Payard Patisserie & Bistro

[cabrales]

I had dinner at Payard Patisserie & Bistro recently. The food was poor, and the desserts offered by the bistro were not sufficiently appealing-sounding for me to order that course. This visit was my second, with my initial visit a number of months ago having been disappointing. I doubt I will need to visit again.  :confused:

Warm Crispy Pig's Feet, Haricots Verts and Frisee Salad with Shallots ($11.00)

Traditional Bouillabaisse of Chilean Sea Bass, Mussels, Clam and Squid (25.00)

           1/2 Mersault, Moill____ (or similar name) late 90s (35.00)

The pig's feet were prepared somewhat unusually. The gelatinous portions of the feet had been separated from the bones (not included), and formed into a somehwat flat circular-shaped disc (like the shape of a medium-sized scallop). The disc had then been deep-fried. Three discs surrounded a large salad of decent haricots verts and frisee. There was appropriate acidity to the salad. The pig's feet discs were so-so, although they were aided by the shallots (mixed with a bit of vinegar and utilized almost as a sauce).  

It was the bouillabaisse that convinced me that Payard's executive chef, Philippe Bertineau (formerly of Daniel), needs to improve his cuisine. The liquid base was fine -- an orangish color that had graininess (not in a bad way) and reminded me of a cross between fish stock and shellfish stock. However, the pieces of fish included inside this moderately thick base did not taste particularly fresh (not that they were stale) and had been overcooked by some margin. The taste of Chilean Sea Bass could not be discerned, and my assessment of the imposter-like (in taste; not an allegation the fish was not utilized) pieces in the bouillabaisse was rendered more harsh by my recollection of the bordering-on-very good Chilean Sea Bass taken at Cello recently. In addition, there were pieces of a bland white fish and mediocre salmon in the bouillabaisse, as well as small mussels that tasted fishy (in a bad way) and a single passable clam. The squid were in tiny rings, and had no meaningful taste. The aioli was not noteworthy.  I left over 1/2 of the dish uneaten.  The dish lacked many of the ingredients deemed a component of "traditional" bouillabaisse, as its name touted, including rascasse (scorpion-fish) in the case of the traditional Marseilles example.

I was not tempted by the desserts (which included a warm banana tart with white chocolate mousse, upside down bittersweet dark chocolate souffle pistachio ice cream, kafir lime leaves and blueberry creme brulee, and macarons). It was a reflection of the poor quality of the savory dishes that I had no desire to sample dessert at the bistro of a reknown (at least in New York) patissier.  However, a review of the names of the desserts made clear that Payard's creations are not "pushing the envelope" in the way that Herme's are.

Overall, a poor meal.   The prices, while not expensive, could buy better food elsewhere (including at db bistro moderne, where there is also a less formal atmosphere).

Background

The bistro is lodged on two floors behind a large entryway that houses the patisserie/chocolate shop. There are little round tables in the middle of such shop for clients to sample patisseries or drink coffee.  The patisseries in the glass cases looked decent, but their descriptions also seemed less compelling than Herme's offerings. (I appreciate that Herme is a very high standard.)  The chocolates were named after artists (in the conventional sense of the term, to be clear) and were as follows:

Picasso: Early Grey Ganache

Gaughin: Kirsch and Grand Marnier

Matisse: Peanut Praline Orange

Fragonard: Chocolate Orange Peel

Bonnard: Caramel Ganache

Rocher Noir

Chagall: Praline Wafer

Van Gogh: Almond Paste Pistachio

Renoir: Cinnamon Ganache

Rodin: Rasberry Ganache

Degas: Coffee Ganache

Mediant Blanc, Mediant Noir

Muscadine

Chocolate Truffles

More of the described chocolates were based on milk chocolate than is customary for a top chocolatier in France.  I bought the Picasso and another dark chocolate-based variety to include in Sunday's chocolate degustation. That degustation now will include (1) Payard, (2) Pierre Herme -- Wegman's, (3) Martine's, and (4) La Maison du Chocolate, and will focus largely on dark chocolate.

I also sampled the blueberry macaron (a pale lavendar/blue color that was beautiful, but with an artificial-tasting jam in between the halves instead of a creamier mixture) and the coffee macaron (not poor, but no Herme!).  The macarons were approximately $1-1.50 each. Other flavors included chocolate, pistachio and coconut. The Payard macarons were a bit better than the macarons at Fauchon -- NY, but were not appealing in taste.

Decor and Service

Except for the maitre d's assitance, the service was mediocre. When I called for a reservation, the friendly reception spoke French and French was also spoken by the maitre d' upon my arrival. It appeared promising. However, while certain waiters were fluent in French, others only pretended to be fluent. For example, one pretended to understand what water I was ordering, but did not know that my question regarding the availability of Badoit (which is almost never offered in NYC restaurants) referred to a brand of water. He said "gazeuse?" (sparkling?), and I thought he was asking about the version of Badoit I had ordered, and said yes. Imagine my amusement when the individual brought Pellegrino.

When I asked a different waiter if the bouillabaisse had scorpion fish, it was clear he did not understand the context of my question. He said, "no -- it's bouillabaisse"!  (By this time, I had switched to speaking English).

The decor is average, for a bistro-like restaurant. The wine list was below-average for a non-bistro restaurant.

[cabrales]

Below are the appetizers and entrees not ordered:

Chilled green asparagus soup with croutons and a thyme cream ($7)

Warm green lentil and skate salad, frisee, watercress and ginger-scallion dressing (12)

Potato "tourte" layered with goat's milk brie and toasted walnuts (12)

Seafood salad with Maine crab meat, baby shrimp, squid, pink grapefruit and green asparagus (13)

Green asparagus ravioli with English peas, pea shoots, fava beans and hon shimeji mushrooms (13) (I wonder if these are equivalent to shimeji mushrooms)

Twice baked upside down cheese souffle, light parmesan cream sauce, white truffle oil (12)

Specialty of the House

Terrine of homemade foie gras with pickled pearl onions and toasted country bred (17)

Sauteed Daurade (this is sea bream), rice crust (26)

Sauteed Arctic char, fricassee of radishes, baby turnips, heart of romaine, pearl onions and a sorrel sauce (26)

Peppered NY sirloin steak with homemade french fries (29)

Roasted whole squab with various ingredients (28)

Roasted stuffed farm-raised chicken with garlic-mashed potatoes and a wild mushroom jus (24; my dining companion ordered this; its appearance was not appetizing, and the taste of the chicken was unduly dry and overcooked)

Roasted rack of lamb, garlic-herb crust, fvricasse of morels (33)

There was a six-course tasting menu for $65 (?; please verify before reliance), and possibley a pre-theater menu. There was also a section on special seasonal ingredients, including Hawaiian white tuna that the maitre d' recommended. He described the tuna has having been flown in overnight from those islands. I rarely order tuna as a main. My observation is that tuna is not frequently seem on French menus at top restaurants in France as a main.

Note that Payard's leaflet describes a Madeleine Flowerpot Centerpiece ("a beautiful, as well as delicious, contribution to any special event, such as weddings, baby or bridal showers and birthday parties").  If the flowers are made from madeleine-like materials, this item might be a possible gift for a foodie significant other or spouse. Call 212-717-5252 ext 193 for details (please verify before reliance; cost unspecified).  Somehow, a meal at a restaurant seems much better than a Madeleine flowerpot.  

Finally, for parties at home, Payard offers nice looking canapes. They are small squares of equal size, and can be set beside one another in a patchwork, geometric pattern. The cost is unknown.

[Bux]

Sorry to hear that. We had a few very good meals when the restaurant first opened, but have not been back in a long time. I thought the chef made some of the best foie gras terrine in NY. I think Philippe Bertineau is capable of better than you describe, so I wonder what happened.

Does anyone make a good bouillabaise in NY? Can you get racasse in NY? It often seems the more upscale the restaurant is the less the bouillabaise tastes like bouillabaise. I wonder why they just don't call it fish stew, although in your case, it appear the problem was that it didn't resemble good fish stew any more than bouillabaise.

I've loved Payard's desserts when he was at Daniel, but I've found a lot of the pastries at Payard Patisserie to be too "moussey" for my taste. I've liked the chocolates and the macarons, but haven't had them recently either.

[cabrales]

Bux -- Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic and/or my tastes are quirky (which I have noted several times on the board).  The chocolates remain to be sampled Sunday by a group of members. We will try to let the couverture chocolates melt in our mouths, as Claudia Fleming and her chocolate tasting group were described as doing in the past year with respect to Martine's, Pierre Herme Wegman's, La Maison du Chocolat and Godiva's. I thought Payard a more interesting inclusion than Godiva's. I am going to bring a bottle of Evian (flat probably better in this context) for my use before/during/after the chocolate samplings.

The macarons at Payard were better than those at Fauchon-NY. (Note the cashier at Fauchon-NY indicated that macarons and certain other items had been shipped from Paris in assembled form -- ?) Note I did not sample any of Payard's menu desserts or patisseries.  They could be good, even though they do not sound as interesting as Herme's (but whose items would, speaking of patissiers that are not also chefs of savory items?).  

[SobaAddict70]

From what I've read elsewhere, racasse is a local trash fish in France and does not export well, which is probably one reason you can't find it here in the United States.  I could be wrong however.

[Jinmyo]

Excellent review, cabrales.

Regarding tuna in top French establishments. I am under the impression that the Japanese influence of preferring tuna raw that has given rise to the ubiqitous seared/rare tuna is just not something the French really understand or have a taste for. So they just tend to steer away from tuna.

[cabrales]

SobaAddict70 -- That's my impression as well (but not with respect to the reference to "trash", necessarily). The point of my question is that a dish should not be called a "traditional" bouillabaisse when bouillabaisse (at least in Marseilles) traditionally includes specified ingredients, including scorpionfish. And when I ask a dining room team member questions that probe relatively well-known facts like that, he should respond with knowledge (or at least not be dismissive of the question).  

[cabrales]

As members may know, the appropriate ingredients for a traditional bouillabaisse are discussed in Waverley Root's "The Food of France".  The necessity of rascasse is also discussed in Craig Claiborne's Food Encyclopedia (1985): "Mr. Root rather strictly outlines the definition of a genuine bouillabaisse . . . he declares that there is one fish imperative to a proper bouillabaisse and that is rascasse or devil fish [aka scorpion fish], and the remainder of the catch may be somewhat free-wheeling but bearing such names of conger (conger eel) and grondin (sea tobin) . . . . A true bouillabaisse, he concludes, must be made exclusively with fish from the Mediterranean. I do not dispute Mr. Root and his conclusions, but I feel strongly that by using local fish from the Atlantic and Pacific shores of the United States you can produce a 'soupe de poissons' that would be a peer of the finest bouillabaisse."  

[Mao]

I did a 4 person dinner there about 6 weeks ago, and my impressions of the place basically agree with yours.   We did order the Foie Gras and it was by far the best thing we ate, besides the desserts.  Its actually too bad you didn't order the desserts, because I thought they were the one part of the meal that were actually a level above the mechanical mediocrity that the kicthen seemed to be producing.  Innovative, they were not.  But unlike the 1st two courses, where on 1st bite you could easily dissect the flaws (my sense was that the usual cuplrit was slighty subpar ingredients executed in a style of food preparation that did nothing to disguise this) , they were well balanced and structured concoctions that seemed to be the product of much more care and thought.  I mentioned that the desserts were the best part of our meal to our waiter, and he simled and said, "Everyone always says that."  Like you, I feel no need to return.

[Steve Plotnicki]

It's far better for lunch than dinner. After all, remember it is really a patisserie. It is fairly quiet at lunch, the room usually getting 80% full. I think that takes the burden off of the kitchen a bit. I've had the BB for lunch and it is fine, given that my lunchtime expectations are lower than my evening expectations. And if I wanted to eat a serious lunch, I would go elsewhere. In the evening the place is more about being a social scene than a place of fine dining. And I limit my evening visits to a seat in the cafe for a coffee and pastry.

[John Talbott]

There's been inactivity on this topic for quite some time and so I thought I'd revive it. Four of us had to be nearby yesterday and so ate lunch at Payard's at a member's suggestion and found it pretty good. While our New York friends unadventuresomely had Cobbs' salads (which they deemed good), Colette had the appetizer portion of scallops and I the skate with a boullion with shitakes and gnocchi. I thought it was all very nice albeit not earthshaking (as our meal at the Fatty Crab #2 was) but as members above noted, it is also a patisserie and folks found the desserts quite good. With much wine and coffee our bill was $172.81 before tip. Not a destination, but if I have to be there again, I'll certainly think about it.