Amuse

[jeunefilleparis]

from daily candy...

http://dailycandy.com/article.jsp?ArticleI...Id=20689&city=1

(edit to replace article with link)

Edited March 28, 2003 by Fat Guy (log)

[Orik]

Seems like someone finally managed to define American cooking.

[SobaAddict70]

4 of us at Amuse tonight -- three eGulleteers and myself. Worth noting that even though none of us ordered turkey, the chef sent us an order of regular stuffing, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

My memory is sketchy so if my companions want to, they can correct me. You know what they say about the mid-30's, it's the little gray cells that are the first to go. Or maybe it's the little waist cells...

Schneider Cabernet Burgundy 2000 (I think). My wine education continues. I managed to down the equivalent of 1 glass this time before feeling the effects and decided to call it quits for the evening.

Amuse-bouches: duck and melon balls; pastry petit-fours enclosing cheese and sliced figs; puff pastry spheres enclosing cheese and ham.

Chilled White Asparagus and Leek Salad

(Tarragon-Mustard Emulsion) (me)

Salmon Two Ways (salmon tartare and salmon sashimi, rustic potato cake)

Chanterelle and Goat Cheese Tart

----------

Venison Filet Mignon (endive marmalade and roasted fig reduction; lavender sea salt) (me and one other person)

Veal Chop (caramelized brussel sprouts, can't remember the other accompaniaments) (this was extremely overcooked, yet "tasty")

Truffle Crusted Atlantic Salmon (baby spinach, can't remember the other accompaniament)

-----------

Toffee Cake

Apple Crisp

Chocolate Napoleon w/chocolate laced puff pastry (milk chocolate sorbet w/chocolate caramel tuille) (me)

(fourth dessert on the menu if anyone is interested was a pumpkin creme brulee with a spiced sabayon. we skipped that one.)

Prix Fixe of $55 per person, not bad actually. More to the point, the company was the main star of the show this evening. Service was spotty tonight -- they need to train their staff more, because I can't count the number of times someone got the wrong plate over the course of the evening.

Amuse's regular menu seems very "Craft-y" -- worth a return visit to experience the food, imho; otoh, if service issues aren't your cup of tea, then perhaps not.

Amuse's web site can be found here.

Soba

[kurl]

It is, of course, possible that the first tier serving staff wasn't there for Thanksgiving.

Of course that's not an excuse, but still ...

[jogoode]

I've been meaning to check this place out. I love that they're open all day and well into the night with a menu that can be snack or meal. Was this your first time?

[SobaAddict70]

The menu for T-day was prix fixe, with no option for either small or large plates.

Yes, my first time.

The menu looks intriguing (the squab for example. the hamachi is another instance.) Service however was between middling and average. No glaring issues except for the constant plate mixup. I was observing other waitstaff, and our mistakes were repeated at other tables so I know it wasn't just us.

Soba

[Suzanne F]

Pretty good memory, actually, Soba. Wait another 20 years before you really have a right to complain!

One correction: Schneider Cabernet Franc, 2000. When HWOE saw it on the list for only $42, he practically jumped out of his seat; at any rate, his shriek caused US to jump. Long Island is not doing very well with Cab. Sauvignon, but the Cab. Franc is flourishing. This wine worked beautifully with all the dishes, except maybe the little cheese/fig tarts in the amuse; it brought out the cheese's aggressive tendencies. And I was amazed to see Soba have as much as he did. Not much by my standards, of course, but more than his usual couple of sips. So I guess he liked it. So did our fourth, who first said, "None for me, I'm on cold medicine;" then, "Well, just a taste;" then, "Mmmmm, sure, I'll take a refill." Anyway, the wine has a good balance of fruitiness, spiciness, acid, and body.

The other amuses -- duck prosciutto-wrapped honeydew, and gougeres filled with cheesy cream -- were a lovely start. Even if the server called the latter "puff pastry filled with gougere cheese." Actually, we started with rolls: faintly oniony, almost brioche-y but not as rich. These came quite quickly after we were seated. But everything else took forever to arrive and, as Soba said, was offered to the wrong diner. Tough as I am on service, though, I forgive them because of the day. Besides, just about all the food was excellent.

The salmon 2 ways was actually tartare and smoked, with the smoked salmon draped over the potato cake. The each by itself was very, very good. The tartare was very citrusy, a good contrast to the richness of the fish. The smoked salmon was pretty heavily smoked, but eaten with the potato cake it was nicely mitigated.

I thought the best thing about the chanterelle tart was the spicy microgreens on top. Not that it was a bad tart, just a bit busy (it had sundried tomatoes as well). Beautiful to look at, though.

While I was disappointed that the veal chop (a rib chop) was WAY overdone -- I asked for it on the rare side of medium-rare, and it came out well done -- it was clearly excellent meat, and not 100% dried out. My suspicion is that it sat under a heat lamp far too long, since the top surface had that look to it. But the sauce with it was just right, and was especially good on the Brussels sprouts. I loved them, but then I don't mind when they're overcooked. These were only a little overcooked, so they hadn't developed that cabbagey stink; and they still had that nice color. The chopped walnuts on them were a very nice touch.

The venison could give "filet mignon" a good name again: very flavorful and gamey. The endive (it seemed more like braised, to me) was curiously acidic, but a good contrast.

I would have been satisfied to have ONLY had the bowl of mashed potatoes. The cornbread dressing was a bit sweet for me; the regular had some kind of ground meat, and was okay. The cranberry sauce was a good version of cranberry-orange, with nicely balanced sweet-tart-bitter flavors. I would have liked more, but of course that wreaks havoc on wine.

Desserts: the apple crisp was a classic: very thinly sliced tart Granny Smiths, and a thick layer of basic streusel. Served with maple-walnut ice cream, in which I could taste the walnuts but not the maple. That was fine, though -- the crisp had all the sweetness it needed, and the walnut flavor was all that was needed to complete it. The sticky toffee cake was the last thing I ate, so it didn't make much of an impression. Somehow, I think I make like the one at Craft better, but I'm not sure. Soba's chocolate thing looked fabulous, but seemed as though it were all served a bit too cold (the chocolate aroma should have been stronger). Oh, and the decaf espresso was just right.

I would go back to Amuse. I like the basic concept (even if this mean was not an example), and I definitely liked the food. By the by, does anyone remember where the chef, Gerry Hayden, was before? All I can remember is that he's Mr. Claudia Fleming.

PS: yes, as always it was delightful to dine with other eGulleteers. We (HWOE and I) had originally planned to go to Wallse, another place I've wanted to try. But it was not possible to increase the reservation from 2 to 3 -- a deuce to a four-top -- so I switched to Amuse. Then it was easy to invite one more person along. So with 3 eG members and 1 hanger-on, we had far more conversational topics than we could ever complete. Our first toast was to eGullet.

edit to add: We've all noted the problems with doneness and mediocre service; but holidays like this are the worst time to judge what a place can really do. (One of my absolute worst dining experiences was on Mothers' Day.) That's why I hope to go back for a "normal" meal. FWIW: the chef WAS there, at least when we arrived at 7:30. But whether he was still there later, I don't know.

Edited November 29, 2003 by Suzanne F (log)

[Bond Girl]

Okay, I admit I succumbed to the lovely balance of that cab franc and had more than my doctor would have allowed me to have on medication, but the wine worked so well with the food that I couldn't help myself.

My salmon with truffles more done than I would have liked, but it was not bad by any means, I'm not sure if I would have put black truffle on the salmon either, just a little bit too much flavor there. The whole thing sits on top of spinach with a red wine reduction sauce. It was not inventiive but good comfort food for thanksgiving.

As for dessert, I had the toffee cake with cinnamon ice cream. Like the entree, the dessert was comfort food and exactly what I was looking for with a cold on thanksgiving.

I must mention that the best part of the meal was the company. I'm grateful for Suzanne and HWOE for inviting me, because without them, I would have been home ordering chinese takeouts. This is one of the more memorable holidays because I had great conversation and good food, for me, that is what Thanksgving is about.

[oakapple]

Amuse (108-110 West 18th St., between 6th & 7th Aves) has had as many lives as a cat. It was once Harvey's Chelsea, and then it was The Tonic, and last year it became Amuse after Garry Heyden (formerly of Aureole) took over as chef. William Grimes of the New York Times reaffirmed its two-star status, while observing how improbable it was that a restaurant so often re-invented has managed to maintain its culinary standards.

It's been about a year since Grimes's review appeared, and Amuse has evidently changed its concept again. On May 21, 2003, Grimes wrote:

Amuse is short for amuse-bouche, the French term for the bite-size preappetizers intended to titillate the palate. They serve multiple functions. They help keep hunger at bay, but they also inspire the chef to create an eye-catching bit of whimsy that can serve as a preview of coming attractions. Mr. Hayden has elevated the status of the amuse-bouche and designed an entire menu around small tastes, doing away with the appetizer-entree dichotomy.

His menu offers a half dozen choices in four price categories, $5, $10, $15, and $20. With each increase in price, the preparations become more complex and the ingredients more expensive. The portion size increases, too, so the more expensive dishes look like abbreviated entrees. Five dollars buys a silver julep cup filled with herbed French fries. Twenty dollars earns an upgrade to peppered duck breast with endive marmalade and a sweet, syrupy reduction of black mission figs.

Other reviews I found on the web seemed to be based on the same menu Grimes saw, which you can still read on menupages.com. That menu is no more. Although many of the same dishes are still there, the menu is now organized in the more conventional appetizer-entee format. Amuse is no longer trying to be a tapas bar. It does retain some hints of the original idea - the appetizer section is labeled "Tastes for Sampling and Sharing." One who didn't know what the former menu looked like would simply conclude that this is a longer name for "appetizers," and that indeed is how my friend and I took it.

Some of the dishes cry out to be shared. I ordered Crisp Cod and Yukon Gold Potato Cakes with Truffle Tartar Sauce to start. Out came four thick half-dollar sized fish cakes - a dish perfectly suited for sharing. Heyden's preparation gave a crispy and spicy excitement to a dish that could otherwise seem an upscale version of Mrs. Paul's fish sticks. My friend ordered Atlantic Salmon Two Ways (house smoked & tartare, with a chive potato cake). This dish was not quite as easy to divide, although I had a taste.

Every review has mentioned with approval the Five Hour Braised Short Rib of Beef with Carmelized Sea Scallops, so I had decided well in advance that this would be my main course if it was still available - which it was. The short rib was so tender that one hardly needed a knife, and it tasted like home-cooked brisket. The scallops were a hearty size, with a crisp exterior that led to a tender, beefy center.

My friend ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak, which arrived pre-sliced. Some restaurants serve porterhouse this way, but I've never seen it done to a New York Strip. This, too, could be a vestige of the restaurant's earlier tapas-style menu. The steak had a crispy charred exterior and and a wonderful tender flavor. I'm usually skeptical of ordering a NY Strip anywhere that doesn't specialize in steak, but this dish is worth a try.

I reserved Amuse on opentable.com. The restaurant called me twice to confirm I was coming, which led me to think, "Wow, they really must have heavy demand for tables." To the contrary, it was nearly empty when we arrived at 7:00pm, and only about half-full by the time we left at 8:30. The space is comfortable and the contemporary décor pleasant on the eye, with rooms called the apartment, the lounge, the salon, and the library. Both the bar and dining area are amply proportioned, and there appear to be private rooms upstairs, which we didn't investigate.

Our dinner for two (appetizers, mains, and coffee) ran to $106, including tax and tip. We didn't drink alcohol, nor did we have dessert.

Edited May 23, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[Pan]

Thanks for that detailed report.

How would you sum up your opinion of your meal? Did you find it an acceptable value for the quality? Do you plan on returning?

[oakapple]

How would you sum up your opinion of your meal? Did you find it an acceptable value for the quality? Do you plan on returning?

Amuse offers an inventive and eclectic menu, beautifully presented, and fairly priced given the overall standard in the city for fine dining restaurants. There are 28 appetizers (priced from $4-18) and 8 mains (priced from $20-30). We sampled but two of each, so your mileage may vary, but everything coming out of the kitchen certainly looked good.

There is also a chef's tasting menu (obligatory these days at any restaurant claiming to be serious about food): amuse bouche, four courses, and dessert for $55, or paired with wine $75. This looks to me to be a bargain, although it's not the option we chose.

It's on my list of places worth trying again, but I would add that there's a long list of places I've yet to try even once, and these days I put a higher priority on giving myself as many new experiences as I can.

Edited May 23, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[Suzanne F]

Last Thanksgiving (2003), Bond Girl, SobaAddict70, HWOE, and I went there for dinner. They served a regular sort of menu, not their small-medium-large dishes. The only specific dishes I remember were the family-style-served cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, and the dressing, provided gratis to all tables: I would have been happy eating only those. Not that the other stuff was not good; in fact, it was great and I would love to go back.

Wait: I just looked back at Oakapple's original post: the salmon 2 ways.

One quibble:

William Grimes of the New York Times reaffirmed its two-star status, while observing how improbable it was that a restaurant so often re-invented has managed to maintain its culinary standards.

But it has NOT been the same restaurant througout all those incarnations. The only cause for surprise might have been during the days of The Tonic, when Chris Gesualdi left and Joey Fortunato took over the kitchen. Otherwise, it has been a distinctly different restaurant each time.

[alacarte]

We had dinner at Amuse last night...not a good experience, I'm afraid. As we left, Mr. alacarte suggested the restaurant be re-named to "Abuse."

We ordered four dishes, which arrived two at a time, in a timely fashion. (The service was prompt and friendly.) The first dishes were: Pecorino-arancini (fried brown rice and cheese balls) and marinated fluke served over grapefruit sections with ginger cracklings. Both were quite bland. The fluke was very attractive, but didn't taste like much at all. The arancini was particularly dull -- perhaps a marinara sauce for dipping would have jazzed it up sufficiently.

The second two dishes were a green papaya salad and cod cakes. The papaya salad was a big, slimy slaw dish, drowning in lime juice and not much else. It had a pleasing crunch, but quickly became tired, and we left most of it untouched. The cod cakes were just little fried cod squared, with no sign of the yukon gold potatoes advertised on the menu (the cod cakes were supposed to be served on top of the potatoes. perhaps they were incorporated in the cakes, it was hard to tell), and served with a tartar sauce on the side.

Did we order poorly? Perhaps. Was it Monday-night-is-the-chef's-night-off syndrome? Maybe. But the end result was that we left $65 poorer (including cocktails) and still hungry.