Per Se

[sladeums]

Thank you sladeums.

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no, thank you.

You took the time and effort to document the meal, I just thought if there was not a "click here" link some may not have seen your work.

thanks again

[smgarsh]

thankyou robert40 and sladeums...

Very nice pics robert40!!!!

[oakapple]

This week's New York Magazine has a short piece on Per Se, "The Price of Four Stars":

Running such a restaurant “is a financial commitment because a lot of expenses go up,” says Daniel Boulud, who received four stars at Le Cirque and Daniel. The cost of maintaining a place in the top tier far exceeds the economic rewards—but it’s the only way to avoid the embarrassment of being stripped of hard-earned laurels ... Per Se, which has only sixteen tables, would likely have been booked solid every night anyway. But perfection (like the best foie gras) keeps profit margins tight. Restaurants typically spend around $30 on food for every $100 in revenue; a four-star might spend up to $40. Then there are the non-food costs: Boulud recently spent $100,000 replacing chairs. They weren’t worn out; they were simply five years old.

Changing the subject slightly... Thanks to the poster who noticed that Per Se is now on OpenTable. Naturally, the site shows no available reservations. I'd be interested to know the first person who actually gets in this way.

Edited September 20, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[robyn]

Just FYI - I think the restaurant must be getting slammed these days - because I put my phone on speed dial for a couple of hours this afternoon and never did get through. Just busy signals. I think that I'll wait until next year - or perhaps hope to find that one of my cousins did a root canal for the chef.

Just curious - has anyone here had luck with reservations through a concierge? Robyn

[hshiau]

Just FYI - I think the restaurant must be getting slammed these days - because I put my phone on speed dial for a couple of hours this afternoon and never did get through.  Just busy signals.  I think that I'll wait until next year - or perhaps hope to find that one of my cousins did a root canal for the chef.

Just curious - has anyone here had luck with reservations through a concierge?  Robyn

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I have a friend that has made 2 reservations through American Express.

[robert40]

Just FYI - I think the restaurant must be getting slammed these days - because I put my phone on speed dial for a couple of hours this afternoon and never did get through.  Just busy signals.  I think that I'll wait until next year - or perhaps hope to find that one of my cousins did a root canal for the chef.

Just curious - has anyone here had luck with reservations through a concierge?  Robyn

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I also was calling today and it took four hour's to get through.

Got a res. for the end of November.

[robyn]

I also was calling today and it took four hour's to get through.

Got a res. for the end of November.

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Well that won't work for me since this "last minute" trip is for October. I seem to remember about a million messages back that someone said one couldn't make a reservation in person by showing up at the restaurant. Without looking back through a million messages - does anyone know off the top of his head if that's correct? If it isn't correct - we'll just stop by the day we arrive and see if we can get a last minute cancellation for lunch/dinner. Falls into the "no harm in asking" camp. Robyn

[robyn]

I have a friend that has made 2 reservations through American Express.

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Hadn't thought of that. Thanks. Robyn

[docsconz]

Hadn't thought of that.  Thanks.  Robyn

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I actually beat American Express to a reservation when they first started taking them last winter. You might have a better chance now with them doing the leg work.

[bloviatrix]

I tried the Amex route back in May with no success (my thought was I had a greater chance of scoring a reservation if both they and I called. I succeeded, they didn't).

On a subsequent call, they told me they were dealing with a large list of people who wanted reservations and they trying to fill them in order of phone call.

[robyn]

I actually beat American Express to a reservation when they first started taking them last winter. You might have a better chance now with them doing the leg work.

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I just decided to forget about it for this trip. My husband and I are exhausted - and the last thing I need to deal with right now is a next to impossible reservation. Life is too short - and there are plenty of really good restaurants in New York we haven't tried yet. Made reservations at David Burke & Donatella (Thursday) and Babbo (Friday) - and have one more reservation to make (Sunday - was thinking about where yesterday but all I'm thinking about today is my father in law's surgery tomorrow - Yom Kippur on Saturday - and maybe Frances on Sunday ). FWIW - the reservation system at Babbo was really slick compared to what I found at Per Se (no endless busy signals). Anyway - I'm sure we'll have a great time. Robyn

[lizard]

Look for lunch slots. I was able to find an 11:30 lunch on October 22nd.

Try searches for a party of two or a party of four only. They don't have spots for an odd number of diners.

This week's New York Magazine has a short piece on Per Se, "The Price of Four Stars":

Changing the subject slightly... Thanks to the poster who noticed that Per Se is now on OpenTable. Naturally, the site shows no available reservations. I'd be interested to know the first person who actually gets in this way.

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[robyn]

Look for lunch slots.  I was able to find an 11:30 lunch on October 22nd.

Try searches for a party of two or a party of four only.  They don't have spots for an odd number of diners.

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How did you search? I can do lunch on a Sunday for 2 - but I frankly don't have the time to spend 5 straight hours on speed dial these days. Robyn

[Fat Guy]

Robyn, I've forgotten when you're coming and what size party you are, but there's a lunch reservation showing up on OpenTable for October 10 for 4 people.

In general the most powerful search on OpenTable is the "Next available day" search because it will give you every available reservation for a given table size within a four hour time slot on the next 30 consecutive days all at once. So if you do that for Per Se you can see lunch reservations for 4 people on the 10th and 29th right now, and I'm sure if you adjust the parameters other reservations will appear.

[bcm]

I have never had a problem getting a reservation at The French Laundry

by calling the reservation number two months in advance. Recently did

the same thing for Per Se - redialed for about 20 mins., put on hold for

10. Did get a table for 2 at 5:30 on 10/24 (the other option was 10 pm).

Unfortunately, the planned second diner now has a wedding that day, so I may be

looking for an interested party or to give the reservation away.

[lizard]

How did you search?  I can do lunch on a Sunday for 2 - but I frankly don't have the time to spend 5 straight hours on speed dial these days.  Robyn

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Robyn, here's a direct link to the search input. Just keep trying, as they throw their last-minute cancellations up there, too:

http://www.opentable.com/single.asp?id=2783

[WHS]

SCORE! I hit redial 5x at 10:20 this morning and got through to the reservation line. Waited on hold for 25 minutes (I actually got up from the phone and gave someone a tour of my company, came back and was still on hold) and finally reached a living, breathing person who was quite nice, and got a reservation for Dec 6, exactly 2 months away. They have a dress code, BTW.

[robyn]

I have never had a problem getting a reservation at The French Laundry

by calling the reservation number two months in advance.  Recently did

the same thing for Per Se - redialed for about 20 mins., put on hold for

10.   Did get a table for 2 at 5:30 on 10/24 (the other option was 10 pm).

Unfortunately, the planned second diner now has a wedding that day, so I may be

looking for an interested party or to give the reservation away.

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That's weird. 10/24 is our last day in New York - and the only day we don't have a dinner reservation. On the other hand - my husband and I have never eaten an expensive meal with total strangers. On the third hand - I'm sure there are total strangers who are more fun than some of the people we eat with on a regular basis - like my parents . Are you a nice person ?

By the way - we usually eat at normal dinner hours - not 5:30 - but I suppose we could eat breakfast and starve ourselves the rest of the day. Robyn

P.S. We are *very* nice people - but I suspect the only qualification for something like this is that you love to eat great food - and we do.

P.P.S. I got so excited I didn't read the fine print - that you have a table for 2 - not 4. I'd do a lot of things to eat a great meal - but leaving my husband in the hotel room isn't one of them . Wonder if there's any chance of changing that 2 to a 3?

Edited October 6, 2004 by robyn (log)

[robyn]

Robyn, I've forgotten when you're coming and what size party you are, but there's a lunch reservation showing up on OpenTable for October 10 for 4 people.

In general the most powerful search on OpenTable is the "Next available day" search because it will give you every available reservation for a given table size within a four hour time slot on the next 30 consecutive days all at once. So if you do that for Per Se you can see lunch reservations for 4 people on the 10th and 29th right now, and I'm sure if you adjust the parameters other reservations will appear.

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Thanks for the information. We'll be in New York from the 21st to the 25th. Have reservations the 21st and 22nd - Bar Mitzvah the 23rd. That leaves the 24th. I'm hoping maybe we can work something out with BCM. It would be a shame for him to give up the reservation - and a shame for us to miss Per Se! Robyn

[Gifted Gourmet]

article in the Observer UK

Anyone ordering the $150 chef's tasting menu at Per Se would be entitled to expect greatness, to wonder whether they were sitting in what fellow American superstar chef Eric Ripert has already described as 'the greatest restaurant in the world'. Let's put it this way: I was rather looking forward to my dinner.

Another article on Per Se, I realize, but this one by Jay Rayner is well worth reading.

'All menus at the French Laundry revolve around the law of diminishing returns. That is the more you have of something the less you enjoy it.' So lots of tiny courses and lots of intense flavours. 'Imagine one carrot having as much sweet, earthy and fresh characteristic as a pound of carrots or a spoonful of pea soup with the impact of a thousand peas.'

more Keller ... you'll love this one ...

[gmi3804]

How does Per Se's menu at lunch differ from that at dinner? It seems to me a leisurely 11:30 lunch would be more enjoyable than a 5:30 dinner, assuming the food was the same. Am I wise to do luch in order to experience Per Se at its best?

(Sorry if this has been discussed already here, but I can't search for words which are less than four letters long, ruling out "per" and "se" as search words. )

[robert40]

gmi3804,

See the link below.

Lunch and dinner are very similar.

http://www.dininginfrance.com/Per_Se_menu.htm

[gmi3804]

gmi3804,

See the link below.

Lunch and dinner are very similar.

http://www.dininginfrance.com/Per_Se_menu.htm

Thanks!

Edited October 12, 2004 by gmi3804 (log)

[Bicycle Lee]

So I'm going on an impromptu trip to NYC next week and I am going to try to squeeze my lonesome self into Per Se one of the nights I am there. What do you guys think my chances are? I was figuring that I would show up near 5:30 and just say that I am a professional cook and that I know this is touted to be some of the best food in the world right now and I would be forever thankful if I could get a one top in for the chef's tasting. Waddyathink?

[Dryden]

A snowball's chance in hell?