My wife and I dined at Arnsbourg and stayed at Hotel K the evening of 11/21. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I did not do much photo or note taking. There are a few pictures here. The Menu Découverte was as follows: Collection Amuses Thin Sliced Langoustine, Yogurt Pearls, White Grapes, Seaweed Marmalade Blue Lobster with Camomile, Sea-Buck Thorn Berries Variation of Mushrooms, Forgotten Vegetables Sole, Hazelnut, Celery Root Puree, Smoked Eel, Dai Dai Jelly Pan Fried Duck Liver, Aloe Vera, Bouillon infused with Tanaisie Fig Cone, Verjus Sorbet Roasted Pigeon Breast, Reduced Jus, Beet Root and Mandarin Textures Jerusalem Artichoke and Truffle Cappuccino Collection Desserts We had a bottle of Riesling, from Alsace...Dirler Kessler Grand Cru...I can't recall the vintage. A few recollections: The amuses included 'macaroons' of foie gras and yuzu flavor, as well as a beer and bitter orange bite. A trio of spoons each with cauliflower puree and a different fish egg (first salmon, then mackerel, then caviar) was a revelation. This bite perfectly captured what Jean-Georges Klein is trying to accomplish with his cooking. It was an emotionally moving dish for me. The caviar bite was the perfect harmony of tastes, and it was wonderfully highlighted by the slight incongruity that was present in the previous two bites. Had he simply served the caviar bite, it would have been undoubtedly great. By serving the bites in progression, it was a masterpiece. The langoustine had a brilliantly pure flavor, and there was no hint of the sea until the seaweed gelee was used. The lobster dish was another real treat. We were encouraged to taste it with and without the berry. When the berry puree was added, the lobster adopted the exact mouth-feel and taste as if it had been drenched in butter. The dish of mushrooms and forgotten vegetables was served on a perforated plate resting above a bowl containing a surprise. When you were done with what was on the plate, it was removed and cepe broth was poured over the truffle and cepes that had been below perfuming the course. This became a soup. The Jerusalem artichoke and truffle cappuccino was presented as if it was to be the star of the show, and is certainly a delicious dish, but it did not push any boundaries, and paled in comparison to the caviar and lobster above. The two deserts were 1) a coconut dome containing coffee mouse and pears and 2) a sort of tuile made from the essence of granny smith apples containing a concentrated grapefruit sorbet and perched on a Campari 'film' whose flavor will haunt me. Mignardises included a toasted meringue with ginger-laced pineapple within, and a giant bowl of freshly made marshmallows. The chef kindly signed my copy of the night's menu, and even more kindly sliced for us what must have been nearly half a pound of pata negra the next morning at breakfast. It was, to be honest, the best breakfast I've ever had.
