Per Se

[JKHCC]

I will be dining at Per Se tonight (Friday at 9pm). My original reservation was for February 27. A friend made the original reservation for me and my fiance. He is an investor at French Laundry, so he has connections. I am very excited. I read Soul of a Chef, and I am in awe of Keller. My only problem is that my Fiance hates long drawn out stuffy meals. He loses his appetite. Oh well.

My sister ate at Per se last Friday. She has been to FL as well. She is a vegetarian. She liked FL better, as far as food and atmosphere. But I cannot trust her opinion, since she gets the veggie tasting menu. I love stuff like foie gras and sweetbreads, etc. Also, my sister asked, and got a tour of the kitchen.

Last summer I had an anniversary dinner for my parents at ADNY, we ate in the private room and had a special menu for 8 people. It was excellent. I also recently had the tasting menu at Le Bernadin and Asiate. So I am anxious to compare Per Se. I'll let you know...

[JKHCC]

When my sister ate at Per Se last Friday, her reservations were for 5:30. When she left at 9, she said the tables were only half filled. Also, my original reservation in February was for 7:30, this time I could only get 5:30 or 9pm. They told me that those were the only seatings for parties of 2 people.

[Pan]

xyz123, did you send back the lobster dish with the dirty morels?

Also, I can't remember what ris de veau is.

[bilrus]

Also, I can't remember what ris de veau is.

Veal Sweetbreads

[dccd]

Veal “chateaubriand” the veal came with “sweetbreads” not “ ris de Veau” ;-), that’s how the menu read

What did the menu read? that the chateaubriand came with "sweetbreads"?

And that they didn't list it as "ris de veau" was an issue? I don't understand...

Edited June 5, 2004 by dccd (log)

[xyz123]

xyz123, did you send back the lobster dish with the dirty morels?

No i did not send it back. I never complain about a dish.

They asked me if there was anything i did not eat at the begining of the meal,

I replied that I eat everything, restaurant knows there is something wrong with the dish if one does not eat it. If the restaurant asks if there is something wrong with the dish then I would explain why I did not enjoy it.

And that they didn't list it as "ris de veau" was an issue? I don't understand...

On the rabbit dish it was listed as "ris de Veau"

on the Veal dish it was listed as "sweetbreads"

they both are sweetbreads, they repeated the same ingredient on 2 back to back dishes. Usually this is never done on a tasting menu, unless you are getting

a tasting menu on a theme ingrediant, so to sort of decive you on one dish

they used the French wording and on the other English.

This is mainly a creative problem

[sashimi]

Are you in any way affiliated with ADNY, xyz123?

[rdailey]

No i did not send it back. I never complain about a dish.

xyz123, if you have a complaint about service or food, it is to the restaurant's advantage that you speak up. There is no way restaurants could improve without feedback. The success of any restaurant, regardless of its stature, depends on it's customers approval and if its faults are not mentioned, they cannot be corrected.

It sounds that you are accustomed to dining in fine restaurants, so you are used to having your every whim catered to. You know that receiving morels with dirt in them would be immediately corrected, and you would receive evn more special attention with perhaps a discount to your bill, more courses, or complimentary wine.

[robert40]

Dirty Morel's ?

Stripped Bass In Place Of Black Without Notice ?

SweetBread's On Back To Back Course's ?

Asking You What You Don't Eat? ( Printed Menu- Not Surprise Menu)

Sound's nothing like the place I had dinner at last week.

[plpcolumbia]

How does one get up to the restaurant? Is the only way up there to go up the escalators through the mall? I read somewhere that there was a separate elevator that takes you directly up to the restaurant and where you can avoid the shops altogether.

[docsconz]

There is an elevator that takes you to the 4th floor to the "Food Court". It is located by the notheast entrance to the complex. I do not know if Per Se has an additional dedicated elevator.

[xyz123]

Are you in any way affiliated with ADNY, xyz123?

No I am not

[rdailey]

Salmon Cone-Zero taste, this signified trouble ahead. The only sensation in my mouth was the smoothness of the salmon and the texture of the cone. But no taste

This comment also seems very unusual. Every report, review, or comment on the salmon cornet I have heard or read, has been favorable. As well, the two times I had one, I thought they were tremendously flavorful.

Considering it is a preparation that is done every single day at both restaurants, I have a difficult time believing that the particular cone you had was inconsistent with all of the other comments I have seen. (Although I'll recognize it is theoretically possible.) The fact that Keller opens every meal he serves with this signature canape should be testament to the cornet's perfection in flavor, texture, and creativity.

[Fat Guy]

Zero taste is certainly an overstatement, but I've eaten quite a few of these cornets -- at least 10 and maybe more -- and I have come to believe they're somewhat flawed. The texture to which the salmon is processed deprives it of some of its essence, and either the product selection favors very mild specimens or the texture contributes to a fundamental lack of salmon-ness on the palate. As someone who loves salmon in its state of nature, I find the cornets to be a step down. They are wonderfully attractive and whimsical, however.

[rdailey]

Zero taste is certainly an overstatement,

This was really my point in a nutshell, FG. It was certainly the first time I have seen someone call it flavorless.

I believe it is Keller's intention to offer a fun, thought provoking, and fresh tasting amuse to begin the meal, it is not meant to be mind blowing. Since it something he offers every diner before a long meal, I imagine its subtleness in salmon flavor is somewhat intentional.

I have heard that if a diner is a vegetarian or does not care for the salmon they will substitute with a version using red pepper, which sounds delicious as well.

[bilrus]

I have heard that if a diner is a vegetarian or does not care for the salmon they will substitute with a version using red pepper, which sounds delicious as well.

With the Vegetable tasting menu two weeks ago it was with a tomato paste/puree. My wife said she liked it better than the salmon one (we recieved three cones) but she is not a huge raw salmon fan.

It looked almost identical to the salmon which does say a little about the overprocessing of the salmon. I remembered the fish in the ones we had at French Laundry as being less paste and more small pieces.

[daisy17]

After what seemed to be an eternal wait (original reservation was March) I dined at Per Se with five friends on Saturday night and we had a phenomenal evening. Five of us had the nine course chef tasting menu, and one had the nine course vegetarian menu. We started with drinks in the salon and sat at our table at about 6, finishing up at almost 10 (and they did turn our table). The food was incredible -- from signature Keller dishes like the salmon cornets and "Oysters and Pearls" to "Macaroni and Cheese" (butter poached lobster over orzo with marscapone and lobster broth) to lovely macarons following dessert -- and everything in between.

The service was impeccable yet entirely down to earth. (I generally consider service to be almost as important as food in an overall dining experience (probably because of my many years as a waitress).) From start to finish, it was as close to perfection as I've ever seen. Our captain for the evening, Phoebe, was warm, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable about the food, wine, Keller and the restaurant. She and Andre, the sommelier, recommended wines throughout the evening which perfectly complemented our meal. Everyone we encountered seemed to understand our enthusiasm for being there, which I truly appreciated. We also had an amazing tour of the kitchen (greeted by everyone we passed) at the end of our meal. (The kitchen was unbelievable and deserves its own thread . . . .)

My only disappointment was that the evening had to end.

[adegiulio]

We were also there Saturday night. We decided to go for the expanded 2x2 tasting, which a few posters on this board mentioned. Some said it was the same price, others mentioned it was 25 dollars more, and one person said it was 100 dollars more. Ours was 100 dollars more, but it seemed like more courses than we normally would have received. Overall it was about 14 courses, after the three or four amuse bouches that were sent out. Among other things were a whole roast chicken, lamb prepared four different ways, and cod and bass "shanks". Everything of course was terrific. Nothing was stale. We were not served any soiled ingredients.

I can't wait until I'm done washing dishes to pay the tab!

Anthony

[hll]

We too were there this past Saturday. My wife and I both had the standard 9-course tasting menu. It was very reminiscent of the FL meals we have had. Not a put down, just not as adventurous as I would expect. The ingredients were beyond reproach. The beef was some of the best tasting I have ever had. The macaroni and cheese was quite nice, with the lobster cooked just perfectly. The oysters were as sweet and oceanice as could be. The foisgras torchon was a buttery as one could imagine. The sauteed fois gras, too, was excellent. For my part, the halibut was nothing special. When reconfirming I asked for a copy of their wine list to be emailed (which was done quickly) so I could bring a bottle which they did not carry. I brought an '82 Latour and we ordered a 1/2 bottle of a Boilllot Mersault "Les Chamres" 2001 to start. As I didn;t have the 877 number to reconfirm, I called the main number. While I was on wioth them I made another reservation for August. Should be fun.

[ErinB]

FYI. I got reservations today (in two months) for a party of 2 and was offered 5:30, 5:45, 9:00. I got through in about 10 minutes.

The other interesting thing, is that the person on the phone, was very friendly, but really wanted my work number. She made it seem like they were having trouble with people confirming reservations.

What I don't understand is why someone would go to all this trouble to make a reservation and then not show up or confirm.

Anyway, I'll be eating here in two months, and I'm very excited

Edited June 12, 2004 by ErinB (log)

[plpcolumbia]

My wife and I dined at Per Se last night, and it was wonderful. Somehow, the place managed to justify all the hype and buzz surrounding it. I have eaten at a couple of 4-star restaurants in New York before (Daniel, Bouley, and Jean Georges), but Per Se was the first time I have eaten at a restaurant where I personally have had a 4-star experience. The other places mentioned above were great, but for me the combination of great food, great ambience, and great service just put Per Se in a whole different category that just left those other restaurants in the dust. I only have the pleasure of dining in Manhattan about 3-4 times a year, and so I never get the treatment that a "regular" patron of Restaurant Daniel or Jean Georges might receive. At Per Se from the moment we walked through the glass doors and were greeted warmly by the receptionist to the time our captain brought us our menus (signed by Chef Benno!) I felt welcomed and that the staff was truly happy to have us there.

I had the Chef's Tasting Menu and my wife had the Tasting of Vegetables. We both had wine pairings which were an additional $100 per person. We each had 8 different wines (no matching wine with the sorbet course which came just after the cheese course). The wine pairing added a whole dimension to the enjoyment of the food. Some highlights from the menu for me were the "Oysters and Pearls" (described at length previously), the sauteed foie gras with bing cherries (I loved this dish and I never, ever eat foie gras), and the "Calotte de Boef Grillee". I also loved the taste I had of my wife's sweet carrot soup with carrot "roe" and curry "mouse".

Any criticisms you ask? Some of the Keller signature desserts were, relatively speaking to the rest of the menu, kind of average. The "Tentation au Chocolat" was great to look at, but that was about it. The "Coffee and Doughnuts" in my mind is a recipe that can be retired already.

All in all it was a great meal. I'm already saving up for the next visit - if I can ever get reservations again!

[Pan]

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you had such a wonderful experience!

I'm curious - did they give you a half glass of each wine?

[plpcolumbia]

Actually, they refilled the wine glasses if we were finished before the particular course was finished (without our asking), which I thought was very gracious of them!

[Pan]

That is very gracious!

[robert40]

A very nice review by Andrea Strong.

Link.

http://andreastrong.com/brain/brain_view_brain.php