Friday, May 26, 2006

Jean Georges - New York
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been working full-time everyday, so I come back pretty exhausted. I still haven't fully recovered from finals week either. So far, I'm loving my job, so I don't mind spending my days in the office. The first day, we went out to lunch at Kokkari Estiatorio, which I had wanted to go to for a while. It was good, but not as great as I had hoped; more about that later. The Ferry Building is 5 minutes away from my office, so I've been visiting pretty much every day. I couldn't have asked for a better location to work. But before I start on SF eats, I will just finish up two more posts on NY: Jean Georges and Le Bernardin.

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Jean Georges is a New York City establishment located on the ground level of the Trump Hotel. The restaurant is split into the main dining room and Nougatine, the "casual" dining area. The particular meal I had was during lunch in the main dining room.

AmusesSanta Barbara sea urchin w/ jalapeneo and black bread; fennel soup; sea bream salad with sesame vinaigrette

The amuses were all great. The sea urchin was sweet and creamy, and the bread added a good crunch. The jalapeneo, which was quite Nobu-esque, added a good savory and spicy touch. The best thing about the fennel soup was that it had a dollop of green and grassy olive oil.

BREADAnd of course, the bread was great.

Egg CaviarEgg caviar

The first course was a Vongerichten signature, the famed egg caviar. The egg is loosely scrambled, then topped with a whipped cream seasoned with vodka, salt, and pepper. Then it is topped with a generous scoop of caviar. It was a good contrast of temperatures (hot egg, cold cream) as well as textures. Quite indulgent and super delicious.

Sea scallops, caper-raisin emulsion, cauliflowerScallops with cauliflower and caper-raisin emulsion

My taste buds were pretty saturated that morning, so I opted for something light-ish. The scallops were good, but pretty typical of a seared scallop dish at a good restaurant.

Honey-NutHoney-Nut: Warm orange blossom honey tart, charred orange,walnut butter, cranberry honey nougat glace/ cranberry-anise star compote, almond

DSC_0475.JPGAs a sucker for tarts and citrus and honey, I was compelled to choose this theme. The tart was crumbly and buttery, and the filling was smooth and had a very intense honey flavor. The walnut butter was a bit too rich, even with the tart citrus slices.

DSC_0476The compote was just alright. The star anise was too overpowering and the cooked+syruped fruit/honey combo/sweet almond tuille combo was way too sweet. I didn't even finish this.

ChocolatesChocolates.
MarshmallowsHomemade marshmallows are cut tableside. I liked the original one the most.

MacaroonsMacaroons were all good. Light and airy with just the right amount of cream.

I can't really say my lunch at Jean Georges was spectacular, but that may be because of the items I ordered. Le Bernardin, a comparable restaurant in terms of price, was a much better experience.

Jean Georges
1 Central Park West
New York, NY 100023

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3 Comments:

Blogger Joy said...

You're back in town, girl? We so need to do some lunch.

xoxo
Restaurant Whore

5/30/2006 5:37 PM  
Blogger NS said...

I had dinner at Jean-Georges back in March, and it was truly spectacular. It seems to me that the items you were served do not even begin to capture what the kitchen is capable of -- so I would definitely recommend that you give the restaurant another shot!

6/19/2006 8:34 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Great place, take a look at it at www.culturedivine.com

4/27/2009 5:51 PM  

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