I
am not an excitable man. Indeed, kind friends have been known to remark
that I display the emotional depth of an iceberg. Yet I do become
excited at the prospect of visiting a famous restaurant for the first
time. Excited, and sometimes a little anxious – particularly when a Chef
has created a second dining room. There is no question that Thomas
Keller (pictured) is one of the most talented Chefs in the world, nor
that his restaurant in the Napa Valley, The French Laundry, is one of
the world’s best. But star Chefs have been known to spread their talents
too thinly. As I clambered out of the yellow cab on Columbus Circle, I
feared that his new venture – Per Se, in far away New York – might not
maintain the standards of the Californian original.
Friends, I need not have worried.
Per Se is, without doubt, one of the finest restaurants in the world.
And here, I think, I must allow myself a Lady Bracknell moment. (Please
adopt the intonation of Dame Edith Evans.) To create one of the
world’s great restaurants, Mr Keller, is remarkable: to create two
smacks of genius.
Per
Se is on the floor which we English call the third and our American
cousins call the fourth. I travelled upwards on the escalators, to gain
some sense of this ultra modern building. It is large, airy and bright
and exudes confidence and wealth. It also accommodates all sorts of
enterprises, including – I am told – a very good hotel. This is the bold
architecture of the extravert. I thought it admirable.
In contrast, the entrance to Per Se,
through doors of darkened glass, is discreet. Inside, all is calm and
comfortable, for this is an environment of muted greys and browns. I am
not an invariable fan of Mr Adam Tihany. But here his design is a
triumph. I walked through the bar and felt entirely at ease. Then I
entered the dining room and knew at once that here I could enjoy myself.
On two levels, connected by three steps, with a high ceiling and gentle
lighting from spotlights, I found a sense of purpose and solidity about
this chamber. Not that it is solemn – for its straight lines and
surfaces of polished marble give it a happy hint of Art Deco. The tables
are large, well-spaced and have white cloths. My own was by the
fireplace and next to the plate glass windows. Through the latter I
could look right across Central Park to the apartment blocks of the
Upper East Side.
I
had been escorted to my table by Manager Paolo Novello, a gentleman from
Turin who looked after me throughout the evening with exceptional grace
and charm. As I settled into my chair, I noticed that, on the table in
front of me, were top-quality Riedel glasses. These were what I had
expected, for I knew that the General Manager of The French Laundry, the
divine Laura Cunningham, had supervised the development of Per Se. And,
for Laura, only the best will do. That approach is reassuring, is it
not? It means that all the details are right – from the smartness of the
waiters’ dark suits to the provision of both salted and unsalted butter
for the delicious bread. It also means that the service (my own waiter
was a chap full of smiles, called Michael) is not only friendly but also
highly professional.
Now, of course, it is my job – as a
sour, fault-finding critic – to light upon something which is not to my
liking. At Per Se I thought I had drawn a complete blank – until I
noticed that new napkins were not brought when diners left the table for
a moment. And that was it. Apart from this tiny omission, c’était
parfait. Remarkable.
And
talking of perfection, we come to the food. Three menus are available: a
9 course vegetarian option, a 10 course tasting menu and a 5 course menu
with choices. Each costs $175. Considering the expertise and work which
goes into each dish and the surroundings in which the meal is served,
this price must be considered a bargain. Each course is of modest size
and is presented on the plate in a manner which is aesthetically
pleasing. I chose from both the vegetarian and the 5 course menus. But I
began and I ended, at my special request, with two dishes for which I
will always be thankful to Mr Keller: his truffled egg (pictured) and
his version of coffee and doughnuts. If you have never tasted these rich
and luscious wonders, you must beg, beg and beg again for them to be
available when you visit Per Se or The French Laundry. Your palate will
be forever grateful.
After the wonderful egg, I was taken
aback by the sweetness and textures of my second course. The spring
onion pierogi (a pastry parcel) with pickled red onions, chive crème
fraîche and green onion purée was brilliant in both conception and
execution. And there was more sweetness in a dish of roasted beets. I am
an enormous fan of beetroot, which I believe is used too seldom in our
grander kitchens. Here, partnered with caramelized Granny Smith apples,
it showed that it is quite capable of holding its own in the gastronomic
heights. Another meeting of minds I have with Chef Keller concerns the
pairing of foie gras and rhubarb. This is a marriage made in Heaven, and
the version brought before me here (the rhubarb poached, the liver
sautéed) was clear evidence that marital bliss is based on careful
balance and exquisite harmony. (This dish attracts a $25 supplement.)
I
sensed a rigid discipline in these dishes. They were not showy or
crassly experimental. Instead, they were based upon the soundest of
techniques and upon a profound understanding of ingredients. I confess
that I hesitated about the partnering in my fish course: crispy-skinned
alfonsino and tabbouleh (a Lebanese speciality, made from crushed wheat
with tomatoes and onions). But it was utterly delicious, the fish not at
all overwhelmed by its exotic partner. My meat course of beef – brisket
braised in red wine – returned to more familiar combinations, including
a bordelaise sauce. The conclusion to this lovely meal was, of course,
the magical version of coffee and doughnuts.
This last was washed down with a
glass of 1986 Yquem – just one of the gems to be found on the impressive
wine list, created by Wine Director, Paul Roberts. If you are a fan of
1961 clarets – and who, in his right mind, is not? – your knees will
weaken as you turn the pages. Here are some of those you can drink at
Per Se: Cheval Blanc ($1,850), Haut Brion ($2,600), Palmer ($2,000),
Latour ($3,700) and Mouton Rothschild ($3,000). You do not have to spend
a lot of money – a white from the Loire (Quincy, Denis Jaumier) can be
had for $35 – but it is tempting to dig deep into the pockets when you
spot the best from Italy, like 1997 Sassicaia at $500, or from
Australia, like 1978 Grange at $1,120, or a half-bottle of 1988 riesling
eiswein from my favourite German producer, Dönnhoff (Oberhauser Brucke),
at $900.
Sommelier André Mack brought me a
fascinating chardonnay from Sonoma County, which oozed thick cream and
yet, after a few minutes in the glass, managed to yield a nose of sweaty
socks. Wonderful. (Kistler Vineyard, 2002 - $325.) And my red was even
more intriguing, for this was ‘M’ – Mr Keller’s very own Californian
cabernet. Not yet released for public sale, this was sternly structured,
but still fat and complex, with aromas of wet oak and dank cellars. This
is a very, very good New World wine. If, when it is released for sale,
you can find any, my advice is to snap it up. It has the quality and
provenance to be a cult wine, and its price will probably shoot up
accordingly.
New York is fortunate to have Per
Se. Its name, meaning ‘in and of itself’, suggests that it is
independent of The French Laundry. And, indeed, it is. Its atmosphere is
quite different. Yet it fully maintains the rigorous culinary standards
of its Californian cousin. Thomas Keller, by dint of massive talent and
boundless energy, has produced a second restaurant which is the equal of
his first. I would not have thought it possible. But the evidence is
there on Columbus Circle. The impossible has been achieved. Miracles do
happen. I advise you to go and see for yourself.
PER SE
10 Columbus Circle, 4 th Floor, Time Warner Centre, New York,
NY 10019, U.S.A.
Telephone +1 212 823 9335
Closed: lunch Monday to Thursday
Reservations accepted two months in advance
© 2005 Francis Bown. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. For reviews of hotels and
restaurants across the world, visit
www.BownsBest.com
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