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ewmay19

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  1. ewmay19

    Per Se

    Finally got around to recapping a meal I at Per Se a month ago.... This review is from my most recent visit to Per Se. I had requested the extended tasting menu, and I couldn't stop counting the days until this meal finally began. I arrived about 10 minutes late, and I was immediately wished a happy birthday by the staff. We were then led to one of the “best seats in the house” (according to the staff), a two top located directly next to the south side of the giant fireplace. Despite the rainy day, it was still a phenomenal view. The meal started out with champagne and the amuse bouche of warm groucheres and salmon cornets. The grougeres and the cornets were packed with flavor. I was happy as a pig in shit just eating these tiny dishes. The waitress then came along and said that she would not be showing us the menu. Rather, the chef would be preparing an extended menu that he created specifically for us. Watercress “Veloute” – Honey Crisp Apples The meal began with soup. We were presented with a teacup-sized bowl with a quenelle of apples on the bottom and one sprig of a green herb (the name escapes me) on the top. The server then came along and poured the soup tableside. The first bite was rich and creamy, but the apples cut the creaminess of the soup. The combination of the two flavors worked perfectly, with the apples providing a nice textural crunch to the mixture. A great way to get the meal going. Yukon Gold potato Blini- Kendall Farm Crème Fraiche and Osetra Caviar “Oysters and Pearls” - “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Osetra Caviar. There have already been volumes written about Thomas Keller’s famous “Oysters and Pearls” so I will spare everyone the details. My mother who keeps semi-kosher, was served two Yukon Gold potato blini’s with crème fraiche on a beautiful amber colored plate. The Matre’D then came over with an orb-like object in her hand, with the top third of the orb lopped off. Upon setting it on the table, I saw a large mound of caviar resting on top of the orb. She then proceeded to “quenelle” two enormous mounds of caviar onto my oysters and then onto the blinis. To top off the indulgence, two more fresh blinis were brought to the table midway through the course (similar to the brioche service during a foie gras course). The blinis had a buttery, pancake like feel to them. The caviar tasted great. I felt like Don Draper. Sashimi of Atlantic Fluke- Hass Avocado, Compressed Persian Cucumber and Cilantro Shoots This simple looking dish rested on a metal “wedge” (I don’t know how else to describe the shape). A thin cucumber slice was wrapped around the fluke, and rested on a unnamed sauce. I took my chopsticks and downed the dish in one bite. avocado. Awesome dish. Florida Coast Softshell Crab Tempura- Pickled Green Tomatoes, Wilted Ramps and Garden dill Ranch Dressing For me, this was the only clunker of the night. I am not a huge fan of tempura. I thought this was the only dish where the whole was not greater than the sum of its parts. The tempura’d crab meat was sandwiched in between two paper thin slices of marinated green tomatoes and was adjacent to Per Se’s homemade ranch dressing. The dressing was great, the crab I could have lived without. White truffle Oil- Infused Custard- “Ragout” of Black Winter Truffles. I am still amazing at how pungent such a small dish can be. One whiff and it reeks of truffles. I can talk about this dish for paragraphs, but people with better writing skills than I already have. “Smoke”- Garbanzo Bean “Croquette,” Chickpea Tendrils, Picked Garlic, Coriander Glaze and Nicoise Olive Oil with Preserved Meyer Lemon The presentation for this dish is fantastic. Two orbs, filled with smoke, are brought to the table. The tops of the orb glass is removed to reveal a grassy, almost tobacco like aroma that engulfs the entire face. A fun way to start the dish. The dish is comprised of various middle eastern flavors layered on top of a perfect cooked falafel. It felt like eating the best pita and falafel in the world from Muchentuchen in a dingy part of Jerusalem’s old city. Torchon of Elevages Perigord Moulard Duck Foie Gras- Grilled Asparagus, Shaved White Strawberries, Green Almonds and Aged Balsamic Venigar “Pate de Fruit” with toasted brioche. This course started off with the wait staff first bringing over the famous salt flight. It consisted of 6 salts from all over the world, including Montana, Hawaii, Himalayas, and some salt that Jesus may have personally blessed himself. It was over the top and I loved it. The torchon was firm and cold, and not so easily spread onto the warm brioche. I waited a couple minutes before taking another bite, this time spreading the balsamic pate and a couple different salts on top of the foie. Life is good. Sauteed Fillet of Columbia River Sturgeon- “Ecrassee” of new crop potatoes and wilted swiss chart ribs with sauce bordelaise. This dish was also not a favorite of mine. Tasted like chicken. Not too much too report on this one. Peas and Carrots- Butter poached Nova Scotia Lobster, Split Enlgish Peas, Pea Tednrils, and Hiner “Aigre-Doux” This was a specially requested dish that I had asked the Maitre D to have prepared for me. I read a number of reviews, including the shout out from Bruni’s review, which convinced me that this was a must have dish. I am happy to say that it was everything I had read about. The lobster tail drenched in butter and tasted great. Hand cut “Tagliatelle”- Preserved black winter truffles Probably one of the 3 best dishes of the night. Fresh tagliatelle served in a buttery sauce, and topped with frozen (“preserved”) black truffles. The shaving was generous and brought the dish to a whole new level. Coddled Squire Hill Farms’ Ameraucana Hen Egg- Briche soldiers and smoked onion with black winter truffle Puree This dish was served with brioche rectangles that were fried and served along side the cup of “soup.” I expected a slightly more truffled flavor from the dish, but overall, I enjoyed it very much. Starting to get drunk at this point. Snake River farms - Herb Roasted Trumpet Royale Mushroom, Creamed Arrowleaf Spinach, Glazed Turnips and Crispy Garlic with “Sauce Dijonnaise My memory is even hazier at this point, both from the sheer amount of food and because I was pretty drunk. I took a long 20-minute walk after eating half the dish to let my stomach cool down from the onslaught of all the food. I came back to the restaurant and realized that most patrons were gone by now. “Ardrahan”- Piccalilli, “Pain De Campagne” and Garden Dill Finally, dessert started to come around. I have to admit that I have absolutely no recollection of this course. Pineapple Sorbet- Compressed Papaya and Lime Zest This was an awesome refresher course. A tiny quenelle of sorbet covering hardened papaya pieces was presented on a single spoon,. A much needed course that brought me out of my food coma. I finally felt like a human being again. Grapefruit- Champagne Float- Ruby Red grapefruit, Fleur de Sel “Sable,”Vanilla Ice Cream and Grapefruit Soda and Champagne Granite This dish was presented in a tall, root beer float style glass. It was a complex dish that is too much for me to explain at this point (I am writing the latter part of this review almost one month after the meal). That being said, the dish worked very well, and I continued to feel more refreshed as I plowed through the cup's layered flavors. Strawberry Shortcake- Vanilla Sponge, Strawberries and White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Sorbet This dish was jammed packed with strawberry flavor. I loved the gelatinous strawberry sheet that covered one portion of the dish. Coffee and Doughnuts- Cinnamon-Sugared doughnuts with Cappuccino “Semifreddo” This is the famous Keller dish that most people have read already about. I was disgustingly full at this point. Ice Raspberry Parfait-Macerated Pudwill Farm’s Raspberries and Hazelnut Mousse with Raspberry Sorbet I had specifically asked for a non-chocolate dessert because I knew I was too full to eat anything heavy. This dish was a great way to end out the meal. Overall, the meal lasted well over 4.5 hours. The pace of the meal was perfect and the wine pairings were top notch. As far as straight food is concerned, this restaurant does it better, in my opinion, then anywhere else I've ever been to. If any of the staff actually reads this, thank you. On a non Per Se note, I would like to mention that this is my first restaurant that I have blogged about. Please bear with me as the site continues to grow. More reviews will come soon. This all comes from my blog that I just started: nyfoodthoughts.blogspot.com Enjoy!
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