Telepan

[elicious]

Walked by Telepan on Friday night on 69th and Columbus. Looked hopping inside. Anyone been or planning on going?

[M.X.Hassett]

Well my sick mind thought you were talking about this Trepan but I guess not.

On a serious note what type of restaurant (cuisine) are they?

Edit: are they new? There is not much on them here is there MenuPage kind of pricey.

Edited December 29, 2005 by M.X.Hassett (log)

[JohnL]

I really liked Bill Telepan's cooking when he was at Judson Grill.

IMOP one of the more "under rated" places in NYC.

Though the size of Judson (now Bobby Flay's Bar Americaine) is too cavernous for an "intimate" restaurant.

I think the new space will be much better for Telepan who is very good at utilizing fresh "local" ingredients in well conceived dishes.

I will most definitely be trying his new place in the coming year!

[raxelita]

I'm planning on going soon. The food focus is on the local, seasonal, organic--the best of what's around. Their wine list stresses organic/biodynamic producers.

I suspect this will be a very popular neighborhood spot, with added business coming from Lincoln Center.

A friend who opened the place says they've been jam packed for the opening weeks.

[Fat Guy]

Very high on my list of restaurants to try, both because I admire Bill Telepan's cooking and because my mother lives on the block.

[rancho_gordo]

...and they serve Rancho Gordo beans!

Really.

[M.X.Hassett]

...and they serve Rancho Gordo beans!

Really.

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Well that does it. I am going to head over tonight once the wheels hit the runway at LGD.

[rancho_gordo]

...and they serve Rancho Gordo beans!

Really.

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Well that does it. I am going to head over tonight once the wheels hit the runway at LGD.

←

Have I ever told you how wise you are? I've been meaning to for months now. And for one so young and attractive! it doesn't seem fair somehow.....

[M.X.Hassett]

[emsny]

I thought Telepan was terrific. Including the beans.

Going again next week, in fact.

[M.X.Hassett]

I thought Telepan was terrific. Including the beans.

Going again next week, in fact.

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Cool what did you have? The quail, coddled eggs, and cassoulet, seem to be calling me.

[dragonflychef]

As a former New Yorker, and former worker at JUdson Grill, I believe Bill Telepan to be the best american food cook I have ever seen , he is also a fanatic for the freshest and most sustainable products, it was a very challenging kitchen to work from a professional perspective , but a joy to see someone so committed to the best ingredients possible,I wish my wife and I still lived in Brooklyn so we could go and try his new place. Please please patronize, respect and enjoy what this very devoted chef is doing, very few chefs that I have worked for have been able to

" back up " all the barking they do, but Bill Telepan has true bite

quote=M.X.Hassett,Dec 29 2005, 01:44 PM]

I thought Telepan was terrific. Including the beans.

Going again next week, in fact.

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Cool what did you have? The quail, coddled eggs, and cassoulet, seem to be calling me.

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[elicious]

I just made a reservation for Tuesday night. And in a vein similar to another recently opened restaurant in NYC (I believe it was Gilt), I am supposed to call and confirm instead of them calling me.

I guess the thing that bothers me most about this policy (and obviously I don't yet know the ramifications if I don't call) is that I am a very courteous and conscientious diner in that if I am going to cancel a reservation, I always call. And if I think I'm going to be rather late for a reservation, I also call. And usually if a restaurant calls me to confirm and leaves a message asking me to call back, I do.

I always give the restaurant this courtesy and I expect that if they want a confirmation, this should not be my responsibility. Especially if I am going to be spending my money on them, shouldn't they make it a little easier on me? Maybe I'm wrong.

Edited December 30, 2005 by elicious (log)

[emsny]

What we had was: beet salad with crisp pig's foot patty; foie gras with citrus marmalade; coddled eggs; scallops; truffle pierogi; heritage pork with beans; a couple of desserts. See menu on menupages for more descriptive dish names.

elicious and others - is it really unusual for a restaurant to ask the customer to call to confirm? Seems pretty normal to me (and, for the way my day usually gets put together, more convenient as well).

[R Washburn]

I always give the restaurant this courtesy and I expect that if they want a confirmation, this should not be my responsibility. Especially if I am going to be spending my money on them, shouldn't they make it a little easier on me? Maybe I'm wrong.

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Then don't call them. I bet that they will call you before they give the table away. If they DO fail to honor the reservation make a big stink about it.

[billt]

I always give the restaurant this courtesy and I expect that if they want a confirmation, this should not be my responsibility. Especially if I am going to be spending my money on them, shouldn't they make it a little easier on me? Maybe I'm wrong.

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Then don't call them. I bet that they will call you before they give the table away. If they DO fail to honor the reservation make a big stink about it.

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we have this policy so that if clients are in from out of town and staying at hotels, and the prospect of not be able to reach them, they will call us to confirm. but if someone does not call, we will call, and if we don't reach them, our policy is to hold the table.

some times my cell runs out of power...

[dragonflychef]

is this the Bill Telepan?

I always give the restaurant this courtesy and I expect that if they want a confirmation, this should not be my responsibility. Especially if I am going to be spending my money on them, shouldn't they make it a little easier on me? Maybe I'm wrong.

←

Then don't call them. I bet that they will call you before they give the table away. If they DO fail to honor the reservation make a big stink about it.

←

we have this policy so that if clients are in from out of town and staying at hotels, and the prospect of not be able to reach them, they will call us to confirm. but if someone does not call, we will call, and if we don't reach them, our policy is to hold the table.

some times my cell runs out of power...

←

[foodexile]

I'm sure the pressure is on already for a tasting menu.

But with all that kitchen talent, I will add to the annoyance and beg for one.

Thanks.

[R Washburn]

Thank you for the clarification Mr. Telepan. I thought people were misunderstanding the policy.

I am looking forward to trying "Telepan" soon. I have been hearing very good things about it.

[elicious]

we have this policy so that if clients are in from out of town and staying at hotels, and the prospect of not be able to reach them, they will call us to confirm. but if someone does not call, we will call, and if we don't reach them, our policy is to hold the table.

some times my cell runs out of power...

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Thank you for the clarification, that makes a lot of sense. I look forward to dining at your restaurant on Tuesday.

[sadie_siamesecat]

Had dinner here with 3 friends last night. In short: Wonderful, friendly service (including 2 wine recommendations from our server, Jerry) and a delicious food experience.

In long: We all ordered the $55 4-course prix fix. You can order a la carte or the prix fix with smaller portions. Please note that the smaller portions certainly seemed generous to us. The pacing of our meal was relaxed and serene—over 3 hours. I imagine that if you came for pre-theater, though, they could match your timing fairly well.

Instead of the Burgundy we originally chose, our server suggested a wonderful alternative that was 100% tennant grape. Our second bottle was also a recommendation from the server—called Marion, I think? I’ll post both the names later. We saved the labels and the person who took them is supposed to email the information out this afternoon.

We started with an amuse of salsify soup with truffle oil cream, salmon rillette, and a mushroom-ricotta focaccia. Of these, the salsify soup, rich, creamy and satisfying, was our table’s favorite. Appetizers included Hen of the Woods mushrooms with poached egg, smoked trout with the addition of osetra caviar ($15 surcharge), Foie Gras Terrine, and Scallops. We didn’t do too much sharing on this course—more like heads down eating—testament to the quality or our selfishness? I’ll let you decide. I had the hen of the woods mushrooms—loved the texture of these, especially on the bed of frisee with small croutons. The crunch of the croutons, the soft poached egg yolk, the firm texture of the mushrooms…our plates were sparkling clean after our appetizers, helped by excellent bread (ciabatta, 5 grain, and semolina were the bread choices).

Our midcourses included the short ribs, black truffle pierogi, robiola tortellini, and sweet potato blini. Of these, the blini and the pierogi were standouts. The blini were sweet but as my friend described “winter-appropriate sweet”—with the right amount of spice and warmth to combat the freezing rain outside. The robiola tortellini, while excellent, reminded me of the “tiny veal meatball” appetizer at ‘Cesca; I don’t know enough to comment on origins of the dish any futher. Plates? Sparkling again.

Mains: Heritage Pork Cassoulet, Seared Duck Breast, Wild Striped Bass, and Organic Lamb. Of these, we adored the Seared Duck Breast—with the foie gras custard—oh, just amazing. I enjoyed my pork cassoulet very much, especially the fatty bacon and the rib. Of course, there’s nothing not to like about fatty bacon. So delicious. Some felt that the beans were too salty, but I didn’t have that impression. I didn’t get a bite of the bass or the lamb, unfortunately. Can I mention how wonderful the duck was again?

Desserts: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Gianduja with Peanut Brittle Ice Cream, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream, Steamed Chocolate Cake with Banana Ice Cream, and sorbets. If I could have just eaten all the ice cream off the plates, I would have done so. The Cream Cheese Ice Cream was unbelievable! The steamed chocolate cake is actually two layers—the bottom, rich and gooey, the top mousselike and airy. With candied bananas on the side and a wonderful banana ice cream…

The details: A lot of care has been put into this restaurant from the flattering lighting to the comfortable seating (the people in chairs didn’t resent the people in the banquettes—good since our dinner was over 3 hours)—and the lovely print on the fabrics. Overall, it managed to play well in that space between traditional and modern. I’d only ever been to JUdson once, so I can’t compare too well—Telepan of course, is much smaller and more intimate. Oddly enough, we especially liked the flatware—the spoons in particular are beautiful with a flattened tip that makes them look like—well, for lack of a better decription—mini trowels? The steak knives are also beautiful with a “bone” handle and a gently tapering point.

To be honest, I’m not sure if the price points will allow this to become our favorite neighborhood place that we can go to on a regular weekly basis, though I would love to--but I know we are looking forward to going back when we have “an occasion” and certainly we will go back once lunch and brunch begin in a month or so.

I’m curious to see if other people have the same positive impressions that we did. What a wonderful beginning to a new (culinary) year!

[elicious]

Just returned from my meal at Telepan. I agree with the previous poster that the meal was wonderful. And, reading egullet also helped me choose my meal quite well. Every member of the staff was friendly and helpful. When we left, one of the hosts said "Goodbye Ms. X" which I thought was such a nice and personal touch.

We sat at a banquette towards the front of the room and it was very cozy. We decided to have the four course prix fixe. A prix fixe option was not on the menu so I am glad we knew from egullet to ask. Our waiter suggested we try 3 savory and one sweet/cheese course so we followed his advice. In general, the portion sizes were probably smaller than normal but perfect for a tasting.

First, our amuse was a mushroom foccacia (sp?), celery and apply "soup" and I believe some kind of duck liver with toast. It was all very good and a nice start to the meal. We also were given a choose of warm, crusty rolls - yum!

For our first course we had the romaine salad and the yellowtail tabbouleh. The salad had generous shavings of Monterey Jack cheese and crispy croutons. The tabbouleh was very interesting with the farro taboulleh giving a crunch to the fresh and light fish.

For our mid-course, we had the lobster bolognese in a lovely tomato, shallot and garlic broth. The sauce was delicious and went perfectly with the lobster. I had originally chosen the sweet potato blini but when I made my server aware that I have this weird potato (not sweet potato) allergy, he offered to check with the chef to make sure there were no potatoes in the dish. Surprisingly, he came back saying there were, and that the chef had recommended I have the cauliflower dish. This had been my second choice, so I agreed and the waiter says "that's what's so great about the chef, he just has a knack for picking these things." It was very sweet and a testament to the way the staff feels about the chef which I thought was obvious in everyone's behavior.

For our third course, I had the duck with an amazing foie gras custard and the most delicious poached pear I have ever had. The flavors mixed together were wonderful. My partner had the sirloin which was also delicious.

We contemplated having a cheese course, but opted instead just for dessert. I had the carrot cake with cheesecake ice cream as Sadie_siamesecat recommended and it was really delicious. The dish was covered with a carrot slaw with plump raisins and nuts. My partner had the chocolate souffle which was also delicious. We were also given some homemade fudge to take home.

The food and service were great - we drink a lot of water and had our glasses filled again and again which is a rarity for us, we usually have to ask to be filled many times. Our waiter was extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic and the food was wonderful. Please try this restaurant soon! (Although given how crowded the restaurant was on a Tuesday night, I don't think Bill Telepan needs me to tell anyone this is a great place.)

[sadie_siamesecat]

I think this may be the first time I was ever helpful on egullet--so glad you liked the carrot cake!

In any case, the wines we had: Montus, 2001 Madiran. The other label copied too dark--it was Marion, 100% Terodelgo from Verona (Veneto). The second wine was interesting--no tannins, no acid, but our table prefered the character of the first.

Hope others get a chance to experience this restaurant soon, as well!

[johnjohn]

Would Telepan be a good choioce for a romantic meal? Is it a loud room? Thinking about taking GF Wednesday night.

[elicious]

It wasn't loud but wasn't quiet. It's a pretty open space, but we had no trouble hearing each other or the waiter. They sat me and my BF at a booth table and we sat next to each other but on different parts of the booth, if that makes any sense. And we always find that a nice way to sit because we can talk to each other. I would say it would be very romantic.