Per Se

[AvsKick21]

I'd be interested to hear their response, too.  I would imagine Keller's website, which undboutedly fields visitors from all over the world, would be accurate.

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Historically, the website has been irregularly updated, and I recall past occasions when the prices were wrong. I am sure the $110 was just a typo.

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If so, that's not an insignificant typo. It's also a rather embarrassing mistake for a restaurant of this caliber to make - and let go without redress for this length of time.

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How long have they offered a separate menu for lunch? I was under the impression that lunch and dinner had been the same 2 options until I saw that when I looked up the phone number.

[ulterior epicure]

Can anyone tell me (with assurance) what the two seating times are for dinner at per se? I'm wanting to say it's 6:30pm and 9pm, but I'd like to be sure.

[Nathan]

Per Se doesn't have two set seatings cruise ship style. they have staggered seatings just like any other restaurant.

they start at 5:30.

for example, right now reservations are available for fourtops this Monday night at 5:30 and 8.

[Shmily]

I had a special birthday so again we made reservations and had another sublime dinner..we look at the cost as a weekend away...for 3 1/2 hours we felt totally transported to another place, another level of dining...the amazing Staff..the food, much of which I feel is etherial...just a dining experience that is above anything I have ever had..and I have eaten in most of the top rated places in NYC...and this was our 4th trip to Per Se...so my message to anyone who is looking for something very special...this is the place...

[Bobster]

I so agree, I went on Monday for my SEVENTH time!

It was for my birthday as well and a pal wanted to take me (!) because he's wanted to go but has no one who'd want/understand the experience--his girlfriend "ew"s everything.

He doesn't eat meat (seafood, yes) and can't drink alcohol. The staff were more than accomodating, giving him some great seafood options and coming up with some great non-alcoholic drinks. There was a "virgin" mohito that was delicious.

You're right, Shmily, it is indeed a Dining Experience bar none. While Ko made me feel I should be thankful for getting in, PerSe made me feel that THEY were honored to have little nobody me.

[Shmily]

Bobster..The amazing service has always impressed us...They have always made us feel like honored guests..and that is only one reason we have returned for the 4th time and you for the 7th time...and why we feel the price is worth it..the food is so consistent..so unusual, with so many ingredients and so complicated..and so much is so special and the service is so down to earth and lovely...and not at all pretentious...what a treat.

[ulterior epicure]

Does anyone know what the going rate for the wine pairing (9 courses) is? I'm sure it varies, but I'm wanting a ballpark figure - say, within $20 +/-.

[allister]

i'm not sure if there is a specific price for the pairing on the nine course, but the times that i have been there i have specified a price for pairing and they have done a good job. I believe that i have indicated to them anywhere from between $100-$150/diner.

[Nathan]

Does anyone know what the going rate for the wine pairing (9 courses) is? I'm sure it varies, but I'm wanting a ballpark figure - say, within $20 +/-.

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there is none.

you come to a mutual agreement over what you want the pairing to cost.

[oakapple]

The wine pairing at Per Se is probably the best in town, because there is no set pairing. They create it based on your preferences and budget. If you ask, "What will the wine pairing cost?", they will generally try to steer you somewhere north of $200 a head, but as another post noted, they'll go down to around $150 or perhaps $100. Given inflation, you might not be able to go down to $100 any more. The tasting menu is now up to $275, after yet another price increase.

[jimk]

The wine pairing at Per Se is probably the best in town, because there is no set pairing. They create it based on your preferences and budget. If you ask, "What will the wine pairing cost?", they will generally try to steer you somewhere north of $200 a head, but as another post noted, they'll go down to around $150 or perhaps $100. Given inflation, you might not be able to go down to $100 any more. The tasting menu is now up to $275, after yet another price increase.

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Almost every top-tier restaurant in town finds a way to offer quality wine pairings with their tasting menu for under $100. If Per Se doesn't want to do the same that's a business decision that has little to do with inflation. I think it's bizarre that they don't offer a reasonably priced wine pairing when - at least the last time I was there - they had some reasonably priced, good value wines on their list.

[oakapple]

Almost every top-tier restaurant in town finds a way to offer quality wine pairings with their tasting menu for under $100.

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If you look at restaurants that are in Per Se's class, this isn't so. To give a few examples, at Le Bernardin the long tasting menu is $180, and the wine parings are an additional $140. At Eleven Madison Park, the long tasting menu is $145, and the wine pairings are an additional $115. At Del Posto, the long tasting menu is $175, and the wine pairings are an additional $125. I couldn't find an online menu that showed the price of the wine pairings at Daniel and Jean Georges, but I am sure they're in the range shown here.

Per Se's long tasting menu is $275 (that includes 20% gratuity; the others' do not). They have fewer seats than the restaurants mentioned above, with an average of only 1½ turns per table. Also, in my experience the ratio of servers to guests is higher at Per Se than at most of these other places, if not all of them. All of these factors need to be considered in the question of whether Per Se's prices are reasonable.

[ulterior epicure]

At Del Posto, the long tasting menu is $175, and the wine pairings are an additional $125.

I recently had a tasting menu at Del Posto. I will admit that we were under a VIP situation. We asked for a pairing, but asked for half-pours because none of us were heavy drinkers and wanted to enjoy our food. Five (nominal) half-pours cost us $150 each. I was somewhat surprised. (As a side note, though all of the wines were drinkable and quite amiable, none of us thought that the pairings were anything exciting. Furthermore, a friend of mine (who was not at the dinner) bothered himself with looking up the wines we had. Apparently, we could have each bought a bottle of every one of the wines we had for $150, to the dollar.) Good wine doesn't have to be expensive, but at $150 for five half-pours, I expect the pairing to be somewhat interesting, if not electrifying.

I started this inquiry (about the price of per se's wine pairing) because I want to avoid a similar sticker shock when I go in a month. The last time I was there, I was a teetotaler.

[ulterior epicure]

And, I also happened to have just had the Chef's Tasting at Le Bernardin ($180). We did not do the full wine pairing, opting, instead for two glasses of wine, each, which the sous sommelier paired for us based on our dishes. Not only were the pairings wonderful, my friend and my collective four glasses of wine cost just under a $100, which, at about $24 a glass, was not cheap, but certainly not shocking.

The following evening, at Jean Georges, we again opted not to do the full wine pairing with our tasting menus. Instead, we asked for three half-pours. The sommelier poured three very exciting wines which paired wonderfully. If I'm not mistaken, six half-pours cost a total of just over $100. I'm not sure how much the full pairing would have been, but I don't think it could have been much more than $110-$120, if even that much.

[Mayur]

As oakapple says, Per Se will customize a pairing for you given a particular price point. I don't recall there being a set-price wine pairing at JG, but I could have missed it. We generally just get a couple of "appropriate glasses to match" and the price usually comes out to no more than $100 a head.

Wine service is one area in which I will say that Per Se excels, although you get what you pay for; the markups are horrendous. However, the servers are usually quick with little extra pours of this or that, and are very good at delivering on requests or recommending appropriate wines. I'd say that it would be very, very hard to get out of Per Se paying less than $125 a head for wine, simply due to their wine prices.

[tupac17616]

Don't know about how far you can stretch your wine dollar at Per Se (I've only done a full pairing there twice, and I was not paying either time). But I do know that at the French Laundry, we got the pairings with the extended tasting menu, and they put together a very nice selection of 10 wines for us for $100. I don't know a whole lot about wine, so I couldn't tell you about the value for the money but I can tell you we really enjoyed their choices. You can read about what we had in the FL thread here.

Edited May 13, 2008 by tupac17616 (log)

[Mayur]

The list at Per Se is a bit pricier than the list at TFL, which may have something to do with it.

[Bobster]

Despite the fact that I had a reservation at per se that evening..

And?????

[ulterior epicure]

Despite the fact that I had a reservation at per se that evening..

And?????

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I will report shortly.

[Shmily]

This comment is for all of us who are much more into food than wine...Please dont worry about needing to order wine you are not comfortable with nor can you drink due to medicine...or any other reason...In the number of times we have eaten at PerSe they have been wonderful at picking just one glass of wine...or whatever we felt we wanted. They are SO customer friendly that it is a pleasure to eat there...To those who love and appreciate wine, they will help you also pick whatever you are comfortable drinking...I just dont want those who are not to be scared in any way....Let us all enjoy this amazing treat.

[Bobster]

I agree, the last time I went with a friend who can't drink. They came up with a wonderful set of non-alcoholic drinks including the best non-alcoholic mojito I ever tasted!

[sickchangeup]

I agree, the last time I went with a friend who can't drink.  They came up with a wonderful set of non-alcoholic drinks including the best non-alcoholic mojito I ever tasted!

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One other thing I haven't seen reported here:

$275 dinner/$175 lunch includes all non-alcoholic beverages and (something people have mentioned in this thread) a 20% tip.

Since we went at lunch (the 2 gents ordered dinner, the 2 ladies stuck with lunch), we all ordered multiple ice-teas, water, each person ordered some sort of funky virgin fruit drink, and the total bill was the dollar amount above plus tax. That's it.

[newbie21]

I am coming in this weekend to go for dinner!! Woo-Hoo!

[scottie]

I am coming in this weekend to go for dinner!!  Woo-Hoo!

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Would love to hear about it. We're planning on going sometime soon.

[Bobster]

I am coming in this weekend to go for dinner!!  Woo-Hoo!

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Would love to hear about it. We're planning on going sometime soon.

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Me too! I'm hoping to go back soon myself.