Did you vote?

Today is the election day, so please don't forget to vote!

Now I leave you with this special red-white-blue macarons that I just made this morning, enjoy!

Red-White-Blue Macarons

Read More...

Summary only...

My birthday dinner at Daniel

To celebrate my birthday, my husband took me for a surprise dinner at Daniel. It's been a while since we first vowed to dine at Daniel Boulud's flagship restaurant and finally the time was here, so I was very excited. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess who took our name and then led us to our table. At that time the restaurant was quite empty since they just opened, however it filled up fairly quickly as the night progressed.


The interior had Venetian Renaissance style decor, elegant, and beautiful. It was dimly lit, made the atmosphere more romantic, although personally speaking they could be a little brighter. The tables were covered by white cloths, they had fresh flowers and candles on top. We noticed that the napkin and the table cloth both had chef Daniel Boulud's initial, very nice.

Then came our captain who brought us the menu, followed by one server who brought a purse stool. The menu offered 3-course prix fixe, daily specials and 6-course seasonal tasting menu. We chose the tasting menu so that we could have the whole dining experience. I ordered a non-alcoholic drink called palm beach, a mixture of raspberry puree, pineapple puree, orange juice and mint -- very refreshing.

Palm beach

Dinner started with a two-tiered tray of canapés:
- Crisp parmesan basket with goat cheese and pine nut: crispy and creamy
- Asparagus quiche: melt in your mouth
- Heart of palm puree: very smooth
- BBQ eel with soybean puree: tender and tasty

Canapés. Top: Crisp parmesan basket and Asparagus quiche. Bottom: Heart of palm puree and BBQ eel with soybean puree.

It was followed by the bread service, I chose sweet garlic focaccia and mini French baguette, while my husband chose olive & rosemary roll and French roll. All of them was very good, I like the focaccia the most.

Basket of bread

The first course came very fast, we didn't even have a chance to nibble on the bread yet. We noticed that there were as many servers as guests on a table coming and serving the dish in unison. My husband picked rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables, Orleans mustard cream, frisee and chive oil, served with toasted French baguette. It was flavorful and tasty, the variety of vegetables added complementary texture to the rabbit porchetta.

Rabbit porchetta with spring vegetables

Mine was pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine with poached rhubarb and lillet gelee, served with toasted crustless brioche. It was wonderful, the foie gras was smooth and the sweetness of rhubarb complimented well, but unfortunately the brioche was not warm (I think Per Se spoiled me for life on this one).

Pistachio crusted duck foie gras terrine

For the second course, my husband had trio of sea scallops which were ceviche with wellfeet oyster and uni, tartar with caviar d'aquitaine, sashimi with yuzu. I'm not a raw food fan, so this dish was not my favorite. I let my husband finished them, he said that they were delicious and not fishy at all.

Trio of sea scallops. Clockwise from top left: Sashimi with yuzu, Ceviche with wellfeet oyster and uni, Tartar with caviar d'aquitaine.

I had Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon, Boston lettuce and minted yogurt-cucumber gazpacho. It was excellent, the lettuce added crunchness and the gazpacho added refreshness to the dish.

Maryland jumbo lump crab with sorrento lemon

Next came fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion, Baja shrimp, cuttlefish, broccoli rabe and chorizo for my husband. It was fantastic, the ravioli was cooked al dente and the emulsion was rich, so yummy!

Fennel basil ravioli with littleneck clam emulsion

For me, I chose kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn, crispy pork belly, kale and bacon jus. It was incredible, the langoustine was tender and crunchy from the kataifi, the pork belly was moist, the bacon jus was not too salty, perfect with the sweetness of the corn.

Kataifi wrapped langoustines with florida corn

For the fish course, my husband picked the flaked Atlantic cod with morels, crushed fingerlings, pickled ramps and green peppercorn which was fabulous. The cod was soft and went hand in hand with the sauce, it was simpler than the other dishes yet delicate.

Flaked atlantic cod with morels

I picked crispy red king salmon with parsley, mousserons, wild asparagus and pee wee potato tempura. It was good, the salmon was firm yet tender, the sauce was tasty and the asparagus added some nice texture to it.

Crispy red king salmon with parsley

Then came the signature dish which was duo of dry aged beef -- red wine braised short ribs with shallot confit, seared rib eye with spinach subric and sauteed porcinis. The presentation was detail-oriented, the taste was awesome -- the meat was very tender and cooked perfectly, the sauce was amazing.

Duo of dry aged beef

My dish was Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin with anchovy stuffed bulb onions, English peas and sage jus. It was fabulous, the meat was juicy and the sauce was rich. My stomach was starting to get full, so I asked my husband to help me finish it since I planned to save room for desserts :-)

Elysian fields farm lamb chop and tenderloin

We received couple of complimentary desserts that were plated elegantly, side by side with the ones from the tasting menu. In addition to these, I also got a "birthday cake", I guessed my husband told them that it was my birthday. Then came the famous madeleines in a bowl covered with white linen, followed by the mignardises. They were very generous and all came together at the same time, so our table was covered with desserts feast, I love it! :-)

The first dessert was bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux with Amer cocoa sponge cake, caraibe ice cream (from the tasting menu) and raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil, meringue, raspberry marshmallows (the complimentary). The chocolate praline dessert was divine, it was very rich, creamy, chocolate-y. The raspberry dessert was excellent -- soft and very light.

Bittersweet chocolate praline cremeux and Raspberry lemon vacherin with Thai basil

The second dessert was chocolate biscuit with Kirsch diplomat, roasted cherries, Kriek beer sorbet (the complimentary) and tasting of mango with roasted sesame, ginger marinated, coulis with cilantro, sorbet with kalamansi (from the tasting menu). The Kirsch dessert was enjoyable -- creamy and sweet. The mango was extraordinary, it was refreshing, nutty, crunchy, sweet yet tart, so yummy!

Chocolate biscuit with kirsch diplomat and Tasting of mango with roasted sesame

For my "birthday cake", they gave me chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream, crispy feuilletine, Ethiopian coffee ice cream. The brownie was moist, the mascarpone was smooth, the feuilletine was crunchy, the ice cream was rich, just delightful.

Chocolate brownie with mascarpone cream

The warm, fluffy, moist and tender madeleines were incredible, the mignardises were very good and flavorful. They were definitely a perfect ending for a fabulous culinary experience.

Madeleines and Petits fours

We had an unforgettable night, the food was spectacular and impressive, it definitely lived up to our high expectations. Although the service was good, the staff was a little bit uptight and stuffy, not as friendly as the staff at Per Se. They were also not that attentive, we had to look for and call them when we needed something. However it was all forgiven once our stomachs were screaming for joy :-) I must say that the sauces at Daniel were amazing -- flavorful and rich. Thank you honey for the fabulous dinner, you have chosen the perfect place to celebrate my birthday, I cannot wait to go back again.

**********

Daniel
60 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
(212) 288-0033
http://danielnyc.com/daniel/

Read More...

Summary only...

Desserts at Bouchon Bakery

After having a wonderful lunch at Highline, we took E, Y, R, B & W for a treat at Time Warner Center where Bouchon Bakery is located. This was the first time for our friends to come here, so they were pretty excited to try the dessert themselves, especially after hearing my praises all these time.

R, B & W arrived there first and reserved some seats for E, Y, my husband and me as soon as the tables were available. When we arrived, as usual there was a line at the take out counter, but it was not bad. I like to browse their display cases since most of the sweets are always new items that I haven't tasted yet. Since I was the one who would pay, I went to order for everyone while they sat down.

R and B have a chance to see the display before we came so they knew what they wanted, which were strawberry parfait, chocolate macaron and seasonal fruit tart. W came with me to the counter since he didn't know what to order yet as well as to help me carry the trays. E wanted chocolate croissant, while Y asked me to pick for her considering I came here quite often. As usual my husband let me get what I wanted and help me to finish them since he knows that I always buy more than one goodies :-)

After looking at the cases W said that he would like to try the pistachio apricot tart. Now for me (and everyone else who was willing to try what I got), I bought key lime millefeuille, seasonal macarons (peaches & cream, fruit of the forest, yuzu), boston cream donut, strawberry parfait, and last but not least the chocolate tart. As for the drinks, we had some coffee, tea and fruit juice soda.

Assorted pastries

When I placed the orders, the nice and friendly lady behind the counter was looking at me curiously. Beside ordering a lot of desserts (total of 12, in case you are wondering), I also told her that everything was for here instead of to go. As soon as I realized that, I told her that I was not the only one who would eat that. I assured her that there were 6 other people waiting at the table who would help me to finish all of these. She started to smile and said that she was concerned about how I was going to finish everything by myself :-)

I tried a little bit of W's pistachio apricot tart, it was wonderful, the pistachio cake was moist and the apricot filling was not too sweet. The boston cream donut was as fantastic as the last time I tasted it, the donut was moist but dense, the custard was creamy.

Pistachio apricot tart and Boston cream donut

The key lime millefeuille was tart, light and coconuty, it was pretty good but the puff pastry was not crisp anymore, a little bit soggy. There was always different kind of millefeuille everytime I visit, so far my favorite is still mocha millefeuille. It was the first dessert from Bouchon that I've ever tasted 1 year ago, unfortunately I don't see it anymore on my visits.

Key lime and Mocha millefeuille

Regarding the macarons, it was okay, nothing special. The texture was a little bit dry, but definitely better than what I usually got from here. The taste was nice though, the peaches & cream was creamy, the fruit of the forest was sweet (and the only one that had moist texture), the yuzu was chocolatey with a hint of citrus. I guess after tasting Pierre Herme's macarons during his special 2-day class in Chicago last month, other's macarons were disappointing.

Seasonal macarons: yuzu, fruit of the forest, peaches & cream and Chocolate macaron

The chocolate tart was still increadible, the tart was flaky and the filling was smooth and chocolatey. I took the strawberry parfait home since everyone was full already. It was sweet, light and creamy, but the gelatin layer on top was too thick and a little bit too gummy. I didn't try the seasonal fruit tart, chocolate macaron or chocolate croissant, so I couldn't give any comments. However the last time I had their chocolate macaron, it was chocolatey but very dry.

Chocolate tart and Strawberry parfait


Seasonal fruit tart and Chocolate croissant

With a very high sugar rush and after hanging out for almost 2 hours, we decided to go on our separate way. When we arrived downstair we were surprised to see a very heavy rain pouring outside. I guess we were too focused on our conversations before and didn't pay any attention to the thunderstorm. R, B & W decided to take the subway, while the rest of us had to wait. We were thinking to get a taxi to go to our car that was parked few blocks away, unfortunately there was no taxi at all.

While waiting for the rain to stop or at least to die down, Y and I decided to go to Whole Foods since I needed to do some grocery shopping. Almost 30 minutes later finally there was a guy selling giant umbrellas outside. We were happy to see him, especially since not a single store in there sold umbrellas. My husband bought 1 for him, so that he could go to get our car since the rain already started to trickle down.

Finally after my husband came, we all got in the car and heading back home. Along the way, the rain poured heavily again, luckily we were already safe inside the car. We all had a lot of fun that day, what a wonderful weekend...

**********

Bouchon Bakery
Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
http://www.bouchonbakery.com/

Read More...

Summary only...

Anniversary dinner at Per Se

After hearing endless stories of how great Per Se is, we arrived there with a very high expectation. Even though we were still full from our earlier lunch at L'Atelier, we eagerly anticipated our experience at Per Se.

Per Se is located on the 4th flour at Time Warner Center. After walking across a nice small garden in the front area of the restaurant, we were welcomed by the famous blue double door. My husband noticed that there were sliding doors on each side of the blue double door, but I did not. So I walked to the blue door and tried to open it while he was laughing at me. Luckily the glass door slid opened and I realized my mistake :-)

We gave our name to the hostess who then graciously lead us the way across the waiting area to our big table (supposed to seat 4 people) in the main dining room. I guessed they must have reserved this table for a group instead of a couple, lucky for us they cancelled their reservation. As soon as we were seated, one of the server came bringing a small cushioned stool to put my purse.

The interior was spacious, elegant and lovely with enormous windows overlooking the beautiful Central Park. My husband said that it would be nice to see the Fall foliage from up here, wow, he could read my mind :-) The tables were widely spread covered with white tablecloths, there were white floral arrangements and candles on top. By the way, Chef Thomas Keller personally designed the silver pieces and the china that feature houndstooth pattern around the rim.

Then came our captain, who brought us the personalized menu since we told them that it would be our anniversary (they asked this over the phone a couple of days ago). I know it was easy to print our names on a piece of paper, but I still felt very special. There were 2 choices of tasting menus, the chef's tasting menu and the tasting of vegetables. The courses change everyday, but total number of courses remain at 9 (unless you're one of the VIP guests).

Since we mentioned that we don't really like to drink alcohol, we asked if they had any non-alcoholic beverages. Luckily there were 3 choices, I chose French sparkling apple cider and my husband chose pinot noir. As for the food, we intially were thinking of having one of each menu - so that we could try everything, but then we remembered that we are meat lovers (and they're priced equally). When our captain came back with our drinks, we told her that we chose the chef's tasting.

French sparkling apple cider and Non-alcoholic pinot noir

The food parade commenced, beginning with the amuse bouche which were Chef Thomas Keller's signature gruyere cheese gougeres followed by salmon cornets. The gougere was good -- warm, fluffy and filled with cream cheese. The salmon cornet was a small black sesame tuile cone filled with red onion creme fraiche, topped with Atlantic salmon tartare and garnished with a single chive. The tuile was crispy and buttery, the creme fraiche was tangy, the salmon was silky and melted in my mouth, just prefect.

Gruyere cheese gougeres and Salmon cornettes

When our first course arrived, the servers walked to our sides, then after pausing for a second as if to synchronize their moves, placed the plates down and simultaneously lifted small ceramic lids to reveal the oysters and pearls, a sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar. Each course followed the same choreographed service. Regarding the food, the sabayon was rich, the tapioca was cooked perfectly, the oyster was tender and the caviar was shockingly unsalty (in a good way). It was divine! By the way, there was a mother-of-pearl spoon that accompanied the plate since we shouldn't eat the caviar using a metal spoon, it would change the flavor of caviar.

Oysters and pearls

Then came the bread service, the selections were mini French baguette, Italian ciabatta, potato sour dough, Alsatian rye bread with duck fat and riesling, sweet brioche roll. I chose the rye bread which was very good -- crispy outside, soft inside. My husband chose the brioche which was sweet and tender. The bread came with 2 types of butter, salted butter with fleur de sel and sweet unsalted butter.

Basket of bread

For the second course, my husband had the non-supplement option which was salad of braised abalone mushroom with heirloom radishes, persian cucumber, petit shiso and goma vinaigrette. I opted for the supplemental one which was torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras with Sicilian pistachio butter, red wine poached brooks cherries, tokyo turnips and field mizuna. When it came to the foie gras, it was sweet and fatty, served with buttery toasted brioche. They kept bringing out more warm brioche, I literally took one bite from each piece and another fresh slice was delivered right in front of me. When I asked their simple answer was: it's better with warm brioche. I guess the warmth of the brioche was needed to help the foie gras became more spreadable. I'm still amazed up to this day.

Salad of braised abalone mushroom


Torchon of elevages perigord moulard duck foie gras

Our third course was sauteed fillet of Atlantic halibut with confit squid, fennel bulb, holland eggplant, sweet peppers with pattypan squash vinaigrette and pimenton oil. The halibut was firm in texture and delicate in taste with the sauce underneath that complimented it well, yet I felt that this dish was too bland for me.

Sauteed fillet of atlantic halibut

The next course was pan roasted Maine sea scallop with ragout of king richard leeks, yukon gold potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms with meyer lemon mousseline. The scallop was seared perfectly, firm on the outside, soft and sweet inside, it was wonderful.

Pan roasted maine sea scallop

Then came the next dish which was Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette with pickled ramps, applewood smoked bacon lardons, frisee salad with smoked hen egg emulsion and quail jus. The quail was moist and tender, the sauce was tasty and not overpowering, it was superb.

Cavendish farm's caille en crepinette

Next was the degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb with gnocchi Parisienne, greenmarket carrots, glazed sunchokes and split english peas with lamb jus. This featured a mini-tasting of seven preparations of lamb on one plate, on the photo from left: breast, shank, tenderloin, rack, sirloin, sausage and shoulder on top right. It was very interesting, but we found some were better than others.

Degustation of eden hollow farm's spring lamb

The cheese course was boerenkaas, slow baked beets with wood sorrel and violet mustard, served with lemon currant bread and walnut rye bread. The boerenkaas, which by definition is a handmade Gouda, had a creamy texture and sharp flavor, the beets added a sweet taste to it.

Boerenkaas

Finally it was time for the sweets, which itself was a production. It began with apricot sorbet, Nyons extra virgin olive oil pate de fruit with tellicherry pepper sable breton. The sorbet was light and refreshing, the olive oil pate de fruit was surprisingly good, the sable breton added some crunch to it, so yummy!

Apricot sorbet

My dessert was caraibe, caraibe meringue mousse, caramel cremeux, devil's food cake, golden pineapple and cashew ice cream. It was creamy, rich, chocolate-y, sweet, just delightful! My husband's dessert was glace a la fraise, strawberry biscuit, almond panna cotta and mint syrup with tristar strawberry ice cream. It was plated beautifuly, but the taste was even better -- soft, light, creamy, sweet, just delicious!

Caraibe and Glace a la fraise

The server brought me a miniature creme brulee, while for my husband was a miniature yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam. They were creamy and not too sweet, pretty good.

Tahitian vanilla creme brulee and Yogurt pot de creme with blueberry jam

When we finished, another server came bringing a silver tray filled with assorted of chocolates: ginger caramel, rocher, lime, mocha, guanaja dark chocolate, honey thyme, mint, green apple. She asked if we would like to try one of each and we definitely would like to, eventhough our stomachs were already starting to burst.

Chocolates tray

Then came the mignardises: cocoa covered piedmont hazelnut in an off-white porcelain bisque covered bowl; butterscotches, sour cherry almond nougats and truffles (milk chocolate salted caramel, dark chocolate hazelnut cream, white chocolate toasted coconut) in a stunning silver staircase; assorted of housemade mini hard candies (chocolate, licorice, banana, orange, lime, cherry, mint).

Mignardises

We were done and ready to see the "damage", so my husband called one of the servers for the check since we didn't see our captain. Surprisingly when she came back, in addition to the check she also brought us 2 nicely packaged of florentine cookies to take home, how lovely! By the way, the florentine cookies were very good, soft and not too gooey.

Check and Florentine cookies

Our captain came and asked if we would like to see the kitchen, of course I said yes, but since my husband was too full to walk, I went by myself. I was given the grand tour of the kitchen and amazed at its cleanliness. There was a large, flat-screen television with live feed of French Laundry where Chef Thomas Keller spends more time at. They said that French Laundry also had the same thing, I guess this is a way for Chef Thomas Keller to monitor his restaurants. Unfortunately Chef Thomas Keller was not in that night, but I've already had an opportunity to meet him during his demonstration of sous-vide at International Restaurant & Foodservice Show back in March. Chef Jonathan Benno was there though, so I requested to have my picture taken with him, which he graciously allowed :-)

It took about 4 hours for us to complete the 9-course meal extravaganza. They were fantastic -- flawless presentations paired with a perfect combination of texture, scents and seasonings. The staff was very professional and knowledgeable yet very nice, friendly and helpful, attentive yet not intrusive. They were not intimidating at all, they made us felt at home and allowed us to fully appreciate each course without feeling being rushed.

Waiting area

During the dinner, we mentioned to our captain that we were lucky there was a cancellation. She informed us that there are only limited tables for two and they usually hold the tables for bigger parties. I was very surprised and disappointed since most of the time I go to fine dining restaurants only with my husband. However I understood why they do that, it usually takes 3-4 hours per sitting and they will make more money from a group of people rather than a couple.

On the way out, we noticed that there was a guestbook and I couldn't leave without writing something on it. The book was placed on top of a glass table and there was a set of stone blocks with some words engraved on it "one must read everything, observe everything, hear everything, try everything, see everything in order to retain", that's true.

"one must read everything, observe everything, hear everything, try everything, see everything in order to retain"

This was definitely a spectacular and memorable culinary experience, what a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary! We realize that this was the most expensive dinner we've ever had so far, however for those who really enjoy cuisine it is justified. We are looking forward to return, hopefully in the near future.

**********

Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9335
http://www.perseny.com/

Read More...

Summary only...