Per se is a fine dining restaurant owned by celebrity chef Thomas Keller. Fine dining posts are the hardest to write in my opinion because many sensations and moods you get can hardly be aptly described. I wish I had better writing skills and a wider food vocabulary to effectively convey the experience of the meal, but its difficult. Every dish brings a new surprise. 6 months after I've had the meal, I still remember how every dish took my breath away.
"A great meal is an emotional experience." - Per Se, Philosophy
"Oysters and Pearls"
"Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar
The Oysters had a delicate balance between buttery and briny and were nicely firm. They complemented the caviar which popped like little balloons filled with a rich grand taste of the sea, such a smooth combination. Wow.
Salad of Heirloom Beets
Honeycrisp Apples, Young Fennel, Pea Tendrils and Kendall Farms Creme Fraiche
I don't know how to describe this other than saying its a happy salad! I had difficulty identifying the individual ingredients because they're presented in a form we seldom see. But each and every vegetable on this plate has its characteristic mild sweetness and sourness that made for a very refreshing salad. I usually don't eat beetroot because of its weird heavy musty earthy taste but that was absolutely absent from the 'thin petals' seen above.
"Pyrenees Brebis"
Artichokes, Confit Sweet Peppers, Nicoise Olives, Pine Nuts and Arugula Pesto
Pyrenees Brebis is a cheese from the French mountains at the border between France and Spain. It was firm yet smooth with nutty undertones. It was also surprisingly "un-sheepy" I can't really appreciate lamb so I was thankful that though this was made from sheeps' milk it was "sheep" at all. And I love Artichoke! Can never get enough of this. The artichoke seen above is actually the 'heart' of a Globular Artichoke and it had a nice creamy taste. The other veges gave a nice contrast with the cheese with their fruity sweet and zesty flavour against the creamy cheese.
Slow Poached Elevages Perigord Moulard Duck Foie Gras
Buckwheat "Streusel", Seckel Pear, Tokyo Turnips, Black Winter Truffle and Frisee Lettuce
The Foie Gras had a rich yet refined flavoure and it was oh so smooth. This is just too hard to describe you can just imagine how Foie Gras would taste with crumbly buckwheat, sweet pear and intense earthy taste of truffles. Okay. This is really tough. Hahaha indulge in the photos!
Sauteed Fillet of Mediterranean Lubina
"Lardo," Grilled Persian Cucumbers, Fingerling Potatoes, Tomato Confit and Mint Yoghurt
Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster
"Chou-Fleur Roti en Cocotte", Broccoli Florettes, Sunflower Seeds and Blood Orange Vinaigrette
This dish wasn't in the menu. I didn't wanna have the lamb so they offered to change my lamb dish for a beef dish. One of the best I've ever had. Its so carefully seared on all sides and the texture when I cut into it was just perfect. I get really excited when it looks pretty on the outside and perfect on the inside. Its very difficult to imagine how cooked the inside will be when you've seared all sides. It really is a skill. the beef at the Striphouse presented a bold flavoured dish but this at Per Se was very carefully balanced (salt, pepper and beef), a very elegant dish.
Wolfe Ranch Quail
Glazed Salsify Root, French Breakfast Radishes, Sunchoke Chips, Mache and Smoked Foie Gras-Madeira Emulsion
Elysian Fields Farm's Lamb
Creamy Anson Mills' Polenta, Pickled Celery, Treviso Radicchio, Mustard Cress and Caper Jus
Chosen from a box of handcrafted Chocs
I was really impressed by the cheery and confident server who came in with a box of 45 handcrafted chocolates and went reciting each of their names and what they were. Really impressed. If only I could memorize like this, I'd prolly ace all my papers. I don't even remember the flavours of the two chocolates above. I vaugely remember one was Maple and the other Passionfruit.
Candies, Macarons and Chocs
Macarons are the hardest little treats to make cos they're so sensitive and iffy, but after the spectacular dinner, I'm thinking chefs at Per Se can make Macarons with their eyes closed.
Doughnut Holes and Coffee
Over the past 5 months I've had a good share of Tim Horton's Timbits. But this is just, of a different level. The doughnut holes were light and fluffy inside and the sugar was mild allowing the taste of the dough to come through. :)
The restaurant very thoughtfully prepared souvenirs for us
View of Columbus Circle from the VIP Room
"A great meal is a kind of journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten and takes you to places you haven't been before." - Per Se, Philosophy
Yes Indeed.
Per Se
Reservations need to be made at least 1 month in advance
Time Warner Centre
10 Columbus Circle
4th Floor
Check out their food culture and values here.
