Per Se & Central Park

Per Se is considered the East Coast’s French Laundry.   Thomas Keller is the only US chef to have two restaurants with 3 Michelin Stars and two restaurants on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.  He is America’s prize and most beloved chef unlike Donald Trump who is a national disgrace right now.  Here are Per Se’s awards:

• 3 Michelin Stars since 2005
• #52 on the San Pellegrino 2016 World’s 50 Best Restaurants
• #40 on the San Pellegrino 2015 World’s 50 Best Restaurants
• #30 on the San Pellegrino 2014 World’s 50 Best Restaurants

Per Se has a view of Central Park and Columbus Circle but it’s only an okay view compared to my office view of Compton. Westside.  Every highly regarded restaurant has its signature way of doing things in regards to service and making it a worth while experience.  For example, “You can have your way” at Burger King.  Per Se is no exception.  It’s classy, sophisticated, elegant, and refined, so I had no reason to be there like a Beverly Hills spoiled brat in the alleys of Compton.

The service was amazing and the server, Brian, did a great job.  We were scheduled for dinner at Eleven Madison Park (EMP) and I asked him what he thought of EMP.  He said he held EMP in very high regards, which I thought was a very classy thing to say.  I would have said, “They’re aiiite. I personally find their name to be not as clever as our adverb name, but that’s just me.”

Now, the food.  I went with the 7 course tasting menu for lunch and everything was absolutely “aiiite”.  Every dish was full of subtle and succulent flavors.  As I always do, I’m going to touch on a few dishes and a dessert.  I’m not a dessert person, so that says a lot if I’m mentioning a dessert dish.  Actually, it’s not cause I usually devour bags upon bags of gummi bears after lunch.

1. Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras – The slow poached Foie Gras served with Toasted Walnuts, Celery Branch “Relish,” Turkish Apricot Purée and Celery Salad.  It included different type and color salt from around the world to be sprinkle on the Foie Gras.  The salt was from Hawaii, France, Italy and England.  The Foie Gras texture was smooth and silky.  The taste wasn’t too rich and very subtle in nature.  I don’t know how the vegetables taste cause I didn’t eat any of those yucky stuff.

   

2. Caviar and Pearls  – “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar.  This is Thomas Keller’s signature dish and it’s wonderful as stumbling upon mountains of peanut M&M’s.  The caviar had no hint of saltiness, which was a big indication of the freshness.  The tapioca was very creamy with the texture being silky like pudding for a lack of a better description.   It was my favorite dish of the tasting menu and I could definitely eat this everyday like fried chicken or french fries.

   

3. The Classic – The classic consist of two donuts and a Cappuccino Semifreddo.  What’s a Cappuccino Semifreddo?  Hell if I know.  It’s probably something you order at Starbucks.  I don’t usually like dessert or a big sweet person except for my love of gummi bears.  The two donuts were freshly baked and melted in my mouth.  The dough was amazing and it wasn’t overly sweet.  The Cappuccino Semifreddo threw me off cause I thought it was a cup of coffee and I tried to drink it to realized it was an ice cream.  It was cold and sweet like me when I’m dating someone I care about.

   

Overall, I definitely recommend Per Se if you’re into classy, sophisticated, elegant, refined and definitely not stuffy dining experience.  I personally thought the restaurant should have gone with a better than some adverb, but that’s just me though.  It’s a great overall experience and definitely one I will remember for the rest of my life like the first time I smoked weed.

[adinserter name=”Block 1″]