New York City Review: Per Se

Per Se

10 Columbus Circle

4th Floor

New York, NY 10019

(+1) 212-823-9335

I returned to Per Se for my second dining experience- this time, with a friend who works there. I ate there back in 2009 but this time, I must say that I was more impressed and had the full Per Se experience. We arrived for our 7:30pm reservation and sat there indulging until 1:30pm. A six hour meal! Ridiculous.

Our meal started off with a special cocktail made for my friend. They told us we should come up with a name for it but we couldn't think of anything worthy of it. First time I ever saw synchronized service for cocktails...

 

 Per Se's signature salmon tartare cornettes

It was a hot day so this Ajo Blanco was a perfect start to our six hour meal. The coriander blossoms added a nice touch. The garlic was not overpowering and the sweetness of the grapes was actually refreshing in this savory soup.

No meal at Per Se would be complete without Oysters and Pearls of course. A "sabayon" of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and Sterling white sturgeon caviar. The perfect portion because it leaves you wanting just a little more.

Smoke- tartare of Australian Kampachi with the smoothest hass avocado puree you will ever come across. Served with granny smith apples and dashi pearls.

Soft Shell Crab Cocktail- one bite of San Marzano tomato marmalade, celery branch and preserved horseradish.

Pickled 100 Day Dry Aged American Wagyu- one of the most interesting dishes of the night for me. Very simple, served with cornichons and whole grain mustard. This pickled beef was smokey and tender.

Coddled Jidori Hen Egg- with caponata and roquette

Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras- with compressed strawberries and pickled ramps. Each one of us actually got a different foie gras dish.

Seven different salts and two different butters

Bili Bi- mussles in the half shell

Pave of Spanish Turbot- with English peas, pickled ramps, mizuna and applewood smoked bacon emulsion

Homard en Cocotte- Basmati rice, Vandouvan curry and kaffir lime. Didn't think I'd be eating basmati rice or any sort of curry at Per Se!

Hand Cut Tagliatelle- black winter truffles and parmigiano reggiano. Simple and delicious.

Four Story Hill Farm's Poussin en Croute de sel- with slow baked beets, celery ribbons, sauternes gelee and smoked foie gras

I had only slept three hours the night before and was actually starting to fall asleep with all the wine! So they thoughtfully made me a nice cold espresso drink :)

Elysian Fields Farm's Lamb Saddle en Crepinette- with arrowlead spinach "panade", Oregon morel mushrooms, braised fava beans and sauce Bordelaise

Maplebrook Farm's Burrata- with sungold tomatoes

Chocolate covered ice cream lolly

Strawberries and Cream- what a pretty dessert! Perfect balance of sweet and tart

Brownie and Malted Milk- double chocolate brownie, malted mousse, candied peanuts, maple bourbon ice cream and whipped crown maple syrup

Believe it or not we ate ALL these chocolates

Signature dessert of cappuccino semi freddo and doughnut (SO good)

Wine Accompaniment

Bollinger, "La Grande Annee" Ay 2002

Pichler-Krutzler, Riesling, "Loilennerg" Loibnerm Wachau 2010

Chateau Guirard, Sauternes 2001

Domaine Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 2009

David Duband, Vosgne-Romanee 2009

Chateau d'Armailhac, Pauillac 2005

Domaine Morengo, "#655", Muscat du Cap Corse 2008 

Travel Series: San Sebastian, Spain, "Arzak"

Arzak

Alcade Jose Elosegui 273

Alto de Miracruz 21

San Sebastian, Spain

+ 34 943 278 465

For our nice dinner in San Sebastian, we decided to go to Arzak over Akelarre.  I was curious about this father-daughter team and after consulting with a few Spanish foodies, Arzak seemed like the place to go.  

When I saw the outside of the restaurant, I didn't know what to expect because it looked quite old fashioned and plain.  As we walked in, we saw a completely different world inside, with a modern black and white interior.  Since it has three Michelin stars, we were really dressed up, but we almost felt overdressed compared to everyone else.  We were shown to a table upstairs, and one thing we instantly noticed was that most of the servers were women.  We of course chose to have the tasting, and ordered a bottle of Monserrat Blanc (because we had seen the mountain earlier when we were in Penedes), which was like a cross between a chardonnay and viognier (slight oxidized taste).  

The food was all aesthetically beautiful and tasted good too.  The only presentation I didn't quite like was the fish course, which I thought was cute but slightly tacky.  I was a lot more impressed with the amuse bouches and starting courses than the fish and meat course, perhaps because I was starting to get very full, or perhaps because the element of surprise diminishes after a while.

One interesting thing about the service that I noticed was how unrefined it was.  The servers were all very friendly but everything they did was rather aggressive and rough.  It made me think back to our visit to Mugaritz, where they told us that they don't want to have an uptight, formal atmosphere because they want their guests to feel comfortable.  Here was a three Michelin starred restaurant that obviously placed more importance on their food then hospitality, and not so much the formality and technique of service.  It was refreshing to experience this at such a renowned restaurant. 

Puding de kabrarroka con kataifi

Humo de jamon con tomate

Arroz amarillo crujiente con hongos

Antxoas con fresa marinada: Anchovies with strawberries- such a weird but perfect combination!

Maiz, morcilla e higos: Corn, blood sausage and figs

Beet chips with sauteed oysters

Lobster: Patata, bogavente y copaiba- the red thing looked like a tomato but it burst in my mouth!

Poached egg with bread crumbs

Rape marea baja: monkfish.  The shells were amazing because they tasted just like mussels!

Lenguado con mamia: venison

A deliciously refreshing herb salad with puffed rice

Jugando a las canicas de chocolate