Birthday dinner report
Dinner report from Jean-Georges, before I forget all the details.
Amuse-bouche: a small shot glass of root-vegetable soup with a single skewer of shrimp with tarragon salt.
Starter: I had peekytoe crab dumplings with julienned bits of celeriac in a "lemon tea" (ie. citrus-flavored broth)-fabulous. T. had seared scallops with caramelized cauliflower.
Second course: I had poached cod with baby bok choy in a "jade tea" (i.e. bright green sauce), something tart with basil and lemongrass. The cod was beautifully cooked and the sauce interesting but the portion was enormous. T. had foie gras with thinly-sliced tart apples: simple but perfectly done.
Main: I had duck breast crusted with jordan almonds with amaretto sauce-interesting since the sweetness came from the almonds instead of (as is more usual) from the sauce, but too sweet overall. Alongside were a few bites of foie gras and baby turnip tops. T. had squab with faux carrots (carrot purée piped to look like rounds of carrot) in an orange sauce. The carrots were a cute conceit.
Dessert: I had the "autumn" theme, a set of 4 mini-desserts including a mini pear-tart with red wine sauce, pomegranate sorbet, a sweet potato souffle with date sauce, and a tiramisu-flavored chocolate birthday cake. T. had the "chocolate" theme involving various forms of chocolate and nougat, of which the best bit was a spicy chocolate sorbet.
Afters: homemade jellies and chocolates, most of which we took home to my mother as consolation for not being invited to go with us.
The dessert ideas were really interesting, and beautifully done: kudos to the pastry chef. In the other courses, we thought the "tea" idea a bit overdone: everything seemed to come with its own "tea", dramatically poured over the rest of the dish at the table, and some of it was much less tea-like than others: why not just call it sauce and be done with it?
Overall, we thought the meal was solid and very enjoyable, but not as good as (say) the two-star Michelin restaurant we ate at in Toulouse last summer (Michel Sarran). The dishes there were fresh and innovative, and the service was absolutely impeccable. At Jean-Georges, only one or two of the dishes really made us stop in our tracks, and one of the waiters dropped a bread roll on the table. Re: which... okay, I feel like an idiot for complaining about it; it's a totally minor point, but surely when you get up into the airy realm of three Michelin stars it's the totally minor points that make the difference?
Amuse-bouche: a small shot glass of root-vegetable soup with a single skewer of shrimp with tarragon salt.
Starter: I had peekytoe crab dumplings with julienned bits of celeriac in a "lemon tea" (ie. citrus-flavored broth)-fabulous. T. had seared scallops with caramelized cauliflower.
Second course: I had poached cod with baby bok choy in a "jade tea" (i.e. bright green sauce), something tart with basil and lemongrass. The cod was beautifully cooked and the sauce interesting but the portion was enormous. T. had foie gras with thinly-sliced tart apples: simple but perfectly done.
Main: I had duck breast crusted with jordan almonds with amaretto sauce-interesting since the sweetness came from the almonds instead of (as is more usual) from the sauce, but too sweet overall. Alongside were a few bites of foie gras and baby turnip tops. T. had squab with faux carrots (carrot purée piped to look like rounds of carrot) in an orange sauce. The carrots were a cute conceit.
Dessert: I had the "autumn" theme, a set of 4 mini-desserts including a mini pear-tart with red wine sauce, pomegranate sorbet, a sweet potato souffle with date sauce, and a tiramisu-flavored chocolate birthday cake. T. had the "chocolate" theme involving various forms of chocolate and nougat, of which the best bit was a spicy chocolate sorbet.
Afters: homemade jellies and chocolates, most of which we took home to my mother as consolation for not being invited to go with us.
The dessert ideas were really interesting, and beautifully done: kudos to the pastry chef. In the other courses, we thought the "tea" idea a bit overdone: everything seemed to come with its own "tea", dramatically poured over the rest of the dish at the table, and some of it was much less tea-like than others: why not just call it sauce and be done with it?
Overall, we thought the meal was solid and very enjoyable, but not as good as (say) the two-star Michelin restaurant we ate at in Toulouse last summer (Michel Sarran). The dishes there were fresh and innovative, and the service was absolutely impeccable. At Jean-Georges, only one or two of the dishes really made us stop in our tracks, and one of the waiters dropped a bread roll on the table. Re: which... okay, I feel like an idiot for complaining about it; it's a totally minor point, but surely when you get up into the airy realm of three Michelin stars it's the totally minor points that make the difference?