Dinner at Per Se

Last night Krista & I had dinner at Per Se. Some people are familiar with it and some aren't; it's the Manhattan venture of the famous chef Thomas Keller (his restaurant 'French Laundry' in Yountville is highly renowned). The Manhattan restaurant is one of the few Michelin three-star restaurants in the USA (there are only 3 in Manhattan; French Laundry is the only current three-star restaurant in the Bay Area). Reservations are made available 2 months in advance, and the restaurant is usually booked completely for that date within a half hour or so. Suffice to say you don't walk by, look at the menu and walk on in.

Our sitting was for 5:30, which I considered reasonable in this case because I knew we'd be exhausted after a red-eye overnight flight and a day of walking around. Krista napped for an hour or so before dinner which helped her energy a bit. Here we are, all dressed up (Krista especially!) for our meal:

Well, it was quite a meal after all...two menus to choose from, the tasting of vegetables menu & the chef's tasting menu. We both went with the chef's tasting menu, although Krista went off menu (an encouraged practice here) by going for a filet rather than the lamb or the calves' brain. Go figure.

The chef's tasting menu was 9 courses, and we got some other odds & ends as well:

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CHEF'S TASTING MENU
May 25, 2007
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OYSTERS AND PEARLS
"Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters
and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar

SALAD OF NEW CROP POTATOES
Marinated Young Leeks and Cipollini Onion Shoots
with Garden Mâche and Black winter Truffle Coulis
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TERRINE OF HUDSON VALLEY MOULARD DUCK FOIE GRAS
Brooks Cherries, Frisee Lettuce, Sicilian Pistachio Butter
Balsamic Reduction and Toasted Brioche
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SAUTEED FILET OF ROUGET BARBET
Green Almonds, Sunchokes, Picholine Olives
and "Sauce Piperade"
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PASTA E FAGIOLI
Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster
Spring Pie Beans, Orechiette, Petite Basil, Lobster Consomme
and Armando Manni "Per Me" Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2005
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"AIGUILLETTE" OF LIBERTY VALLEY PEKIN DUCK BREAST
Poached White Nectarine, Confit of Kohlrabi,
Field Mizuna and Duck Jus

HERB ROASTED "CERVELLE DE VEAU"
Wilted Bibb Letttuce, Slow Cooked Heirloom Beets
and "Sauce "Périgourdine"
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ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM'S "CARRÈ D'AGNEAU RÔTI ENTIER"
Cèpe Mushroom, Sacramento Delta Green Asparagus,
"Socca" and Lamb Sauce

PAN ROASTED SIRLOIN OF JAPANESE WAGYU
Braised Radishes, Sweet Carrots, Watercress Leaves, Spiced Peanuts
and Tamari Shoyu Vinaigrette
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BRUNET
Caponata, "Croûton de Pain de Campagne"
and Arugula Purée
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STRAWBERRY SORBET
Tellichery Pepper "Sablé Breton", Strawberry "Diamonds"
and Saporoso "Nuage"
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"ROOT BEER"
Valrhona Caraïbe Chocolate "Crémeux", Malted Mousse,
Vanilla Cream with Sassafras Root Ice Cream
and Black Chocolate Stout Gelée

"MIGNARDISES"
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All told the meal lasted about three hours, and we watched the sun go down over Central Park and the upper East side all the while. By the time we finished we were both pretty much done for the day (remember we'd basically been up, except for the plane, for a couple of days). So, no exciting Friday night out for us.

Today we did a bit more sightseeing & a river cruise; I'll post some pictures later. Right now we're getting ready to go to the theater ("Avenue Q"). Also, I've been having lots of problems with my new laptop (!&#@# Sony) and I'm having to resurrect my mailing list from an old backup file. If you don't get a message about this blog let me know and I'll add you to the list :-)