Per Se

[lillibet]

My birthday present also included dinner with Susan & Daniel at Per Se, the New York venue of The French Laundry's Thomas Keller.

The dining room, looking out past Columbus Circle and the park to the downtown lights, is lovely. The service was, unsurprisingly, impeccable, although slow enough that you should not go without entertaining companions. Fortunately, we were well supplied with those!

Susan went with the Vegetarian Tasting Menu, which I will indicate with », while the rest of us stuck with the Chef's Tasting Menu, on which there were choices for three courses. We started with a bottle of Cava and amuse bouche of gougeres and cornets topped with »beets or Scottish salmon tartare.
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"Oysters and Pearls" "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar
We started out on a very high note--I think this was my favorite of all the courses. Served with an abalone spoon, the flavors were nicely balanced, tending toward salty, but smooth and delightful.

» Celeriac "Mousseline" Black Winter Truffle Croquette with Celery Branch Salad
Susan was kind enough to give me a taste of this one and it was lovely--earthy, yet light.
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We were offered our choice of breads: French baguette, sourdough potato, ciabatta, or pretzel bread. There were two butters: a sweet cream or a salted, both of which were lovely and the contrast between which was very interesting.
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Salad of Heirloom Radishes Thumbelina Carrots, Hadley Orchards' Medjool Dates, English Cucumber and Radish Sprouts with Madras Curry-Banyuls "Gastrique"
Jason gave me tastes of his sala. It was a very pretty and colorful array of blanched and thinly sliced vegetables, but while he enjoyed the carrots, he found the dish rather slight, overall.

Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras Black Winter Truffles, Frisée Lettuce and Balsamic Glaze with Toasted Brioche
The fois gras was layered with shaved black truffle, providing a nice contrast of textures to the perfectly smooth liver. The tiny bunch of greens was sandwiched beteween two thin slices of gelled truffles that I feared would be overwhelming, but were instead quite delicate. In order to insure that the brioche was warm the servers replaced it halfway through the course. I gilded the lily by putting a bit of the sweet butter on the brioche and that was heavenly.

» "Cappuccino" of Forest Mushrooms Mushroom Biscotti
This was Susan's favorite course, so I didn't get a taste, but it was a treat just watching them build the cappuccino tableside--dark mushroom veloute topped with mushroom foam and dusted with mushroom powder.
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Herb Roasted "Pavé" of Cobia Rainbow Swiss Chard adn new Crop Potatoes with "Sauce Raifort"
The flavor of the fish was subtle, but good and the sauce was an intense veal reduction that contrasted vividly.

» Sunchoke "Flan" Confiture of Meiwa Kumquats and Broccolini Florettes with Tellicherry Pepper "Aigre-Doux"
Susan didn't seem incredibly impressed with the flan itself, but the array of accompaniments led her on what she termed "a journey of flavor discovery".
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By this point we had finished the Cava, so we had a half-bottle of Meursault. It wasn't the perfect accompaniment, but any excuse to drink Meursault is fine by us!

Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster Fennel Bulb and Herb-Scented "Panisse" with Cara Cara Orange Emulsion
I was slightly nervous about the sweet sauce, but it brought out new flavors in the lobster. The fennel bulb was shockingly non-anise flavored and the panisse (a deep fried, extremely soft breadstick) provided a salty note to the the dish.

» "Salade de Pomme de Terre" Squire Hill Farms' Ameraucana Hen Egg, French Breakfast Radishes and Corsnes with Black Winter Truffle Coulis
This was another multi-layered dish: salad piled on a chip made of several overlapping slices of potatoes with the egg and coulis underneath.
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Here we switched to red, the Ici/La-Bas 2006 Alexander Valley Elke Vineyard Pinot Noir. This was an excellent wine--not too fruity and pairing very nicely with all of the meat courses, but especially the lamb.

All-Day Braised Hobbs Shore's Pork Belly Sir-Fry of Vegetables, Pea Tendrils and Five Spice-Pork Jus
Jason was scared off by the five spice, so I got to enjoy this perfect example of pork belly--crispy outside with fat that melted away in the mouth.

"Pastrami" of Prime Beef Calotte Confit of Young Onions, Cipollini Onion Rings and Whole Grain Mustard Sauce
Jason was very pleased with this version of one of his favorites. The meat was beautiful and the flavors strong without being overwhelming. The onion confit was an extra treat.

» "Ravioli Gnudi" Spinach and Rainbow Swiss Chard Dumplings with Chard Ribs, Musquée de Provence Pumpkin and Sage-Brown Butter
Susan particularly sang the praises of the sage in this dish.
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Elysian Fields Farm's "Carré d'Agneau Rôti Entier" "Petit Salé," Caramelized Salsify, Black Trumpet Mushroms, Watercress Leaves and "Sauce Paloise"
As I tasted the first bite I was moved to exclaim "Oh, I do love lamb!" This was Jason's favorite course and the meat was just perfect, although neither of us were excited by the mushrooms. The postage stamp of lamb bacon "petit salé" was very nifty.

» "Minestrone" Rancho Gordo Bean "Pansotti," Sweet Carrots "Parisiennes," Violet Artichokes, Basil and Cipollini Onion Shoots with Villa Mille Rose Extra Virgin Olive Oil Emulsion
Susan agreed that I would have hated this one--it was beans, beans and more beans...even the pasta was made with beans--but she loved it.
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"Laguiole Vieux" Marinated Young Beets, Garden Mâche and Black Winter Truffle "Aigre-Doux"
Honestly, I have had better laguiole. This had a good flavor--as the server explained, it is the cheese believed to have inspired cheddar--and the soft texture was nice, but there was a chalky mouthfeel that was a little disconcerting to me. The tiny slices of bread (mustard grain, cranberry wheat or pecan wholegrain) that were offered with this course were quite different from the other breads and had a hearty texture that worked well with the relatively soft cheese.

» "Chevre Noir" Roasted Sweet Peppers, Niçoise Olives and Roquette with Niçoise-Olive Infused Oil
Susan chose this one of the two offered on her menu and said it was an excellent chevre.

» Rogue Creamery's "Smokey Oregon Blue" Red-Wine Braised Salsify, Bartlett Pears and Watercress Leaves with Red Wine Reduction

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Pineapple Quince-Cider Sorbet "Pain au Lait," Rice Pudding and Maple Gelée
The sorbet was excellent with a playful mix of flavors. The others praised the rice pudding, but I found it too solid for my tastes. The tiny cubes of maple gelée added sweet surprise to the bite.

» Caramelized Banana Sorbet Compressed Pineapple, Lime Salt and Vanilla "Moelleux"

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"Bombe au Pamplemousse" Chocolate "Roulade," Manjari Chocolate Mousse and Grapefruit Curd with Pink Grapefruit Ice Cream
Jason let me try some of the grapefruit curd, which was intense and creamy. He and Daniel agreed that it worked very well with the chocolate.

"Mille-Feuille de Poire" Walnut "Bavarois," Bosc Pears and Candied Walnuts with Licorice Ice Cream
The best thing in this dessert was the paper thin pear chip on top. The other bits were each lovely--I particularly remember the walnuts--but it didn't really come together for me in any fantastic way. It was just a nice, nutty pear thing. The one surprise was the ice cream--neither Susan nor I like licorice, so I made her try it and we agreed that it wasn't vile at all. Partly that was the delicacy of the flavoring and also how well it fit into the overall plan of the dish.

» Spiced Muscovado "Cassonade" Coffee "Joconde," Granny Smith Apple Chip and coffee Jelly with Jasmine Ice Cream
If I liked coffee flavored things, I could have had some of this--Susan said it was really divine.

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"Mignardises"
That's all it says on the menu, so I'm working from memory (with help from Jason) as I try to recall all the bits and pieces that they brought us:

First, a selection of cast truffles made in-house. I had the Tuscan Brown (milk chocolate ganache dipped in milk chocolate) and Nutmeg. That was too dark for me, so I gave most of it to Jason, who reciprocated with a bite of his White-Chocolate Black Sesame, which was extremely interesting and I could see becoming addictive. There was also a Coffee Cardamom, Fennel, Raspberry Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Cherry White Chocolate.

Then another set of rolled truffles: dark chocolate, white chocolate coconut or salted caramel milk chocolate. I had the coconut one and that was incredibly light and divine with the wonderfully grounding toastiness of the coconut to offset the richness of the white chocolate.

Then there were toasted hazelnuts rolled in cocoa powder, which I skipped, but Jason praised highly, and a selection of wrapped candies--butterscotch, nougats and tiny hard candies--for us to take with us.

Lastly, with our check came packages of cookies--bars of nuts and candied fruit with a thin layer of very light cookie over a base of milk chocolate. We took those along and tried them tonight and they are a wonderful reminder of an excellent meal.

Overall, while definitely excellent and a worthwhile experience, I can't say that Thomas Keller is my new favorite chef. Joël Robuchon really rocked my world and I'm still very loyal to Guy Savoy, my first meal at this level. It's hard to put a finger on the distinction--everything was very, very good and I would happily let Keller cook for me any day of the week if he felt charitable--but it just didn't grab me as intensely as others have. But I am extremely grateful to Jason for giving me an opportunity to have an opinion, to Susan & Daniel for joining us on the adventure and to muffyjo, my sisters and my parents who teamed up to let us have a weekend away.