SHO Shaun Hergatt

[paulpegg]

Four of us dined at SHO last night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A Saturday night in the winter in the Wall Street area is desolate! We parked on the street a block away and found the restaurant almost empty. I assume that it is very busy on weekdays. The three course dinner is a fantastic bargain at $75 and the choices were all wonderful. They start you off with a few amuses bouches and sprinkle little tastes in between the courses as well. The tasting menu at $125 should be a great experience if everyone at the table is ready for it. Wine pairings are another $70 and make sense with so many tastes over the course of the meal. Not all of us felt up to it so we stuck with the three course menu.

I had spent a number of hours looking at their wine list and checking them out on the web, so I was prepared to make the selections we had with dinner before we arrived. The sommelier seemed to appreciate that I had done this and helped solidify my thoughts. The wines we had were excellent and within our "budget" of under $150 each. There are plenty of good selections under $100 which is quite nice in a restaurant of this caliber.

I make a habit of asking for a tour of the kitchen, particularly if the kitchen is not busy. Chef Shaun graciously gave all of us a comprehensive tour of his facility which is clearly his pride and joy. Two of us are members of Les Marmitons New Jersey Chapter and have recently embraced sous vide cooking at home and at our monthly events. Chef Shaun showed us the hoops that the NYC Dept of Health requires for all restaurant sous vide preparations in the city. it is a formidable task and requires a strict and disciplined approach to food safety and record keeping. I applaud Chef Shaun for his high level of expertise and the great food he and his team produce every day.

The regular lunch is $35 and the menu looks equally enticing. They are participating in Restaurant Week later this month and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a bargain in one of NY's top restaurants.

Bon Appetit.

[atdcom]

Had an amazing experience yesterday. As a native New Yorker, I rarely think of going to Wall Street for lunch. Well, call me "provincial." Had one of the best meals ever at Sho Shaun Hergatt. Also something I wasn't expecting. I had read early reviews which emphasized the opulence and knew no one who had gone. It was kind of "one didn't."

Happy to eat my words. The three course lunch is a splendid meal and a superlative value. Each course offers three choices and they are brilliantly planned and plotted to work from one course to the next. There is nothing random here. It reminded me very much of Joel Robuchon's Atelier when it first opened and thrilled us with its Asian twist on French classics.

But what made the experience unique was the involvement of the chef above and beyond the direction of the meal. He literally turned what could have been an unpleasant situation into something memorable and assured himself of three loyal customers.

My friends and I all noted on the web site there was a $10 endless glass of wine and we remarked on its being endless. On the menu, there was no listing, so we inquired. The maitre, Ron assured us he would look into it for us. Mr. Manager came over and told us he was sorry that we were misinformed. Us misinformed no...Sho's website had informed us. M. Manager declined to offer us the "endless" glass saying it was not available during Restaurant Week. When Ron returned, we expressed disappointment. All of a sudden the actual chef, Shaun Hergatt in his whites, was at our table, assuring us of his interest and offering us the wine as described. He returned after our lunch to ask our opinions of the food and told us a bit about himself. None of us are novices, we have all traveled widely and it's hard to impress the sometimes cynical and jaded New Yorkers that we are but Mr Hergatt did. I congratulate him as much on his extraordinary culinary talents as his customer skills.

Asking... has anyone else had such good experiences?