Country and the Café at Country

[oakapple]

Town's Country cousin disappoints, according to Pascale Le Draoulec in the New York Daily News, awarding 1½ stars to the Café at Country:

The Cafe at Country, Geoffrey Zakarian's followup to Town in the Chambers Hotel, is a lot more country club than country.

.....

A puckered leather couch in one corner seems the perfect nook for curling up with a novel. Make that a mystery — the food here left me baffled.

....

You can enter the Cafe through the sumptuous hotel lobby or its own separate entrance. But there's only one way to the bathroom: a circuitous trip past the bar, the concierge's desk, an ATM machine and an office center for hotel guests.

It was during one of these long treks to the loo that I believe I solved the mystery: If you're going to eat in a hotel, you just might be served hotel food.

I have a reservation tonight. I hope I'll be happier than Le Draoulec was.

Edited January 20, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[sammy]

Sounds like the author of "The Seasoning of a Chef" is due for some re-seasoning

[oakapple]

My friend and I had dinner last night at the Café at Country. The more elegant restaurant upstairs hasn't opened yet. We could see that the tables are all in place and tablecloths laid, so I'm not sure what Zakarian and Psaltis are waiting for.

The idea of an informal café to complement a formal sister restaurant is nothing new. Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Jean Georges, and Aquavit, are among the many that have done it. But this café is surprisingly ill-conceived, and it strikes me as a waste of time. The décor is unattractive, the tables and seating are uncomfortable, and the noise level induces a splitting headache.

We were seated at a small circular table that looked cheap, and seemed to belong in an ice cream parlor. It was just barely large enough to accommodate our food. The banquette was too low. The restaurant also has a number of two-top rectangular tables that appear to have come from a different designer. I don't know what the circular tables are doing there, as they clash with the rest of the décor.

Dinner began with cylindrical bread rolls that were so hard they could have been used to pound nails. There was olive oil at the table. It came in what looked like a cologne bottle, but the label on the outside said, "I Love Olive Oil." I poured a little of it onto my plate, and my jaw had a good workout chewing through the bread.

I started with a beet salad, while my friend had the foie gras pâté. The pâté was probably the highlight of the meal. It was an excellent, but very large serving, and even after my friend and I shared it, we sent almost half of it back unfinished.

We both had the braised lamb shank, which came with a side order of basmati rice — another ample portion. This was the dish that the Daily News had liked best. The lamb shank was excellent for what it was — tender, and not overly dry — but we both felt that it was more akin to comfort food than fine dining. Anyone competent isn't going to mess up a lamb shank, and Psaltis is at least competent.

Service was solid, but in some ways over-the-top in comparison to the humble surroundings. Our server kept referring to my friend as "Madame," and his obsequiousness was almost irritating. There is a very large wine list, which almost certainly will be shared with the main restaurant when it opens. We had an enjoyable Loire Valley red for about $47.

With most appetizers under $15 and most entrées under $25, the Café at Country clearly aims to attract diners who want a thoughtfully-composed menu that doesn't break the bank. But what you get is basically a baby step above comfort food, and it isn't good enough to justify putting up with the ugly, uncomfortable, and ear-splitting surroundings.

Edited January 21, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[eatrustic]

I understand that the upstairs restaurant opened last week, any word yet?

[Fat Al]

I understand that the upstairs restaurant opened last week, any word yet?

←

I went last night. Loved it. I don't have time to give a full description at the moment, but I'll try to get to it later.

Al

[skye]

I understand that the upstairs restaurant opened last week, any word yet?

←

I went last night. Loved it. I don't have time to give a full description at the moment, but I'll try to get to it later.

Al

←

still no word?

[Fat Guy]

Three-star review in the New York Times today:

http://events.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/dinin...ews/05rest.html

A lot of emphasis in the review on the name of the restaurant, and on the cafe food. The comments on the fine dining part seem almost like an afterthought.

[rich]

Three-star review in the New York Times today:

http://events.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/dinin...ews/05rest.html

A lot of emphasis in the review on the name of the restaurant, and on the cafe food. The comments on the fine dining part seem almost like an afterthought.

←

And on the decor - again. I guess when you're not confident talking about the food, you need to fill up the column in other ways.

No mention of dining campanions this week - probably no one wants to eat with him anymore, they're afraid of being misquoted or misguided (your choice).

Edited April 5, 2006 by rich (log)

[Todd36]

Had lunch in the cafe part last week. It was pretty good, but not three stars good, and it's fairly expensive, even in the cafe. I think the lunch prix fix is around $30. If the main dining room is proportionatly better than the cafe, I can see it as a three star.

[oakapple]

My girlfriend and I were not at all impressed with the Café at Country. It was loud, uncomfortable, and pretentious. But we expected the dining room to be an entirely different experience, and we were willing to entirely forget our unpleasant experience in the Café downstairs.

I should add that, despite Frank Bruni's imprecise co-mingling of the two, the Dining Room and the Café should be thought of as entirely separate restaurants under one roof. Bruni's three-star rating applies to the Dining Room, various asides about the Café notwithstanding.

Your choices in the Dining Room include an $85 four-course prix fixe, a five-course tasting menu at $110, and a seven-course tasting menu at $145. We were in a celebratory mood, and chose the seven-course tasting. Our server then asked us which dishes from the à la carte menu we wanted included — a flexibility I don't recall at any other restaurant that offered a tasting menu. We named four particular items that interested us. Our server advised that he would confer with the kitchen, and in fact all of our choices were included in the meal.

I didn't take detailed notes, and the online menu is outdated, so I can describe our experience only in general terms. There was a trio of amuses to start, of which the most memorable was a gougère filled with spinach. Another amuse was a delectable miniature poultry leg (I'm not sure of which bird). Perhaps I am forgetting a third amuse course. Along the way, we received a melt-in-your-mouth parker house roll with soft butter.

Our seven course meal consisted of the following:

1. Foie gras terrine

2. Grilled white asparagus

3. Shrimp ravioli

4. Crisp Berkshire pork

5. Bison filet

6. Cheese course

(Palate cleanser.)

7. Hot apple crisp

(Followed by petits fours.)

This was the best meal I have had in the last twelve months. While both Per Se and Alain Ducasse offered individual courses that were superior to anything at Country, each of them had at least one course that I rated—in relation to the price range—a disappointment. But there were no disappointments at Country, nor anything even remotely close to it. Just one outstanding preparation after another. We kept thinking, "It can't last; there must be a dud." But there wasn't.

Service was highly attentive and nearly impeccable. We were also impressed with the timing of the courses, which came neither too quickly nor too slowly. I would have liked a bit more time to relax after our cocktails, but as the overall meal was spaced over nearly three hours, I could hardly call it a rush job.

The wine staff upsells a bit too aggressively. When we asked the sommelier for a bottle of red under $100, her recommendation (a wonderful burgundy) came in at $110. We could, of course, have refused, but I suspect she realized that we weren't going to quibble over $10. And when our foie gras arrived, we were asked if we'd like a glass of sauterne to go with it. (Even downstairs, the waitstaff on our previous visit had done the same.) With our still-unfinished cocktails and the just-opened burgundy already on the table, this would have been more alcohol than the table would bear, and we declined.

The Dining Room was formerly the hotel ballroom. It retains the original beaux arts tile floor and a gorgeous tiffany skylight, and is open to the lobby. The period details are wonderful, but as the hard tile floor reflects sound, the restaurant is just a touch noiser than I would like. Somewhat in compensation, the tables are generously spaced.

It would take many more visits to determine whether Country is a four-star restaurant. But as I rate this one meal at least as highly as those I enjoyed at Alain Ducasse and Per Se, for now Country is four stars in my book.

[gaf]

Breather New York City Entry #101 Country

The servers at Country, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's new hotel restaurant, think of themselves as representatives of a glorious, dramatic, luxe restaurant. And they are right. Someone should inform the kitchen. All too often, such as A Voce, the creativity of the cooks leaves the servers in the dust, but at Country it is the food that requires panache. The service at this newly opened restaurant at the Carlton Hotel near Madison Park is as slick, convivial, and confident as that at any four star restaurant. The kitchen's handiwork, while never failing, lacks the flair of genius.

The space, like the service, claims attention. Country has high ceilings, commodious seating, and some astonishing glass art. True, the name conveys little, other than it is not Zakarian's Town, but whatever one might expect from a rustic appellation, Country is urbane, serving genteel food. However, no single dish persuaded my companions and me that a return is essential.

The problem was not Executive Chef Doug Psaltis's gaffes, but a deficit of delight, an absence of astonishment. Psaltis is a B+ chef. Psaltis is a pro at synthesizing high-middle cuisine, creating a restaurant free of complaint. Indeed, the high point of the evening was Country's "Carlton House Rolls," a soft, comforting, and polished bread modeled on the Parker House brand.

We began with a trio of canapés. The best was a lovely caviar-mint-cream mille feuille. How could a bite could carry so much flavor. The other two were pleasant enough: chewy Japanese mushrooms swathed in bacon and a tiny, creamy spinach gougere.

As amuse, Chef Psaltis sent a beignet of frog's leg over garlic puree. The leg was moist and flavorful, but not a preparation that startled. The dish was structured so that the evocative garlic did not appear until the frog was consumed. Most striking was the silver on which the amuse appeared - a stunning lilypad with a cute and shining toad. When the plate overshadows what is on top, chefs should reconsider.

As first course of the spring prix fixe, I selected the Cepe Tart with Parmesan, Arugula, and Tomato Confit. Great tarts merge ingredients into a singular experience. In eating these preparation, the deconstruction was obvious, if unintended. While satisfying, there was not a woodsy oneness. The topping fell apart on the folk, emphasizing that the whole was less than the sum of some noble parts.

Ouefs au Plat was the chef's tribute to Ham ‘n' Eggs, and it was a sturdy tribute with Berkshire Pork Confit, a Soft Boiled Egg, and Morels. Once again, the ingredients were superior, but they didn't combine into a transcendent experience. The plate was one thing after another. This was not a dish to return to the kitchen, but neither did it require an encore.

As a main course, I selected a somewhat pedestrian Grilled Spring Chicken with Pinenuts, Bitter Greens, and Panisses (squares of starch of garbanzo bean flour). I wish that the chef had been more generous with both the bitter greens and the pinenuts, forcing us to consider the drama of taste. I particularly missed a play of bitter with the mild meaty sweetness of a good young bird. But this complexity was lacking in a dish that was comforting, but not challenging. It was a dish that few could dislike, but few would fall for. It was an entree for those who like their chicken without theory.

As palate cleanser the kitchen sent a champagne gelee with strawberry sorbet and raspberry sections. The sorbet was tart, but neither the gelee or the berry was an inspired texture. I would have preferred a naked scoop of strawberry.

Almond Pithivier ended the evening. I love repeating "pithivier" (or did until I learned the weight of cholesterol involved). A pithivier is a puff pastry tart, often served with frangipane, and is a remarkably dense and rich construction. At Country, one selects accompaniments. I chose a somewhat ordinary vanilla ice cream and quite potent whiskey and cream sauce. Here was an dessert without reproach, but without inspiration.

Country is a restaurant where the front and back of the house do not quite match. In a more modest space, Country would satisfy. The dishes have appeal, the ingredients please, and the flavors are pure, if mild. Doug Psaltis's food would pass muster at all but the most ambitious houses. Too bad no one told the savvy servers that they could take a breather.

Country

90 Madison Avenue (at 29th Street in the Carlton Hotel)

Manhattan (Gramercy Park)

212-889-7100

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[Sneakeater]

Finally ate at the upstairs dining room at Country.

I incline more to the Oakapple view than the gaf view. It's true that probably none of the dishes in my five-course menu was transcendent. But not only weren't there any misses, there weren't any near misses. I thought the general level of the food was very very high.

It's true that this is very non-startling cooking. In that, it's like Town -- although the dishes at Country were busier and richer than the more streamlined cooking at Town. But it was the same basic idea of very high-level preparations that stay well within the fronteirs of traditional cookery, but nevertheless aren't exactly like anything you've had before.

We were pretty much offered the five-course menu as if it were the only option. The waiter made clear, however, that if there were anything on the menu that either I or my guest didn't want, the kitchen would accomodate us with something else.

The detailed description of the food is going to suffer a little, because quite frankly I was concentrating more on my dining companion than on my food. It's the mixed blessing and curse of summer in New York: you can get a reservation at Country with no problem, but your date's summer dress keeps your eyes off your plate.

I think, as gaf did, that the standout of the trio of canapes was the caviar-mint-cream mille fuille. Without remembering his review, I asked the same question, as I ate it, as he did: how can such a small bite carry so much flavor? And it's true that the rest of the meal did not live up to the promise of that canape. But that just means that Country is an excellent restaurant rather than a stellar one.

The frog's leg-and-garlic amuse works, I found, if you swish the frog's leg around in the garlic cream before you eat it. Beyond my having worse table manners than gaf, probably my greater enthusiasm for that dish than his is attributable to my baser tastes: fried? garlic? what's not to like?

For our first course, my date and I both opted for the fresh anchovies instead of the heirloom tomato salad (happily for both of us, tomatoes reappeared later in the meal, because the bites of tomato I had at Country last night were the best food I've had this summer). The anchovies were served with Seranno ham, making a sort of culinary pun, as the ham supplied the saltiness the uncured anchovies of course lack.

For the next course, there was no choice: chanterelles with nectarines (and the foam that inevitably had to appear somewhere in the course of the meal). Now it's not like I am now going to wish for nectarines every time I have chanterelles, but this was a fine dish.

No choice for the next course either: very rare tuna with those perfect tomatoes. Talk about bites carrying unbelievable amounts of flavor. There's nothing like a perfectly ripe tomato at the height of the season. Oh, the tuna was good, too.

For the final dinner course, I opted for the lamb-three-ways, while my date opted for the bison au poive. The lamb was shoulder, loin, and sausage. Very good. The bison was tenderer than I usually find it, but unfortunately no more flavorful. So it was good that, along with the pepper sauce, it came with a horseradish/bison jus cream. Also very good.

It's here that the wine pairings (and perhaps thoughts of post-prandial activities) began to kick in. I could not tell you what we had for dessert.

As for the wine pairings: they were all fairly obvious, but also all perfectly appropriate. I think they were something like $100 per person. But the wine kept flowing (did it ever).

What I haven't talked about yet is the room, which while not to my taste (too fussily traditional) is objectively beautiful. And the way the tables are widely spaced, giving you a level of comfort you get at only the highest-level New York restaurants. And the service, which is exactly as good as everyone has commented.

Oh, and the Parker House rolls: the part of our dinner I am probably most craving today.

Country doesn't work as an "everyday" expensive restaurant. Too elaborate for that. But it's very good for an "event" restaurant. Especially if you want a place where the food will be of a very high quality, but won't shock or obtrude. I enjoyed Country very much.

Edited July 23, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

The wine geeks will want to know about the pairings.

I was too caught up in the date to pay careful attention to the labels, but in broad brush:

With the anchovies: A Gruner Veltliner from the Kamptal. Probably my favorite wine of the night, actually. A textbook example of what's good about Gruner Veltiner: the fruit, the minerality, the crispness. I could go on.

With the chanterelles: a white grenache from the Languedoc. Probably my least favorite wine of the night. Seemed flabby after the Gruner Veltliner.

With the tuna: a Burgundy. Big surprise. Ummmm, it was great.

With the lamb: something from the Rhone.

With the bison: a Barbera.

Edited July 23, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[rich]

It's the mixed blessing and curse of summer in New York:  you can get a reservation at Country with no problem, but your date's summer dress keeps your eyes off your plate.

←

I have the same problem when I wear my summer dress.

[jon777]

Had a wonderful meal Saturday night at Country (upstairs in the dining rooom). I echo many of the comments of sneakeater and Oakapple in that while not overly inventive or avant-guarde, this was a very elegant, upscale meal, with wonderful, fresh ingredients that were extremely well prepared.

If you are looking for a restauarnt to challenge and expand your horizons, Country is not going to meet your expectations. If you are looking for very good food, well prepared with excellent service in an upscale setting, you are in for a treat.

Food: Everything we had, was excellent. Very fresh, well prepared, interesting seasonings, nicely presented. As above, the Amuses were similar -- a trio of bites to start, a Mille Feuille with Caviar that was outstanding, a Cheese Gougere that was creamy, crisp and nearly perfect, and a Bacon wrapped mushroom with Fleur du Sel, that was a little too chewy, but nicely flavored. This was followed by the Frog's Leg coated in Begnet dough and fried with a garlic cream sauce. Wow! I never expected a frog's leg to melt in your mouth, and a beautiful presentation in the Silver Lillypad (complete with frog). Great start.

Parker House rolls -- damn, those are good!

There were two different tasting menu's ($85 and $110) - each with 3 courses + dessert. In addition there was a special chef's tasting menu, with the most interesting item being a Peking duck presented tableside. We ordered from the 2 regular menus. My wife had the Heirloom tomato salad, seared scallop in fig leaf and Striped Bass wrapped in Bacon. The tomatos were unbelievable (this was clearly the right time to order this!) bursting with garden fresh taste. The scallop w/Fig was perfectly seared (allthough might have expected more than 1 scallop at an $85 price point) and she felt her striped bass was a little overwhelmed by the smokiness of the bacon.

I had the poached shrimp with remoulade, which came surrounded by peeled, roasted yellow, purple and red tomatos which had absolutely huge flavor. The shrimp, were briny and cooked perfectly, although only 3 very small shrimp in the dish. The remoulade was drizzled over the plate, and didn't add much to the dish. The tomatos actually stole the show in this dish -- should have been called roasted tomato medly with shrimp! Second course was Salmon with Dill and Potatoes. Nothing inventive here, just perfectly cooked (medium rare) Wild Salmon -- nice surpise was a healthy portion of Salmon Roe in the sauce that burst with flavor. Finally, the pepper cruston Bison fillet, was cooked perfectly rare (as requested), and actually milder than expected. Wonderfully tender with a rich cognac and whipped cream sauce served on the side.

Dinner was followed by the offering of a cheese course in which we sampled a wonderful Triple Cream cheese. I'm guessing this is included in the price of the meal, as there was never a mention of a charge (although there wasn't a mention of it being included on the menu either). Regardless, there wasn't a charge for this on the bill.

I forget what the dessert amuse was, but it was a nice pallette cleanser (something chocolate, with little sorbet if memory serves)

For dessert my wife had the Pithivier with Whiskey Sauce and Vanilla ice cream and I had a Chilled Chocolate with Lemon and Honey. The Pithivier was the clear winner here (the Chocolate was good, but nothing to write home about).

After dinner was followed by some candy, brittle and nuts brought to the table, and a nice surprise (a la Grammercy Tavern), a wrapped breakfast muffin on the way out.

It's a beautiful space, we were seated in one of the alcoves, which is very intimate (there was only one other table in the alcove and keeps the noise level low).

Cocktails were excllent and the wine list is extensive at all price points about 8 each whites and reds available by the glass.

Service was extremely attentive -- very formal, but still friendly and the pacing was good. It seemed a little fast at times, but we were there over three hours, so couldn't have been that fast!

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed Country and would recommend it highly -- as long as you go in with the proper expectations! Solid, fresh food, great service, beautiful setting. If you want innovative cuisine that will challenge your pallette, go someplace else.

At first blush, I thought it was going to be feel overpriced, but with everything factored in (4 amuses, parker house rolls, dessert amuse, cheese course, post dessert, muffin), I thought it was very fair for the service, quantity and quality of the meal. We left full, sated and happy...

[BryanZ]

Against the advice of many a wise eG poster I headed to Country instead of The Modern for my sister's birthday. Those of you who have read any of posts on eG know that my tastes skew toward the new and much of the food I have been cooking and serving of late falls into that genre. Therefore, when choosing between the two restaurants I decided I wanted to try somethign "unusual" for me, a classically elegant dining experience.

In the experience category Country does quite well. The room is elegant and lively. The service young but polished. From that perspective Country infuses a bit of energy into what is ultimately a classical upscale hotel restaurant.

Before I proceed, let me make two notes regarding the hotel front. First, the good. If you're driving as I did, try to make private arrangements with the valet captain out in front of the hotel's entrace. A simple enquiry about the nearest parking lot for dinner led to our car being parked right on the curb in front of the hotel for the duration of the dinner for less than what it would have cost to park it in a nearby garage.

If you enter from the hotel side there is no clear signage or greeter to direct diners to the upstairs dining room. The bar was crowded and only upon chasing down a passing server were directed upstairs to the main dining room's host stand (the stairs are somewhat obstructed from view from the hotel/bar entrance). Other parties experienced similar confusion; this was not the most elegant way to start an evening.

The food here was solidly good, but rarely very good. Again, my tastes skew toward the modern but some of the combinations, especially in the more seasonal dishes, were almost laughable. They tasted fine, but a dish of pumpkin ravioli was swathed with an ample amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and what seemed like a maple syrup-based sauce. A matsutake mushroom risotto featured said mushrooms for their season-appropriate piney aroma alone. These appeared to be younger specimens that lacked the depth of flavor (in addition to the piney aroma) that I've encountered in matsutake dishes consumed in Japan. Finally a fricasse of pork included various portions of the animal served with chesnuts and another rich and sweet sauce. In many ways it was an autumnal overkill.

Dishes that I most enjoyed were very good but not unlike those of at a host of other "nice" New York restaurants. A scallop dish with capers and cauliflower was one of the standouts of the evening but not as good as the Jean-Georges version it was clearly inspired from. A foie gras terrine with grapes, pomegranate, and pear was tasty if a sliced a little thinly and not awe-inspiring. A soup with kumamoto oysters and a fritter of American caviar was perhaps the highpoint and most creative dish of the evening. A whole poached quail was an interesting method of preparation, but I think I prefer the more prevalent grilled or oven-roasted-until-crisp varieties.

In what was a somewhat amusingly tense moment for my party, I had mentioned that we were celebrating my sister's birthday, and at the sweet juncture in the meal we were unexpectedly presented with a large cake with a thoughtful chocolate "Happy Birthday" plaque. While this was a thoughtful gesture, we also thought it might be an expensive one, as a cake like that could easily have gone for $40+ in a restaurant in that category. In the end, the large and surprisingly tasty slices of cake we received were gratis. Next time, I'll ask for a happy birthday cheese course.

All in all, Country provides an enjoyable dining experience that rises above the quality of the food itself. This is good restaurant food with an excessively seasonal bent but a lack of creativity. A safe choice, an elegant choice but not a particularly impactful one.

ETA: Here's an analogy. Country is what Eleven Madison Park could have become had it upped the elegance quotient but maintained its cuisine in its recent makeover. Instead, EMP went toward the refined and modern thanks to Chef Humm and is a more successful and enchanting restaurant because of this.

Edited October 8, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[rich]

My wife and I were sponsored Monday evening. It never got more than half full and I don't recall seeing anyone at the bar.

I thought the food was fine, but nothing special. The service was good and the place was user friendly. There was nothing wrong at all, just nothing special with one glaring exception.

The flasks of Olive Oil on each table are spectacular. Designed by Norma Kamali, these 100ml containers are the most attractive "oil bottles" I have ever seen - and not being an ambience guy, that's saying a lot.

In any event I have ordered three types from Norma Kamali and can't wait to use these during my dinner parties.

As for the entire experience, I would compare it to the main dining room at The Modern - meaning good but probably not worth a return visit.

Edited April 18, 2007 by rich (log)

[slkinsey]

Rich, where/how did you order the bottles? I googled "Norma Kalani" to see if I could find a picture of the bottles, and came up with a big goose egg.

[oakapple]

As for the entire experience, I would compare it to the main dining room at The Modern - meaning good but probably not worth a return visit.

←

Country and The Modern have been the two best meals I've had in the last year or so — better than Jean-Georges or Daniel.

One factor that weighs on my mind: we usually order long tasting menus at these places. That's because, as we've neither the time nor the money to visit these places regularly, we are inclined to think that a tasting menu gives us a broader idea of the restaurant's capabilities. Also, if the chef has a signature dish or two, there's a good chance the tasting menu will include them.

I do wonder if I would be as enthusiastic if I ordered the more typical 3-course or 4-course prix fixe.

[Sneakeater]

I haven't been back to Country, but in retrospect I think I overrated it in my review post after my one visit. Thinking back, I think my opinion is closer to where Bryan is. I think EMP revealed to me how much better a place at that level of culinary pretension could be.

[Fat Guy]

Rich, where/how did you order the bottles?  I googled "Norma Kalani" to see if I could find a picture of the bottles, and came up with a big goose egg.

←

Norma Kamali

[H. du Bois]

[Delete - FG already answered.]

Edited April 18, 2007 by H. du Bois (log)

[rich]

Rich, where/how did you order the bottles?  I googled "Norma Kalani" to see if I could find a picture of the bottles, and came up with a big goose egg.

←

Sorry Sam, I gave the wrong name - it's Norma Kamali - but it's still not easy to find. You need to visit www.normakamalicollection.com then go to the "Wellness" section and then click on the gourmet section.

There are several olive oils, some syrups, teas etc.

Edited April 18, 2007 by rich (log)

[rich]

As for the entire experience, I would compare it to the main dining room at The Modern - meaning good but probably not worth a return visit.

←

Country and The Modern have been the two best meals I've had in the last year or so — better than Jean-Georges or Daniel.

One factor that weighs on my mind: we usually order long tasting menus at these places. That's because, as we've neither the time nor the money to visit these places regularly, we are inclined to think that a tasting menu gives us a broader idea of the restaurant's capabilities. Also, if the chef has a signature dish or two, there's a good chance the tasting menu will include them.

I do wonder if I would be as enthusiastic if I ordered the more typical 3-course or 4-course prix fixe.

←

You could be correct Marc. We had the simple four course prix fixe and while there was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't anything really special.

My favorite meals of last year were WD-50, EMP and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and they were all extended tasting menus.

[tupac17616]

The Saturday before last was a good night. You see, a couple of friends and I kind of walked into the dining room at Country, literally in jeans and t-shirts on that warm, somewhat muggy evening. The formal dining room, of course, has a jacket requirement, so we were a bit underdressed to say the least. We walked in around 10:15, yet their last seating time is 10:00. We definitely wanted to do a tasting though, so with their fingers crossed, my two friends sent me ahead to see if I could somehow sweet talk the staff into accomodating us. This was no small task, but they kept telling me if any one of us could make it happen, it was me. So I figured what the hell, I'll try my best, see if I really have those restaurant "people skills" they're always talking about.

Well, let's just say it worked. It worked in a major way, in fact. Rather than being presented with menus, Chef Doug Psaltis came over and spoke to us, asked if we had any allergies/aversions/etc, or if there were anything in particular we felt like eating. We wanted to give him and his staff free reign, but somehow the words "morels", "ramps", "soft-shell crabs", and "foie gras" seem to have slipped out. Whoops. Chef Psaltis said he'd come up with something nice for us. Before heading back to the kitchen, he basically told us to sit back and loosen our belts. We were in for a feast. Here's what we had:

Canapes -- deviled egg with caviar, a candied grape tomato, and smoked salmon & chive creme fraiche on potato cakes

Amuse Bouche -- chicken-fried frog's leg with garlic aioli

I -- Soft Shell Crab -- frisee, cornichon beignet, gribiche

II -- Seared Foie Gras -- cherries, pistachio, balsamic

III -- Morel Mushrooms -- smoked chicken, arugula, country egg

IV -- Sweetbreads -- risotto, ramps, parmesan

V -- Bison -- artichokes, olives, beef jus

VI -- Chevre Frais -- spring vegetable compote, olive bread

Palate Cleanser -- popcorn-flavored caramel, popcorn sorbet, caramel-flavored popcorn, club soda

VII -- Dessert:

Souffle Tart -- rhubarb, pictachio ice cream, syrup

Coconut Rice -- black sesame, mango, coconut

Bread and Chocolate -- hazelnut cromesqui, gianduja, chocolate

Pithivier -- chantilly, whiskey sauce

Dessert Cart -- macarons, cookies, nougat, caramels, opera cake, pates de fruit, chocolates, earl grey pot au creme, meringue, etc, etc

Overall thoughts: this is rich, at time even heavy food. Portions were certainly incredibly generous given the tasting menu format. We were quite full by the time all was said and done. The food quality was definitely consistently high across the board. My favorite course was the (huge) seared slab of foie gras with the cherries and pistachios. No fireworks or surprises in that dish, but just plain delicious. The soft shell crab dish and the morel dish were also wonderful. The sweetbread and bison were not my favorite, though the latter was one of my companions' favorite dish of the evening, so some of it is of course a matter of taste (that dish was heavy on the olives, one ingredient of which I am not typically a fan). Another highlight was actually the palate cleanser. The popcorn/caramel/soda combo simply worked. A phenomenal intro into the sweeter end of the meal. Desserts were quite nice, with my favorite being the coconut sticky rice. And the dessert cart. How can you really go wrong with a dessert cart? I'm pretty sure you can't.

I should also mention that service was phenomenal from start to finish. They were incredibly accommodating to even give us a spot in the first place, but they really went the extra mile throughout. We had long since closed out the restaurant, being the last table left, but we still chatted with the chef afterwards, toured the kitchen, the private dining areas, etc. Really a classy operation all the way around.

I'd be glad to go back sometime and have the chef cook for me again. I'll just need to be sure to arrive very hungry!