get a call at the very last minute - keep your tux handy and dry cleaned.

I just thinking Steve, did you notice how many tables would be for "twos?" It seemed to me that four would be suitable. Certainly, the only table that can only seat two would be the banquet style table - upper tier, lower portion, extreme south end. Our table was lower tier, back, extreme south end and could have easily fit two more.

You're correct Steve. The bar or "salon" as I was told, is quite large for the restaurant. Maybe the idea is to make people as comfortable as possible while waiting for a "later reservation" table. But, there could have been another four tables added with ease. The foot traffic comment is interesting, we hardly noticed any from our table at the south end, lower tier. I'm still trying to determine if the top tier is more desirable than the lower. I did notice the lower tier was almost full before they began seating people on top.

My forgot the menu at home, so I won't be posting my thoughts on the food today - I promise that will come tomorrow. I know Steve described each course to perfection, but I believe one or two courses were different the night I went. I didn't notice the two or three tables that were too close to the salon area, but I will defer to Steve on that. My table was in the rear, very near the 10/12-seat private dining room. I didn't think the smoke from the fireplace was too strong - perhaps the wood used last night was slightly damp. As far as the 40/60 seat dining room - that's directly behind the entrance and is not a particularly attractive room. We looked inside and right now it's being used as a storage room. I totally agree with Steve about the china and wine glasses. I even commented to my wife about the very ordinary stemware. The chinaware was quite attractive as was the silverware. The secondary wait staff was fine on my table, but that's just a hit or miss proposition. As far as making a reservation, here's how it goes. You must call at 10am two months to the day you wish to dine. Call at 10am sharp, use two phones and keep dialing. The phone staff is very courteous and will assist you on times available. You may also ask to be placed on a "wait list" for a night that's already booked. This does work, that's how I was able to get a table 2/17. If you opt for the wait list, make sure you leave them a few numbers so you can be reached "live." They WILL NOT leave a message on an answering machine.