Per Se

[docsconz]

Interesting review. Particularly interesting was the presence of Thomas Keller and the absence of Jonathon Benno. I imagine Chef Keller was covering for Chef Benno, who probably had a rare night off.

[AES]

In a word -- outstanding. I had become slightly anxious last week that because I had built the place up in my head while waiting for it to reopen, it wouldn't live up to my expectations. Wrong. It was everything I had expected. We took a tour of the kitchen (I asked, wanting to see the chocolate room and whether there were any Oompa Loompas working in there ) -- granted, I have not seen many commercial kitchens, but without any hesitation, I would eat anything off the floor.

Shortly into our meal, I had to laugh when this board came up. I was explaining the menu options to my mom and was overheard by our captain, Keith. He asked how I knew so much about the menu and ordering options. I 'fessed up about this site. He seemed fascinated, explaining that in the last few weeks, he has seen several people ordering things with Per Se specific terminology ( I suspect the 2x2 tasting, although I didn't mention it specifically) and couldn't figure out how everyone knew this. We deduced that this was it and he has promised to check out the posts….

After my concern last week about the availability of getting both the 5 and 9 course menus at the same table, my parents decided to be adventurous and we all had the tasting menu (same 1 for the whole table). We also got the wine pairings.

I'll highlight a few of the dishes that I haven't seen mentioned by others. We were there for lunch the same day plpcolumbia was there for dinner, but did not have the Oysters & Pearls and the menu foie gras was a torchon (but I had the seared foie gras offered by the waiter).

We started with a cauliflower panna cotta, which was my husband's favorite dish. Such intense flavor; it definitely seemed like the cauliflower was roasted beforehand.

Hit of the night was the halibut, "roasted summer squash, San Marzano tomato marmelade and lovage-infused moulin des penitents emulsion." Just wonderful. The flavors worked perfectly together. The emusion was creamy but not thick or overwhelming and was the most flavorful "sauce" I've ever had. And I love halibut so it would've been great even without everything that made it a perfect dish for me.

We also had the Snake River Farms beef. The side made this for me. Andrea Strong's review said it best --

Those marrow dumplings, with the buttery-rich steak, could possibly be the most divine reason to become a monolithic carnivore. 

It was like small pat of really good butter fried and crispy. I ate mine and my mom's.

Nice touch - they didn't charge us for the coffee, cappucino & espresso. Granted, I paid for it "overall" but I just thought it was a nice touch. As my co-worker just said to me, it says a lot when you pay $200+ per person and still feel that something was complimentary....

Wine pairings were easily the best pairings I've had with a tasting menu. Interesting selections from across the globe, including a CA Cabernet Franc by a new winery called Merus, who bottled this wine exclusively for Per Se and the F.L. I'm a wine novice so I asked to have the wine list emailed to me ahead of time so I could look at it more leisurely. It arrived quickly and had many reasonably priced (< $100) selections.

Service was excellent, friendly and attentive without being annoying or overbearing.

Last thought. I ordered the chef's tasting without reading anything else. On the ride home, I read the 5 course selections, all of which sounded just as great as the tasting menu items. I would strongly consider this option on my next visit, which brings me to.... Would I go back -- definitely. It's a special occasion place though for anyone without a significant amount of disposable income! But as others said, well worth the money.

[juuceman]

Nice touch - they didn't charge us for the coffee, cappucino & espresso. Granted, I paid for it "overall" but I just thought it was a nice touch. As my co-worker just said to me, it says a lot when you pay $200+ per person and still feel that something was complimentary....

had dinner there friday night and was thinking about how, after i'd signed the check and they'd picked it up, although we were one of the last tables left in the place, they came back around and offered another round of espresso.. for some reason it's stuck out in my head, and i see, yours as well..

[plpcolumbia]

On a similar note - when my wife and I first arrived we ordered 2 Kir Royales while waiting in the lounge. At dinner we requested sparkling water for the table instead of the tap water. And I had coffee with my dessert. None of these items showed up on the final bill...

[bilrus]

On a similar note - when my wife and I first arrived we ordered 2 Kir Royales while waiting in the lounge. At dinner we requested sparkling water for the table instead of the tap water. And I had coffee with my dessert. None of these items showed up on the final bill...

Those first two may have been a mistake. My water and Champagne in the lounge was on the bill.

[AES]

Our water and my Per Se cocktail was on the bill.

[hll]

As AES said, I'm planning on the 5 course dinner when we go in August. After 2 FL visits and once at Per Se, I'm ready to choose my courses.

[DutchMuse]

Can anyone confirm what I have heard that Per Se allows diners to bring a bottle of wine for a $75 corkage fee if its not on their winelist?

[Brad Trent]

They do allow corkage, but I'm not sure if that $75 number is right...if it is you had better bring some hi-test juice, and make double-sure they don't have it on their list!

That kinda corkage is what us wine geeks call an eff-you corkage. If you insist on bringing your own wine then they're gonna charge you gold for the privilege. Face it, even with the high prices for the food, the real profit center at Per Se is the wine list.

BeeT's

[docsconz]

I do believe that $75 corkage fee is correct. I can't recall where I got it from, but I believe it was the restaurant itself. I posted my source in an earler reply. If in doubt, call the restaurant.

[AES]

The corkage is definitely $75.

[oakapple]

In this week's New York Magazine, Adam Platt reviews Per Se:

During the course of one of my long, exhaustively intricate meals at Per Se, Thomas Keller’s new restaurant in the Time Warner Center, one of my guests experienced an epiphany peculiar to New Yorkers of a certain overly sophisticated kind. Already we’d sampled coddled eggs tipped with black-truffle purée, and the chef’s famous “oysters and pearls” (Island Creek oysters, pearly tapioca, Osetra caviar). We’d listened to informative disquisitions on the chef’s vaunted and quirky purveyors (the eggs were hand-picked by a rabbi in upstate New York named Zvi) and watched as four varieties of salt (part of a foie gras creation called peach melba) were laid out on a silver tray with intense precision, like lines of cocaine. Then a little flight of lobster tails arrived, each one poached in butter, each one painted (with saffron-vanilla sauce, red-beet essence, or vermouth) in an artful and uniquely delicious way. My guest took a bite of his lobster, leaned back in his chair, and gave a little sigh. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just can’t bring myself to bitch about any of this.”

...and...

There’s nothing stagy or solemn about the food, however, which is beautifully conceived, elegantly presented (on a new Thomas Keller line of dishes by Raynaud), and as varied as the colors of the rainbow. The menu, which changes daily, is a jumble of bite-size tastings, the most modest of which involves five courses ($125) including cheese and dessert. The standard chef’s tasting menu ($150) is nine courses, and one eventful evening, dining in the company of a well-connected media friend (without connections, the wait for a table at Per Se is two months), I got caught up in a seventeen-course meal. I never got out of Per Se in under four hours, but this five-hour extravaganza began with six varieties of vegetable soup (one for each person), reached a crescendo with a whole black sea bass stuffed with watercress (foraged by Rabbi Zvi), and concluded with a blizzard of high-concept desserts (thyme-infused ice cream, cucumber sorbet, a deliciously milky chocolate soufflé) that left our party feeling dazzled but a little overwhelmed, like a bunch of country bumpkins stuck at an elaborate but overly long magic show.

Is this the first major media review of Per Se?

Edited June 21, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[jsfein]

Has anyone dined at Per Se with a "non-foodie" person. I have an August reservation and one in my group will be interested in some of the courses from the Chef's Tasting Menu, but may not be interested in as many as 3 or 4 of the courses. Is it likely that accommodation will be made for such a large number of substituted courses (say, for instance, substituting off of the vegetarian menu)? Might such an accommodation be considered to fall under the "1x1" or "2x2" posts I have read (and therefore add to the bottom line of the meal)?

I know that these questions are best answered by the folks at Per Se, but just wondering if anyone can add their 2 cents.

[bilrus]

Has anyone dined at Per Se with a "non-foodie" person. I have an August reservation and one in my group will be interested in some of the courses from the Chef's Tasting Menu, but may not be interested in as many as 3 or 4 of the courses. Is it likely that accommodation will be made for such a large number of substituted courses (say, for instance, substituting off of the vegetarian menu)? Might such an accommodation be considered to fall under the "1x1" or "2x2" posts I have read (and therefore add to the bottom line of the meal)?

I know that these questions are best answered by the folks at Per Se, but just wondering if anyone can add their 2 cents.

Why wouldn't that person just order from the five course menu. I'd be surprised if someone couldn't come up with something appealing from each course.

[daisy17]

Is it likely that accommodation will be made for such a large number of substituted courses (say, for instance, substituting off of the vegetarian menu)? 

One person in my party of 6 wanted to substitute one dish on the 9 course chef's tasting menu (to a selection from the 5 course) and the kitchen accommodated this request. Our server did check with the kitchen first, leading me to suspect that they might not normally substitute a large number of dishes in the menu. I would really encourage your friend to be open to trying new things on this restaurant visit. I, always a fairly picky eater but pushing myself to try new things all the time, ate a variety of foods that I don't normally order and they were all phenomenal. I would eat anything Thomas Keller/Jonathan Benno put in front of me.

[BJL]

I am dining at Per Se this evening and was wondering what attire is appropriate. Is a jacket and tie required, I don't believe they said so on the phone, but I would not want my companion to feel out of place.

Any other last minute hints are appreciated.

[daisy17]

I am dining at Per Se this evening and was wondering what attire is appropriate. Is a jacket and tie required, I don't believe they said so on the phone, but I would not want my companion to feel out of place.

A jacket is required. Enjoy!

[juuceman]

I am dining at Per Se this evening and was wondering what attire is appropriate.  Is a jacket and tie required, I don't believe they said so on the phone, but I would not want my companion to feel out of place.

A jacket is required. Enjoy!

no, a jacket is not required..

[daisy17]

no, a jacket is not required..

When I made my reservation, I was told that men should wear a jacket. I'm sure they seat people who don't, but they cared enough to mention it . . . .

[AES]

When I made my reservation, I was told that men should wear a jacket. I'm sure they seat people who don't, but they cared enough to mention it . . . .

I specifically called before our reservation and was told that while a jacket is strongly encouraged, it is not mandatory. That said, every man in the room was wearing one. I'd say it was a 50/50 split on ties - but that was lunch so it might be different at dinner.

Has anyone dined at Per Se with a "non-foodie" person.

I wouldn't call my mother a foodie and she enjoyed the tasting menu, albeit with a funny "i don't love this" face once or twice. That said, the 5 course menu, which they will definitely allow at a table with the tasting menu, should have enough variety (3-6 choices per course) to accommodate someone that's not quite as adventurous.

[Stone]

I'll take it. Where in Martha's Vineyard? How many people can I bring? Is transportation included?

[Jerry_A]

I'll take it.  Where in Martha's Vineyard?  How many people can I bring?  Is transportation included?

Man, that just killed me for some reason, I am still laughing...

[BJL]

Had an amazing meal there last night. I doubt I could do it justice by reviewing it, but everything from service to food was tremendous.

I will tell you that I was really surprised at how many empty tables there were.

We had a 5:45 reservation, only 3 other tables were occupied. When we left, at almost 10 they had only seated 3 more tables and there was hardly anyone waiting in the salon.

[Fat Guy]

Sounds like somebody is going to start requiring credit card numbers with reservations soon!

[gmi3804]

Sounds like somebody is going to start requiring credit card numbers with reservations soon!

Perhaps those with re-scheduled reservations from the closing have all mostly been satisfied by this point?

Still, it's strange for a restaurant of this caliber to not require a credit card deposit.