Eating New York

[BryanZ]

What happened? I just read through this whole thread in one sitting and now feel empty and unfulfulled. No more restaurants?

[Tough Cookie]

What happened?  I just read through this whole thread in one sitting and now feel empty and unfulfulled.  No more restaurants?

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I couldn't agree more! I am coming to NYC in July and would love to read more of Justin's reviews, especially that of Balthazar.

[porkpa]

I heard from Justin. He is very busy with school. He has been to several other restaurants, but hasn't had the time to write and post. He will post his reviews when time permits.

Porkpa

[tetsujustin]

Well as I hit my final stretch of school I just sort've wanted to be focused on what I needed to do for my next stage of life and to finish strong on my current stage. Since I left off, I have eaten at a few places (we'll leave that up to the element of suprise), and I have a few half-written reports sitting on my laptop. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time in the coming weeks to finish them up. If not, I'll definitely be posting them after I finish school in a few weeks. Sorry for no updates, I didn't really think anyone would miss me. Haha.

Thanks for the concern though!

Justin

[zeitoun]

Well as I hit my final stretch of school I just sort've wanted to be focused on what I needed to do for my next stage of life and to finish strong on my current stage. Since I left off, I have eaten at a few places (we'll leave that up to the element of suprise), and I have a few half-written reports sitting on my laptop. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time in the coming weeks to finish them up. If not, I'll definitely be posting them after I finish school in a few weeks. Sorry for no updates, I didn't really think anyone would miss me. Haha.

Thanks for the concern though!

Justin

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Yes you are truly missed Justin,

Just curious, I assume you are starting your externship soon (or is it your first kitchen job already?), I also assume that the time you have spent dining in different NY restaurants kind of gave you an idea of where you would like to work for your first gig? Or maybe you would like to unveil this during your final installment on this thread?? Can you give us any hint at this stage?

[tetsujustin]

Yes you are truly missed Justin,

Just curious, I assume you are starting your externship soon (or is it your first kitchen job already?), I also assume that the time you have spent dining in different NY restaurants kind of gave you an idea of where you would like to work for your first gig? Or maybe you would like to unveil this during your final installment on this thread?? Can you give us any hint at this stage?

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Actually I already finished my externship this past October and my first kitchen gigs were before school because of the whole "needing 6 months of experience" thing. I'd been working in kitchens for about 2 years now.

The restaurants have helped in deciding what I need to do or what I want to do in my future, but I think I'll discuss that in my last post. I will say though that I have loved every single Danny Meyer establishment I have been to.

[AK@Spicehouse]

You probably can't find a nicer group to work for..On the whole, with multi-units, these are some good folks to get your feet wet with.. Good luck, and your loyal readers need a review... Anything will do, we need a scrap...

Yes you are truly missed Justin,

Just curious, I assume you are starting your externship soon (or is it your first kitchen job already?), I also assume that the time you have spent dining in different NY restaurants kind of gave you an idea of where you would like to work for your first gig? Or maybe you would like to unveil this during your final installment on this thread?? Can you give us any hint at this stage?

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Actually I already finished my externship this past October and my first kitchen gigs were before school because of the whole "needing 6 months of experience" thing. I'd been working in kitchens for about 2 years now.

The restaurants have helped in deciding what I need to do or what I want to do in my future, but I think I'll discuss that in my last post. I will say though that I have loved every single Danny Meyer establishment I have been to.

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Edited April 11, 2005 by AK@Spicehouse (log)

[BryanZ]

I live vicariously through your posts. I dream about being at the CIA and going into the city to eat where you eat every week.

[Pan]

Justin, your posts have been much appreciated and I look forward to more whenever you have the chance.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Actually I already finished my externship this past October and my first kitchen gigs were before school because of the whole "needing 6 months of experience" thing. I'd been working in kitchens for about 2 years now.

The restaurants have helped in deciding what I need to do or what I want to do in my future, but I think I'll discuss that in my last post. I will say though that I have loved every single Danny Meyer establishment I have been to.

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Justin, I'm a CIA student now and just found this thread. I'll PM you to ask "which one" you were at Blue Hill -- I Externed there -- among other things. I wanted to say here that I'm enjoying your culinary journeys. You have a nice style.

[Makan King]

This thread is wonderful! Thank you Justin for sharing your experiences and views so generously. It brings back many wonderful dining memories for me.

I have been to all the restaurants you have reviewed except Le Bernadin and WD-50 (I left New York before it opened, though I did go to its precursor, 71 Clinton). I must say that my all-time favorite NY restaurant is Gramercy Tavern. I have eaten there on several occasions, and I have always had a terrific meal and a wonderful time.

I also much prefer the apps and pastas in Babbo. I can't recall the main courses that I had at Babbo, and I have eaten there several times as well, but I can well recall the warm lamb tongue salad and the mint love letters. I like the beef cheek ravioli as well, but the mint love letters blew me away the first time I had it - the freshnes of the mint and peas just exploded in my mouth, and the rich earthiness of the lamb ragu sauce was the perfect counterpoint.

I also liked the pastas at Lupa, another Batali establishment. My absolute favorite there was the bavette with crushed black pepper and three cheeses - so simple, yet so perfectly balanced between the sharp pepper and the mellow cheeses and butter.

I had a great time dining in New York when I lived there and I am glad to see that you are also able to take advantage of the great NY dining scene, Justin. Thanks again for the great trip down memory lane. I really need to get back to New York and reclaim all of these food memories!

[mukki]

Justin -- I wanted to add my thanks as well. This thread has been wonderful to read and I've added more restaurants to my "must try" list. We're visiting NY in May and have meals planned at Babbo (pasta tasting menu, loved the pasta at Lupa), Jean-Georges, WD-50 and Gramercy (we had a great experience there the one time we went).

Please do continue your reviews when you have the chance!

[tetsujustin]

Jean-Georges

Walking through the glass doors of Jean-Georges at the Trump Hotel on a Saturday night, I was not surprised to see a crowd gathering at the hostess stand, I was, however surprised to see how calmly the hostesses handled the situations as there were many walk-ins that tried to give them “the hand shake” only to be told that both the formal and informal dining room were completely full. Noting that we had a reservation, we were led past the mob of a mess that was the informal dining room (the bar must have been at least three customers in) into a room with a completely different aura... replacing the loud, obnoxious bar area was a large room with stretching walls and ceilings that had a very quaint buzz to it. In my opinion, I hate to see chefs that stretch themselves too thin. I do like the idea of entrepreneurship, but I have been to many restaurants where there was a name-brand chef, only to be disappointed because a standard was not held up. Nobu, Todd English, and Roy Yamaguchi come to mind immediately. So more than anything, I was curious to how Jean-Georges Vongrichten held up his four-star flagship restaurant to the highest standard and continued to do so even with so many other establishments to worry about (there is even a new place called “Bank” in my hometown “by Jean-Georges Vongrichten”). Knowing about his travels and after reading his biography, I could tell that many different flavors and exotic ingredients would be blended with French technique, and I was hugely curious to find out how well they matched, as I have had some awful experiences before, and as always... for a four-star restaurant, I wanted four-star service. Unintrustive, knowledgeable, serviceable. I don’t want to ask for anything.

After perusing the menu and switching back and forth between the winter menu and the Jean-Georges Menu a few times, I settled on the Jean-Georges Menu. The waiter presented us with an amuse of from left to right a shrimp boullion (though it was more bisque-like) with an olive tuile (my friend argued that it was more like melba toast than a tuile)... something I can’t decipher from my notes in the middle, and a spoon of salmon, jalapeno, and cucumber juice. We were told eat from right to left. The spoon had a great flavor to it, with both the zing of the jalapeno and the cooling of the cucumber to compliment the salmon, and I remember the boullion being very good, with the slight crispness and saltiness of the tuile.

Our first course was Egg Caviar with a hollowed out chicken egg with scrambled eggs, whipped crème fraiche, and a load of caviar. I was especially pleased with the way the crème fraiche and eggs were prepared for this dish as I think it actually made the caviar the star of the dish. Often I find that we cook eggs too dry and it loses both the soft texture and also a lot of flavor, and without whipping crème fraiche, it often becomes too clumpy. The textures of soft and smooth complimented the slight pop of the caviar and the whole flavors of salty, egginess, and the slight sour of crème fraiche worked very well... as it is a classic combination.

After this we had Sea Scallops, Caramelized Cauliflower, with a caper-raisin emulsion. As I was watching Iron Chef America one time, I was wondering what Jeffery Steingarten was talking about one episode where he said “you managed to suck the succulence out of the scallop and it was wonderful” I’ve heard time and time again, why would you do anything besides sear a scallop or sauté a scallop? It’s so good. It’s so succulent. I believe this dish exemplified his comments, because though the scallop was sautéed, it was only done very lightly. Instead of being the star of this dish, the whole makeup of the dish was a big success. The lightly sautéed scallop didn’t have any succulence, but actually tasted very full had a nice firm texture. This partnered with the slight char of the cauliflower and the sweet-salty emulsion is... just very hard to describe. I can only say that most of the time when I eat scallops, the way that it is cooked makes my mouth water with the brininess and umami flavor. This dish had none of it, it was very suttle and very complex in flavor. Very interesting and mind opening.

Our soup course came as Young Garlic soup with thyme and sautéed frog legs. We were told to dip the legs into the soup and to nibble at it, then to eat the soup. It was interesting to see how the make up of the soup altered with the frog’s legs. With the crispy legs that also had the slight fishy flavor, the soup almost acted like something to balance out the flavor of the frog’s legs when eaten with it. However, when eaten alone, the soup had a much more fragrant, almost flowery flavor to it that worked with the slight sweet garlic flavor of young garlic. Very nice.

It was interesting, and I’m not sure if they intended it to be this way, but our next course, our fish course, almost acted as a sorbet course, refreshing our palate and cleansing it. It was turbot with a chateau chalon sauce. There was a acidic taste to the sauce that went well with the brunoised tomato and zucchini that sat atop a lightly cooked turbot. The whole dish overall, though my least favorite of the night, was very quaint in flavor, light in texture, and just a pleasure to eat even though there weren’t any big booming flavors.

Next was Lobster Tartine with lemongrass and fenugreek broth, and pea shoots which seemed like just a step up in flavor with from the previous course. The lobster was firm and sweet and atop something that was soft and bready, I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. The mixture of texture with the piece of bread (I guess) that soaked up the broth really melded well together into a very Asian-tasting dish. I dislike it many times when chefs garnish dishes with microgreens or salads without any purpose, but the peashoots with the very raw, almost grassy taste to it worked well for the Asian theme of this dish.

Our final savory course was a broiled squab, with onion compote, corn pancake with foie gras. The squab was dusted with Chinese five spice and was very reminiscent of the final course we had at Le Bernardin because of the five spice. I found this to be a better pairing, however, because the skin was crispy and because the gaminess really complimented the sometimes overpowering flavor of the five-spice. The compote, corn pancake and foie didn’t really tie into the dish extremely well, but it was very good on its own, and I can never complain when it comes to a sautéed piece of foie. The three together were wonderful, however. Maybe it was something that I just didn’t get.

For desserts, I stopped taking notes because of all the ice creams on the table, but I had the exotic fruit sampler, my friend had the apple sampler, and we were also given a molten chocolate cake. I liked the green apple sorbet that was on his plate, and the pineapple polenta cake that was on mine... for some reason, chocolate is going further and further out for me. Maybe it just... seems too regular now. I’m probably just being spoiled. I do remember, however, that it also came with a vanilla ice cream that I think was probably Tahitian vanilla as opposed to the usual Bourbon vanilla bean and I thought that it was a better match.

I think each course was a star in its own right... but I also loved the fact that each course seemed to build up or down on each other. There weren’t any major jumps in flavor, and the whole menu seemed to be very well thought out. Even though there was only seven courses my palate took a very nice ride that night. Plating wasn’t always on point and I think more could have been done with the turbot plate, but that’s just being nitpicky. I sometimes complain that none of the dishes stood out on a menu, but I can still remember each dish that was presented to me that night. I remember service being very nice and serviceable... though not over the top. I could pick at it all night, but then I wouldn’t enjoy myself. They did well, I just don’t think they went an extra mile. It worked for me, but I’ve had better. The room was very nice, very simple and modern looking, and it was actually interesting to see the mix of people that was dining here... as both older and the "young hip" ones were able to be seen. The ambience was very nice.

When people ask me what restaurant to go to now when they have money to blow, at this point, I will always say Jean-Georges, I really enjoyed my night there very much. The place was spotless, the service was nice, and the food was absolutely outstanding. I have a different view on the whole “superchef” name now because I see how many projects Chef Vongrichten has his name attached to and probably at least keep an eye on slightly, yet his four-star, flagship restaurant really deserved its acclaim.

Again, I really enjoyed my night there. Bravo.

Out of 10? 9. Read above.

Edited April 22, 2005 by tetsujustin (log)

[porkpa]

Justin,

Did you drink any wine?

Porkpa

[jogoode]

Again, I really enjoyed my night there. Bravo.

Out of 10? 9. Read above.

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Welcome back, Justin.

Man, the menu at Jean Georges hasn't changed in a very long time. Or was this some sort of signature menu?

[cstuart]

Man, the menu at Jean Georges hasn't changed in a very long time. Or was this some sort of signature menu?

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After perusing the menu and switching back and forth between the winter menu and the Jean-Georges Menu a few times, I settled on the Jean-Georges Menu.

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thanks for the review.

[BryanZ]

Reading this made my day.

[tetsujustin]

Before you get into this I would just like to say that my computer had died on me and I’d thought I’d lost everything (pictures, notes, and stuff) up until last week when I was able to save a bunch of things. I do have hand written notes, but with Daniel (and every restaurant that I enjoyed after this) I only took notes on slight things, and also notes that I think would personally benefit me (if you want to call it idea-borrowing, gladly do so. Haha.) Hence, I do remember certain thoughts from the courses, but some of them I just draw a blank on and can only rely on what I jotted down. I received a menu at Daniel, but the tasting menu dishes weren't listed on it... this is the best I can come up of, though I think my ideas of the restaurant were put up more than actual facts. In other words, whereas I'd tried to at least be somewhat objective beforehand... because I didn't write these right after I went to these places, I'm going to be very personal, rather than objective, on any reviews to follow, mostly because I don't remember well enough to put a big fat graded stamp on it. As always, take these all for what they're worth.

Daniel

Stepping into such an elegant dining room such as Daniel’s, it makes me feel, myself, very out of place. Such long stretching walls, such brightly shined chandeliers in such a perfectly dim room. It was marble, velvet, plush, posh, elegant, pretentious… yet.. not… those are all the feelings that I encountered as I strode in my every-week blazer and train-tussled hair to a comfortable chair smack in the middle of the dining room at Daniel. It was quite the difference from the experience I had the previous week at Jean-Georges. Whereas the air at JG made it seem as if there were electricity and buzz, the atmosphere at Daniel made you feel rich and important. A kid no more probably than 11 years old sat in his navy blue blazer two tables away, well behaved, quietly devouring a piece of foie next to his parents.

At Daniel, I hoped to build on my Jean-Georges’ experience, hopefully dividing the two as to what made a NYT four-star rated restaurant. What the likenesses were, and what made them both great in their own way. I wanted the food to be just as good. The flavors just a developed and well thought out, and I wanted the service to be even better. It seemed the place where there would be less personality in the service, though replaced with attention to detail and pampering. I’d also heard from a few chef-instructors and classmates that this was one of the best service-minded restaurants in the city. I knew that Daniel kept more to the classical French side of the cuisine, expanding mostly only with French flavors (whereas JG uses more of an Asian touch) and so I expected less exotic, more rich in the profile of the food.

Previously having already decided on the tasting menu, I only slighty skimmed the menu before the waiter brought us a silver plated, tiered with bites for which we were to start. The gougeres (sp?) were the best I’ve ever had. Seeing this, the waiter “snuck” us a couple more. Very nice touch.

Our first course was sautéed foie gras, quince paste, and mache. We’d requested sautéed foie, and this was no letdown. They gave a very well-sized portions that were cooked to exactly right. To the point where it wasn’t overly oily, but also very soft. The sweet paste was a nice quaint compliment to the gamey quality of the foie. Very good start.

The next course I didn’t write too much about, it was a seared diver scallop with truffle essence and some sort of puree underneathe. All I remember from it was that it was very truffly (in the good sense), though a bit oily.

I don’t remember what this was…

Our next course was a warm smoked lobster with an herb crust, sage royale, bacon-lentil ragout, and sacue “cardinale.” I have it written that the lobster was a little tough to work with, but the smokiness all around worked very nicely with the whole dish. I did remember believe that the sweetness usually found in lobster wasn’t to be found, though the overall flavor was very nice. With the smoky bacon and lentils with the smoked lobster. The roasted garlic on the side bound the whole dish together with sort of a feel of “woodburning, homey, countryside (if lobster can be found on the countryside), rustic” type of dish. However, the plate up made it a very appropriate for the setting.

The last fish dish that I had was the marrow-crusted grouper with grilled porcini salsify and a green Costa Rican peppercorn sauce. This was a very well thought out dish because to me, grouper is a hard fish to get right. By itself it’s very meaty, one of the heavier whitefishes that I can think of, so the balance that came from the bone-marrow crust was very nice. The taste of bone marrow, I can’t really put a finger on… but to me it’s sweet and buttery all at the same time. It’s very distinct. Yet the fish’s innate texture itself was reinforced with the mushrooms and it the dish was very well put together and quite enjoyable.

Our first meat course was one of the most memorable in my New York adventures, it was roasted sweetbreads and Brussels sprouts with truffles and accompanying jus, carved tableside. The may have been the most perfect, and yet most simple preparation of sweetbreads I’ve ever encountered. The skin was crisp, the inside was smooth, and the root vegetables and sprouts all bound together with the fresh truffles and jus was absolutely to die for. It’s not on the regular menu. If I ever have a chance to go back to Daniel, I’m requesting this. It seemed to be just so classically French, and so well executed.

My final savory course was the loin of Niman Ranch Lamb with a pistachio crust, dried fruit pastilla, fennel confit, and grilled eggplant. Maybe this course just had a tough act to follow, but the preparation of this was very normal, and the execution was only so-so. I’ve chronicled before in my lack of enthusiasm for lamb, and that had something to do with it. The flavors were there, but the dish as a whole just didn’t jump out at me.

As for our desserts, two were sent out to us. One each from the fruit and chocolate section (I honestly don’t remember much about them because I was pretty full) and the pastry chef also sent out a chocolate mille-feulle. At this point I’d become a bit bored with chocolate desserts (I like them just fine now though.) I do remember the warm madelines serve though. The were absolutely wonderful.

The food at Daniel was very, very good. However, as I was comparing it to the dishes in my previous week’s adventure at Jean-Georges, not each one of them was a star in their own right. There were big hits, but there was also dishes that I thought were nice, just not something to die for. As for a personal preference, being a young’n, I do personally prefer the more exotic, out of the box flavors to the classical ones. When it comes to food, I do tend to think more progressively, so the food at Daniel didn’t quite inspire me as much as the previous week. It’s hard to rate each restaurant as its own entity, and I believe if I could, then I could fully realize how spectacular Daniel is. However, I must say the captains were very well trained, and to my surprise, very personable though professional. There were a couple hiccups with the backwaiters, as our water glasses were left empty for a little while, and they kept on bringing us new napkins for some reason which sort’ve sat on the edge of the table for the duration of the meal. I do believe I got the gist of the restaurant though. We were very lucky to meet Chef Boulud, as he was in the house for the night, as well as take a little peek into the kitchen. Also, Howard Stern and his girlfriend made a big entrance into the restaurant which got a kick out of. Thinking about it, I believe myself to be too young and brash for this restaurant. I lack refinement (and probably wealth) to really enjoy this restaurant, but as far as food, service, and atmosphere go it’s one of the top ten places I’ve been to so far. The food is well executed, though I would say the flavors are a bit safe. Superb service, though not outstanding. I want to go back sometime when I’m older… or if they’ll let me, go back and order the sweetbreads again.

Out of 10? A very personal 7. Take it for what it’s worth.

Edited July 4, 2005 by tetsujustin (log)

[nyokie6]

Sorry to hear about your computer. Glad to read another of your reviews.

[SobaAddict70]

Very nice.

You might be interested in reading our thread on Daniel as a measure of comparison.

Soba

[Jake]

Justin, thank you for taking the time to post another review....I do enjoy reading them and completely understand that you review them from a personal perspective only.

A couple questions if you've a mind for them :

Would you consider returning in perhaps 5 years and comparing reviews (for your own interest) based on your comments of being young and brash?

What is your goal as a chef? Assuming the usual factors did not apply, what type of menu would you personally like to offer/create?

[leviathan]

Interesting thread. But, its funny about your critisims about repeating flavors and ingredients and wanting to be Iron Chef, since don't you have to do that on that show.

Craft

As we were trying to figure out how to split up the ordering, we were first presented with bread and an amuse of a scallion flan. The wheat-grain bread was very noticeably burnt, though at first I just figured it was an extra-dark crust and bit into it, but alas it tasted burnt. I sorta wondered how something like this snuck under the kitchen’s nose. However, the amuse was really, very good. It seemed to be well though out, which I’ve noticed had been lacking in many restaurants. It was creamy in texture, yet had the distinct taste of scallions... and also a hint of cheesiness, but from where, I had no idea. A great start to a meal in which I was highly anticipating.

Its difficult to judge a dish, without tasting it, but I can see why you weren't fond of the whole thing. Were the crusts supposed to go along with the scallion flan? They're so small, that it would have been difficult to pick them up to eat, right?