Guest Review: Per Se

To finish off the week, I would like to post my friend Josh's review of Per Se. if you have been reading this blog for a while you might recognize his name from posts about Blue Hill, WD-50, Tailor, L'Impero, Sushi Yasuda, and Gordon Ramsay at the London. Basically, he's a really good friend of mine and really knows his food. He has been eating at Michelin starred restaurants all over Europe during his grad school stint and is fully qualified to write about any fine dining experience. Per Se is pribably one of two restaurants in New York that I can't talk myself into paying for yet(Masa being the other) so I leave you with my friend's review.




Per Se Overall Food Ranking: 9/10

Time Warner Center Ambience: 9/10

10 Columbus Circle Service: 9/10

New York, NY 10019 Food Type: French

Phone: 212-823-9335 Price: $550 per person

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM; Friday to Sunday, 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Date of initial visit: April 14, 2008

Neither skepticism nor pessimism comes naturally to me. But when it came to Per Se, I approached with a healthy dollop of each. Could a restaurant really be worth all this gushing and fussing – a restaurant in a shopping mall?

The mall quickly fades out of sight and out of mind as one enters the tranquility of a temple where ingredients are deified and dishes – many, perhaps even most – reach apotheosis. Unlike the ill fated V Steakhouse, Per Se cleverly has an entrance with enough physical space in twists and turns to wipe away any thoughts of the Time Warner Center and focus one’s mind on the view of Columbus Circle – and on the food. The mood is neither somber nor energetic, neither romantic nor business-like: it is simply hushed and respectful, a proper setting for worshipping tastes and textures.

And how taste and texture combined in that simplest of an amuse bouche: a puff pastry filled with gruyere. Gruyere that gushes, that oozes, that delights – that lets the diner know that palettes are not to be shocked here but respected, not tricked but tantalized. A canapé of salmon tartare nestled in a black sesame cone and filled with crème fraiche was slightly less dazzling (I always find slightly frustrating canapés in which the first bite swallows up all of the main taste), but completed an overture that awakened the taste buds with gentle, soothing flavors (9/10).

Next came the only constant on Per Se’s changing tasting menu, the famous tapioca sabayon of oysters and caviar. It is the texture that overwhelms you first – a creamy, thick sabayon smoothly punctuated by caviar and tapioca. And then the taste kicks in – luscious, heavy, a bold and daring way to draw the curtain, and an unforgettable one (10/10).

After a surprisingly heavy oyster dish, what would come next but a deftly light foie gras course. The duck itself sang of richness; its accompaniments of pistachio and rhubarb, along with just a touch of balsamic glaze, provided the slight spiced tang essential to bringing out, as well as filling out, true foie gras flavor. Here was the altar of subtlety and proportion, demonstrating after the oysters that Per Se can coax as well as wow. Only an accompanying brioche that was too thick and crusty for so light and delicate a dish was out of place in a triumphant harmony (9/10). And with a Domaine de Montbourgeau, a precedent of utterly successful, just adventurous enough wine pairings was set.

And then it was back to the sea for bigeye tuna grilled ever so slightly, glistening in luminescent softness yet still very much a meaty piece of tuna. Radishes, almonds, and apples were nothing short of perfect complements – indeed, reminders that accompaniments can provide life of their own not by usurping flavors but by gently tugging on just the right ones (10/10).

Indeed, sometimes – just sometimes – more than a gentle tug is in order; and when carrot butter – carrot butter! – can emerge with such depth and richness, it would be a shame not to permit it an almost starring role – even beside a gloriously poached lobster. While ever so slightly chewy, the lobster was sweet and juicy – and the carrot butter did the rest (10/10).

A bit too aggressive was the Peking duck that followed. After so many courses that gently lulled, a heavily peppered duck served with spiced turnips and sharp onion shoots jarred a bit more than one would want five courses in. But as a dish in itself, it was hard to fault the impeccably rendered duck, even if its flavoring and sides came on rather strong (8/10).

Tranquility was restored with a lamb complemented by a mint-infused lamb jus of ideal strength: not so much as to overwhelm, but just enough to accentuate the fullness of the lamb’s natural flavor. Even more heavenly was the side of fatty meat – lamb belly? lamb fat? – that was simply glorious (9/10).

Savories complete, it was time for cheese – and a rather odd cheese course it was. A delicate but unusually textured goat cheese was served with beets and wood sorrel as well as rosemary oil. Simplicity, certainly, but perhaps a bit disappointing amidst so many other standouts (7/10).

And then came the cornbread. To be fair, the dish portended to be a buttermilk sherbet with candied pecan crumble – and indeed all those elements were well and good, if short of masterful. But the cornbread on which it all sat – the tiny piece of cornbread, prepared in the kitchen Per Se shares with Bouchon Bakery – was perhaps the single greatest bite of the meal. And “bite” it would have been, had the staff not been so kind as to bring more of the cornbread – just the cornbread – upon request. And what sweet, crumbly, extraordinary cornbread it was (9/10).

Chocolate made its way onstage, adventurously laid out as mousse, caramel cream, and devil’s food cake, all accompanied by a swirl of braised pineapple and cashew ice cream. This was chocolate that made the palette work a bit – mousse that was richer than normal, cake that was a bit drier than normal – and the whole seemed to lack a certain coherence, even if the elements, when given whatever attention remained nine courses in, shined (7/10). Similarly, an ambitious reach for a dessert course was a milk biscuit served with poached pear and English breakfast ice cream. Yet again, the individual aspects shined, but such nuance and complexity asks a bit much so late in the game (7/10).

More aligned with the focused execution of previous courses were “coffee and doughnuts,” the former a thick, cold, multi-layered mousse, and the latter – well, doughnuts. Sugary, dough-laden, delightful donuts (9/10). Bourbon chocolates and chocolate-covered almonds were rich and sweet (8/10).

I am a skeptic and pessimist no more. In the midst of the Time Warner Center, Per Se serves what is, quite simply, New York City’s best food – indeed, this was the best meal I have ever had in New York. And it is no exaggeration to say that I dreamt – for the first time in my life – in shades of carrot butte