Per Se (December 10, 2005)New York, NY It should be no secret, if you are a reader of these pages, that the French Laundry is one of my favorite places to dine; every experience we've had there has been consistently stellar. Location and price are the primary barriers to eating there more often, so when Thomas Keller opened Per Se, removing the first barrier, I knew it would only be a matter of time before we visited the restaurant. I wasn't planning on visiting so soon after moving to the NYC area, but I was fortunate enough to stumble into a reservation for four, at a time of year when truffles are in season, so we invited some good friends to join us for an extended dining adventure, blithely ignoring the second barrier. Per Se is located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle, essentially an upscale mall. This makes for a bit of a jarring journey to the front door, as you pass through an active shopping area to get there, although the upper floors are somewhat quieter. The decor is understated yet modern, with heavy use of woods to lend warmth and a somewhat eclectic mix of furniture in the waiting area, leading to a somewhat more formal dining room. Much has been written about the view, a wall of glass overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park, but for me the more important aspect of the room was space. There is blessed elbow room galore here, with no concern whatsoever that you will be bumping into your neighbors, almost always an issue with a meal anywhere else in the city. The core of the Per Se menu is similar to the French Laundry menu, consisting of a nine-course chef's tasting menu and a nine-course vegetable tasting menu. However, because of the season, there is a third menu, a nine-course holiday menu featuring more truffle, and in addition, the chef's menu features two extra-cost options for two of the courses, a foie gras dish and a Wagyu beef dish. It will not surprise you that Stacey and I opted to get each menu and the supplements and share courses, and it will not surprise you that I was already giddy. As with the French Laundry, the meal begins with "cornets", miniature tuiles filled with creme fraiche and chives, and topped with salmon tartare. These are lemony, delicate, fatty, creamy, and crisp at once, and as always a nice beginning to the meal. In the descriptions that follow, the chef's tasting menu course will be listed first (Stacey's), followed by the holiday menu course (mine). "Oysters and Pearls" "Crepes Farcies a la Creme de Ciboulette" Txomin Etxaniz, Txakolina, 2004 After all of our visits, I think this is the first time we've had a Keller signature dish, and it lives up to its billing. Caviar is what it is; the oysters provide a touch of sea; and the sabayon is decadently creamy, almost meaty in flavor, retaining a warming, dense heat that is the hallmark of pure comfort food. In fact, that's really what this dish is, more than anything: high-class comfort food. The other caviar dish is much more caviar centric, with a generous serving of caviar flanked by a few drops of chive oil and three tiny creme-fraiche filled crepes. Briny and salty, with the crepe filling providing an ethereal counterpoint. The wine, a Basque white, did not meet with universal approval at our table. I thought it was a reasonable match, with dry and almost acetic notes, although I think a champagne would have been better. "Torchon" of Moulard Duck "Foie Gras" Bert Simon, Riesling, "Serrig Wurzberg-Goldkapsel", Auslese, Mosel, 1989 Anson Mill's White Polenta Deux Montille, Meursault, "Les Grande Charrons", 2003 The torchon remains the best preparation of foie gras I have had. Spread on the thick yet airy toasted brioche, the foie melts in your mouth, leaving ephemeral, silky texture. Stacey and I both enjoy the brioche service, where the piece of toast is allowed to sit on the table for perhaps three minutes before it is deemed too cold, and another hot slice of brioche is served. You would think we'd be over the sheer decadence of this, but we're not. The apple preparations accompanying the foie remind me of applesauce in terms of seasoning, although the texture is a bit more apple-like and less sauce-like. Ultimately, these are just supporting actors for the foie gras. The Riesling paired with this dish is a revelation; glycerin texture and peach/pear sweetness with an almost herbal complexity that keeps the wine from becoming too cloying and overwhelming the foie gras. It is by far the better of the two wines served with these courses. My dish arrives in a bowl with a cloche on top. The cloche is removed to reveal cream-colored polenta. At the same time, another server arrives bearing a wooden box. He opens the box, revealing three fist-sized white truffles, sending a burst of garlicky, earthy aroma around the table. He presents the truffles for inspection (and smelling) to each of us. Then, a shaver is produced, and a liberal pile of paper-thin slices of white truffle are piled on the polenta. The aroma is pungent, penetrating, and wholly appetizing, at least for me. Paired with the polenta and cheese mixture, this is once again comfort food of the highest order. I make a mental note to travel to Alba in December at least once in my life. The Meursault is a straightforward dry white, with a touch of complexity, but ultimately unmemorable, so I end up cadging sips of the Riesling from Stacey. I also make a mental note to get over to Astor Wines, where this Riesling is available for ~$25, according to our server. Sauteed Fillet of Red Sea Bream "Bar de Ligne" Francois Villard, Condrieu, "Terrasses du Palat", 2001 Time for the first fish course, and my first unassisted wine selection for the evening. I enjoy the floral aromas and dry, mineral taste of Condrieu with seafood, and this is a good match for our seafood courses, if I do say so myself. In both courses, the fish is prepared absolutely perfectly, with a crispy skin that almost clicks when the fork is placed on it, with moist, dense meat. The differences in the dishes revolve around whether the fish is the star of the show. In the case of the sea bream, the flavor profile is strictly Mediterranean and the fish takes center stage, with fennel, olives, and lemons hitting the expected notes. In the case of the bar, however, the fish is paired with a bold sauce and vegetables that would be equally at home with a beef stew. As good as the fish is, the highlight here, and perhaps of the entire meal, is the two small discs of golden-brown bone marrow, slightly crisped on the exterior, and wonderfully molten on the interior, with the characteristic beefy, buttery, fatty flavor of marrow. The flavor and texture is divine, and I just pause for a moment to savor these wonders. Nova Scotia Lobster "Cuit Sous Vide" "Tournedos Rossini" I was very excited when I saw the lobster dish on Stacey's menu, as it looked very similar to a lobster dish we had during our first French Laundry experience, a dish which I would rate as one of the top three things I have ever eaten, and a strong contender for the top spot. This rendition didn't reach those heights, as the lobster, while tender, wasn't ecstatically so, and the sauce was a bit too heavy on vanilla and too light on the saffron. The "tournedos rossini", on the other hand, brings the goods. A large scallop, seared to perfection and topped with a seared piece of foie gras, surrounded by a dark burgundy sauce liberally sprinkled with black truffle bits. How can this be bad? The answer: it can't, at least not here. The sauces, here and throughout the meal, have incredible depth of flavor, a strong argument for the reverent preparation and treatment of stock in the kitchen. All-Day Braised Four Story Hill Farm's Pork Shoulder "Supreme" of Thomas Farm's Squab Kongsgaard, Syrah, Napa Valley, "Hudson Vineyard", 2002 My red wine selection for the evening, and my favorite wine of the evening, a California syrah with the expected notes of black pepper and white flowers, coupled with a depth of fruit I associate with fine Bordeaux and a long finish. Outstanding, and a great match for the meat courses. Upon first tasting the pork course, I immediately think "Kansas City BBQ." The prune-based sauce is, to my tastebuds, strikingly similar to a sweet KC-style rib sauce. The meat is tender and moist, and there's nothing wrong with this dish, but I can't help but think this should have been served in a rib joint instead. Taste associations are powerful memories. The squab course is special, with two surprisingly large sections of rare, deep red squab breast flanking a crispy squab leg, surrounded by black mushrooms in a delectable sauce. The squab meat is perfectly cooked (I know, it's getting redundant), and the wine pushes the dish into a special place. I can see why some writers have commented that Keller oversalts his meat dishes, as this was certainly salty, but I didn't find it offputting at all. Snake River Farm's Australian "Wagyu" Beef Sirloin "Degustation" of Scottish Wild Venison The Wagyu beef course consisted of two forms of the beef; a small, perhaps two ounce tenderloin, and an even smaller, perhaps one-half ounce, disk of brisket. The tenderloin was rich and smooth, with a nice beef flavor, but to my taste, not more so than a good prime steak. The brisket was fine, but indistinguishable from other brisket I've had. This was a disappointing course, in that I was hoping for a lot more from this fabled beef. The venison course, on the other hand, was very nice, with three different preparations, one of which was wrapped in cabbage and slices of black truffle. Syrah is a natural match for venison, and I enjoyed the pairing immensely. "Ibores" "Brie de Meaux a la Truffe Noire" Amazingly, I don't think I had any of Stacey's cheese course, so I can't comment. How could I have failed myself, at game time? The brie was whipped with diced black truffle and served with a remarkably fresh and spicy sprig of mache, along with a fruity marmalade that made a nice accompaniment. Clearly, "holiday" menu means "we will assault you with truffles." Pomegranate Sorbet Meyer Lemon Sorbet The pomegranate sorbet was an accurate representation of the fruit, but it happens to be one I don't care for, so once again I can't comment. The lemon sorbet was icy, distilled essence of lemon, intense on the tongue in terms of flavor, with vanilla notes in the background. This was an almost necessary palate cleansing dessert after the bombardment of fat up to this point in the meal. "Tentation au Chocolat, Noisette Et Lait" per se "Tarte au Chocolat Noir" 1985 Dow We indulged in a glass of vintage port. Unlike about every port I've ever had, this one had noticeable tannins and acidity to go with the typical port complexity and sweetness, which made it much better. I find that some ports are just too cloying on the palate, but this one was very nice and balanced. The desserts were essentially full-on doses of chocolate and hazelnuts in different forms, with a little gold-leaf for that over-the-top touch. Good, perhaps even very good, but I preferred the non-chocoholic dessert from dinner at the Modern a few nights ago. Equally high quality, with a much more interesting flavor profile. Creme Fraiche Pot de Creme with Cinnamon-Apple Compote The pot de creme was surprisingly sour, probably because of its proximity in the dining sequence to the rich, sweet chocolate desserts. However, once you dug through the creme to reach the compote, the flavors balanced out much better. The creme brulees were, as always, rich homages to custard. "Mignardises" A tray of numerous shortbread pastries and chocolates is presented to us, but sadly, at this point in the meal, my critical faculties are long gone. I ate them, I'm sure they were good, but I simply can't remember the flavors. However, I can tell you that the vanilla and caramel macaroons and the brownies that were provided as parting gifts were very nice. The macaroons in particular have that almost crisp toothy bite that then gives way to a sticky filling, an addictive texture I love. For those who were wondering whether the French Laundry experience could be replicated a coast away, the answer is clear, at least to me. Like its older sister, Per Se is a special restaurant, one worthy of a special trip and special expense.
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