ADNY (Alain Ducasse @ Essex House)

[Charles Smith]

My wife and I were celebrating our 2nd anniversary this weekend and chose ADNY on Saturday night as the place at which to celebrate. We had a great time, but the overall experience was mixed at best.

Our reservation was at 8, we arrived on time and were escorted directly to our table. I thought the room décor was awful- the Pollock-dripped musical instrument sconce is just plain ugly. Our first interaction was a drink-order taker, with a heavy accent (not-French) who ran through (at very high speed) a list of three different champagnes by the glass, inclusive of the dommage- I picked up on the vintage bit for the Pommery and we enjoyed a 1989 Louise- delicious, a little young yet, but starting to develop some of the scotch-like finish that I love in older champagnes. We were brought gougere at this point, which were good, but served at room temp- would have liked another one, but never got the chance. I asked for the wine list at this point.

Next came the menus- there are very few actual non-tasting menu choices- 3 apps, 3 fish, 3 meat (this is how they are divided on the menu)- there were 2 tasting menu options- a seasonal option and an Alba white truffle tasting menu. The a la carte choices were 2 or three courses, plus amuse, plus dessert. We decided to go with the 2 course option, with an additional shared course of farfalle with truffles. I ordered the game confit en croute followed by Veal Sweetbreads and Loin. Allison ordered the roasted langoustine alongside spinach lasagna, followed by the venison, seasoned with juniper berries.

I continued to ask for the wine list, to no avail. Next, we were brought the dessert menu- they need to get the order in early, because they are all individually made- I chose the Baba, and my wife opted for the pear/caramel soufflé. Still no wine list. I asked again.

I was then told by the captain that they preferred to get in all of the food orders, then they would hold the meal until I made a wine selection. Still, however, no wine list.

After about 5 more minutes, I saw the captain heading towards us empty handed- he reversed field, then sent over the sommelier, who returned with the wine list, and a recitation of everything we had ordered, but no explanation of the inserts in the list (similar to the tasting menu inserts) - (I’m a wine geek- I want the wine list alongside the menu, if not first- this was very annoying to me) Very deep list, extremely over-priced- I was hoping for an older bottle of Burgundy- I pointed out a few options to the sommelier and was guided into a ’98 bottle of Roumier Morey St. Denis- he didn’t like how the older options were drinking, didn’t offer similarly priced options and convinced me that the Roumier was the best option for what we were eating.

Out came the amuse- Chicken rillettes, over toast with some greens. Large amuse, and absolutely delicious- a nice, livery note, and great texture contrasts. Great stuff.

Next up were the apps- Allison’s was excellent, the langoustine was perfectly cooked- extremely tender and a nice match with the lasagna- My confit was appropriate and I loved it- nothing spectacular, but simply delicious. The Roumier was a decent match for both.

Next up were the truffles- During ordering, I had asked that we share them and got a reply of “excellent”- Allison was brought an empty plate, and I was served a smallish portion of farfalle, in a mushroom sauce, with truffles shaved on top. We waited for a minute or so, and then realized that it was up to me to serve Allison her portion- this dish was also excellent, fresh mushrooms, and 2 mushroom “quenelles” within the farfalle and properly ethereal truffles- a great memory from our honeymoon in Tuscany was re-lived with this dish. I was not completely happy however- I don’t mind serving Allison her share, but any number of other places, from USCafe to Lupa will split a past for you in the kitchen and serve 2 separate servings. I was also disappointed not to have the truffles shaved in person- the aroma of this is one of the main reasons to get the dish.

Right upon the heels of the truffles (the pacing throughout was too close) came the mains- Allison made a much better choice- the venison was excellent. The juniper gave a dish a fresh tinge that elevated the dish from your average venison to something excellent. My dish was mediocre. It was a curved row of veal sweetbreads interspersed with pieces of veal loin. The sweetbreads were excellent and the loin pieces were awful- fatty and chewy. I complained, and was offered a replacement dish in exchange, for which I had no use- I was already pretty full. Extremely disappointing course.

Then came the parade of desserts- 2 bowls of cookies, then the already ordered desserts- The pear soufflé was excellent, as was the Baba-

A lovely sour cream sorbet topped with pepper was followed by the candy cart- we had a madelaine and called it a night, with much lighter wallets.

Overall, ADNY suffers from extremely high expectations that it did not come close to meeting. Bring me the wine list when I ask. Have enough depth of choices on the menu so that I we don’t have to double up on pasta in order to have a seafood appetizer and the additional truffle course without paying another supplement to get caviar. Don’t charge me $15 for the three course tasting plus the $75 supplement for the truffle dish. Split our pasta in the kitchen so I don’t have to split it onto a cold plate in the dining room with my utensils. Have the drink order taker know the champagne well enough so that the descriptionsdontallruntogthersothatIcanbarelyunderstandwhathe’ssaying. Cook the veal so that it’s tender.

We had a great time, and a lovely anniversary weekend, but overall were let down by ADNY.

Thanks for reading!!!

[Jinmyo]

Thanks for reading!!!

Thanks for writing, Charles.

[Suzanne F]

Thanks for reading!!!

Thanks for writing, Charles.

I second that.

[Miguel Gierbolini]

I third that. Thanks for your descriptions Charles even though I kept wincing in faux pain here in my office. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath.

[cabrales]

there were 2 tasting menu options-  a seasonal option and an Alba white truffle tasting menu.

Charles -- If you recall, how much was the all-white-truffle tasting menu and how many courses were included? Did it generally seem appetizing?

[Wilfrid]

What a pity about those service faults. The only explanation I can think of for presenting the pasta in the way they did was that they misunderstood you and thought your wife just wanted to taste it. I just can't fathom why they would present a shared dish that way. And you're right about the wine list too. I don't recall it being withheld when I dined there; I thought I perused* it at the same time as the menus. Has anyone else had such a bizarre experience?

*Yep, pompous today.

[Charles Smith]

Cabrales-

The Truffle menu was $280- Besides the farfalle dish there was an egg dish, and a foie gras dish among the others- I don't recall other specific details.

Best,

Charles

[chowbabe]

Here is the "official" DuCasse white truffle menu:

Clear Osetra caviar, new baked potatoes, sour cream

Farm-raised eggs, grated white truffle, beef jus

Aritisinal farfalle made with chestnut flour, veloute sauces, soft chicken "quenelles", tartufi di Alba

Duck foie gras and seasonal vegetables, cooked together au pot, tartufi di Alba

Herbs and autumnal salads, shavings of aged Parmesan, Tuber Magnatum Pico

Cheese

Choice of dessert

Friandises & gourmandizes

$280

[cabrales]

Despite the fact that the Parmesan/salad dish will not have white truffles, $280 is not necessarily a bad deal relative to the two-course (not counting dessert) regular pricing at ANDNY of $150 and the three-course menu of $165. The total truffle supplement is $115, leaving aside the apparently greater number of dishes included in the white truffle menu (even assuming the osetra caviar dish were an amuse).

The indicative pricing on the ADNY website for the "regular" menus is as follows; price levels appear the same as when I was last there two or three months ago --

AMUSE BOUCHE, choice of two courses from the menu,

dessert, friandises et gourmandis US$150

AMUSE BOUCHE, choice of three courses from the menu dessert, friandises et gourmandis US$165

Have any members sampled the white truffle menu at ADNY?

I guess if the purpose behind a meal were the sampling of the white truffles, there would be less of a disappointment with Ducasse's underlying cuisine from my subjective perspective. However, it is still a bit disconcerting to pay such sums for a cuisine that one does not necessarily like. I'm going to have to consider this a bit more.

Charles -- Did you see any appropriate wines on the ADNY wine list for a white truffle menu?

[Robert Schonfeld]

I love the "artisinal farfalle". My grandmother made artisinal farfalle.

[Wilfrid]

Despite the fact that the Parmesan/salad dish will not have white truffles, $280 is not necessarily a bad deal ...

Maybe not compared to Ducasse's other menus, but if you want to sample white truffles rather than Ducasse's cuisine, the food bill for two at San Domenico was $197.00, including three courses with liberal truffles followed by desserts.

[Fat Guy]

I've had the Ducasse white truffle tasting menu. Relative to the basic menu price, you're essentially getting the truffles at cost. They are lovely and massive truffles; the only ones I've seen anywhere near as nice were at Lespinasse -- though I've never done the truffle thing in Italy and I've not seen the ones at San Domenico (which would be a likely candidate for having top-quality truffles).

They are not added at the table; everything is done in the kitchen, though they do bring the truffles around for inspection. I prefer to have them added in the kitchen, either during or at the end of cooking, because it allows them to release their flavors better. The tableside ritual too often occurs, I think, at the expense of flavor.

By the way, the restaurant Salute! has a nice little white truffle menu and the prices are exceptionally reasonable. I had a foie gras ravioli dish in a white truffle cream sauce that was terrific, contained a decent dose of truffles, and was priced at something like $40.

[cabrales]

Steven -- Do you recall what other preparations involving white truffles Salute! offered?

[Jinmyo]

I love the "artisinal farfalle". My grandmother made artisinal farfalle.

[Fat Guy]

Steven -- Do you recall what other preparations involving white truffles Salute! offered?

I think there was a risotto, a scallop dish, and maybe a pizza. There were about eight items altogether on the truffle menu. There was a four- or five-course truffle tasting option too. I'm sure the restaurant would fax you a copy if you asked.

[cabrales]

Below is San Domenico's white truffle menu (through 12/20 reportedly, $4.00/gram in addition to below prices; ** marks items sampled):

Beef tartar with EVOO, $17

** Crunchy nest filled with cream of leaks and egg yolk, $16

Piedmontese cheese fondue with polenta, 15

** Soft egg yolk filled raviolo with hazelnut butter, 21

Tagliolini with butter and parmigiano, 23.50

Pearl sized raviolini in veal jus, 24.50

Risotto "Mantecao" with parmigiano reggiano, 24.50

Roasted veal loin with glazed vegetables and veal reduction, 31.50

Grilled beef fillet with mushrooms, 33.50

Quail with a suace of truffled broccoli rape and a celery root flan, 30.50

I began the meal with a glass of Proseco, which, I now discover from reviewing the bill, was comp'd (together with a large bottle of Pellegrino I had ordered). Even with the comps, the total before tips was $144 (with no dessert having been ordered). Note that 13 grams of truffles ($52 in total) were shaved, and were moderate in actual quantity (probably about right; I asked for extra shavings on the first dish, but the suggested serving is 5-6 grams per the menu anyhow).

The truffles were of good quality and aromatic. I prefer slightly thicker shavings thatn provided, but that is difficult to receive (the same truffle shaver that most restaurants appear to use was deployed; the next sampling this season I might be more proactive about shaving thickness, unless it's ADNY?).

With the Crunchy Nest filled with cream of leeks and egg yolks, the sampling to me of the truffles was somewhat affected by (1) the texture of the pastry cone base for the runny egg and the cream of leeks (its thin layers, which would under normal circumstances be a positive attribute, was too similar to the potential effects of the truffle shavings and detracted a bit), (2) the cream of leek was below the (appropriate) moderate temperature of the runny yolk and could have been slightly warmer, (3) the cream of leek would slightly saltier than I would have preferred to highlight the truffles, (4) the truffle shavings that fell on the larger green salad surrounding the nest were difficult to sample when so integrated and not readily separable from the shavings, and (5) the pomegranate seeds in the salad were unnecessary (even though intended to add a sweet/sour hint, which was unduly complex in connection with a base for truffles). Nonetheless, an interesting dish.

I had sought to order the raviolini, but that dish was sold out. The soft egg yolk filled ravioli with hazelnut butter was fairly good, although it should probably not have had a bit of parmesan on top of the single large ravioli. When melted on top of the pasta, the parmesan furnished an aroma that conflicted with that of the truffles slightly. The raviolo contained soft ricotta with bits of spinach included; its inside was very hot (temperature) initially. It could have been slightly less hot to better highlight the truffles. Still, a dish I enjoyed.

I ordered a 1/2 bottle of Morellino di Scansono Fattoria le Pupille, Toscano 2001 ($38), which was appropriate for the truffles (thanks to members for the education on pairing red wine with white truffles). The sommelier assured me the youth of the bottle would not be a problem, and he was right (he provided good service).

[Wilfrid]

The sommelier is very good, despite his disturbing hair style. Sorry you missed the raviolini; the egg-filled raviolo has been a signature dish for Odette Fada for a long time, and I sometimes feel the kitchen has got bored with it. I didn't notice pomegranate seeds in my salad, so either I wasn't paying attention or I didn't get any!

Did you sit at the bar or in the restaurant?

[cabrales]

Wilfrid -- I sat in the restaurant. I noticed there was a silver-colored press as one of the decorative components. I asked about it, and it was an olive press (I thought it was a bit too small to be a Tour d'Argent duck press or a Le Divellic seafood press, leaving aside the non-French nature of the restaurant). I also noticed a huge burgundy-colored metallic machine for slicing proscuitto. This prompted me to ask whether the proscuitto and other salumi were made in-house, to which the answer was not. But I was tempted to try proscuitto from that machine, and would have, had I not been on a diet.

It's nice that the restaurant has women as both executive chef and chef de cuisine.

[Wilfrid]

And indeed Odette must be one of the longer-serving chefs in a Manhattan restaurant. Yes, that prosicutto machine is an amazing thing, isn't it? We were comped slices of prosciutto before our dinner at the weekend.

[cabrales]

Wilfrid -- Could you elaborate on the quality of the proscuitto? Why does the machine appear to have so many parts to it?

[Wilfrid]

The latter I cannot help you with; we should send Fat Bloke along to inspect it. As to the former, the prosciutto was notably thinly sliced by the great gadget, and very well flavored.

[Fat Guy]

Do you recall which machine it is? Is it this one?

[cabrales]

Steven -- That has certain resemblances to the San Domenico machine, although it is hard to say.

[Charles Smith]

Charles -- Did you see any appropriate wines on the ADNY wine list for a white truffle menu?

They have a number of Gaja Barolos and Barbarescos on the list- very expensive and not my favorite producer, but the older versions would be very interesting with the Truffle menu- there are also some older Riojas which might pair well as well as some older, albeit very pricey, burgundies.

Cheers,

Charles

[Wilfrid]

The San Domenico slicer is much more stylish. I'll try to find out some more about it.