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Kristian's Corner | Wine & Food | Italy 2007 | Atlanta 2007 | Vegas | New York 2005 | Buenos Aires | London 
NEW YORK CITY Easter Weekend 2005 I'm writing this from the swanky lobby of the W Hotel in New York City. I'm here on a buleasure trip (a combo of business and pleasure) until late Tuesday. Trust me, eating at all of these swanky restaurants is getting kind of old...kind of. But know that I do it all for you. If it wasn't for trips like this, we'd never get all of the new ideas for our restaurants that distance us from the rest. You think I'm kidding, but it really is true. When I get back, I'll have pages and pages of stuff to go over that will directly pertain to Gervais & Vine, Mr. Friendly's and even the new restaurant, Solstice. I'll also be ready to take a break from eating and drinking at this pace. As soon as we touched down, we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants, Gotham Bar and Grill. This place has been doing it right for almost 20 years now and shows no signs of slowing down or losing their touch. Top-notch service, a spectacular menu and their excellent $25 three course lunch keep us coming back every time we're in NYC and this was no exception. If you ever head up to the Big Apple, do yourself a favor and dine at Gotham. If you aren't going any time soon, at least hit their website at www.gothambarandgrill.com. Dinner on Friday was at AVRA, a great Greek place only a block away from the hotel. From the moment you walk in, you feel as though you've been instantly transported to Greece. Why? Well, everyone that works there is Greek and most of the clientele is Greek--a good sign if you're looking for Greek food, eh? As they take you back to your seat, you pass the big open kitchen with it's giant fresh fish display. No cloudy-eyed discount fish the local monger was trying to get rid of, only bright-eyed, seawater-freshness staring out of the ice. The lobsters were still crawling around and every once in a while a waiter would have to stop to reign one in. The appetizers, however, are what stood out the most, especailly the Patzaria Skordalia and their Octopodi. The former was a plateful of roasted beets that had been marinated in citrus olive oil and topped with Skordalia, a garlicky spread. The latter was tender, sliced, charcoal-grilled octopus with thin-sliced red onion and red wine vinegar. Paired with a bottle of crisp, white Santorini, the first course was definitely the highlight. That's not to say the main course wasn't good, however simply grilled fish isn't quite as exciting, even if you get to pick out your own fish. Mine was Lavraki and was done perfectly, but like I said, not as exciting as the appetizers. This is still a gem of a place. The staff is typically Greek and as such an incredibly friendly bunch. If you go, be sure to walk back to the kitchen and check out the fish display and meet the chef. They can be found on the web at www.avrany.com. Lunch on Saturday was at celebri-chef Anthony Bourdain's haunt, Les Halles, on Park Avenue. This usually loud and boisterous bistro was relatively quiet for weekend lunch, so we took our time and enjoyed a bottle of Jaboulet 'Les Jalets' Crozes Hermitage while we dined. You can't go to a French bistro without trying their onion soup, so we did and are happy to report that it was a great rendition--thick, bubbly cheese with browned spots over a rich and heady broth full of onions (duh) and a slight wang for a perfect balance. Reading his cookbook, I found that he likes to add a little balsamic vinegar to it for that wang. The steak frites was also superb and made from the proper rumstek, a cut you don't usually find in the States, but since they have their own French butcher, I guess they can have whatever bizarro French cut of meat they want. The fries were double fried, like they're supposed to be, so they were perfect. Overall, it was a proper French lunch. Dinner on Saturday was at a brick-oven pizza place that has locations in Italy, South America, Miami and NYC. I can't remember the name, but eventually I'll find my receipt and will let you know. It wasn't traditional New York pizza, but the food was great and we had a great time. After cocktails, a bottle of Prosecco and two bottles of Chianti, how could we not have a good time?
Sunday-- PER SE I'm not even going to get into an in-depth, detailed description of all of the dishes we had at this Holy Grail of restaurants owned by uber-Chef Thomas Keller, owner of the famed French Laundry in Napa Valley. Instead, I'll give you the menu first, then I'll discuss it. We opted for the Chef's Tasting Menu, which is a nine-course voyage through a culinary wonderland. It ain't cheap, but it's an experience that was worth every penny. So, here it is, the PER SE Chef's Tasting Menu for March 27th, 2005 First- Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Island Creek Oyster Glaze and Russian Sevruga Caviar Second- Salad of California Green Asparagus with Blood Orange "Supremes", Radish "Ribbons", Young Sorrel and Citrus "Sabayon" OR Sauteed Hudson Valley Moulard Duck "Foie Gras" with Braised Field Rhubarb, Yogurt "Mignonette", Garden Tarragon and Hazelnut "Streusel" (25.00 extra) Third- Grilled Columbia River Sturgeon with Roasted Heirloom Beets, "Melted" Savoy Cabbage and Horseradish "Emulsion" Fourth- "Fricassee" of Nova Scotia Lobster "Mitts" (read: claws) with sauteed White Alba Mushrooms, Mascarpone-enriched Lobster "Tortellini", "Fines Herbes" Salad and Lobster-Mushroom Broth Fifth- "Rilettes" of Hallow Farm's Young Rabbit (remember, this was Easter Sunday) with Royal Blenheim Apricots, Wilted Dandelion Greens and Turnip "Batons" Sixth- Snake River Farm's "Calotte de Boeuf Grilee" (read: Ribeye) with "Fricassee" of Caramelized Sunchokes, Glazed PEarl Onions, Sweet Carrot "Buttons", Bone Marrow "Pain Perdu" and "Sauce Bordelaise" Seventh- "Tomme de Savoie" with Globe Artichoke "Mustard", Roasted Sweet Peppers and Young Basil Eighth- Fresh Yogurt Sorbet with Passionfruit "Consomme", Nicoise "Nougatine" and "Petite" Mint Ninth- "Tentation au Chocolat, Noisette et Au Lait" with Milk Chocolate "Cremeux", Hazelnut "Streusel" and Condensed Milk Sorbet, "Pain au Lait" Sauce and "Sweetened Salty Hazelnuts" THEN, they brought out a platter of chocolates that are made in their special "Chocolate Room" and a bag of Meringue cookies for each of us. Now you can see why I can't comment on each dish. It would take more space and time than I can imagine. I will say that the staff is friendly and fun, regardless of the reverence paid to the food. The wine list is expansive and has some great values; something I love to see on big-name restaurants wine lists. I mean, anyone can put together a bad-ass list full of big-name, expensive wines, but when they actually take the time to find great wines, regardless of price and then pass those onto us...well, it makes me want to hug the sommelier. The $64,000 question: Was it worth $1200 for four people? Yes. Bonus Question: Would you do it again. No. If I did dine at Per Se again, I would opt for an ala carte experience. The tasting menu is just 'too much'. Too much food. Too much pomp and circumstance. Too much information. When they presented the TWO different butters that were served with the bread, they told us everything you would ever want to know about them. At one point, I thought they may pull a picture of the cows out of their wallets and tell us their names. TOO MUCH INFORMATION. I came to eat, not to spend the majority of my time listening to the staff explain my food to me in reverential terms. Dining is about eating and drinking in a convivial atmosphere with friends and family. It's not church. Overall, it was an incredible experience, though. The fact that they took me on a tour of the kitchen was the cherry on top. I've seen a lot of kitchens, but nothing like the kitchen at Per Se. They even have a Chocolate Room. Yes, a room for nothing but chocolate, where a chocolatier works on nothing but the chocolate candies they bring you at the end of the meal. Un-frickin-believable. If you can get a reservation, eat at Per Se. Life is too short to not have a dining experience like this. Just be sure to keep a menu on the table and let the staff know that you don't need them announcing everything.
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