CHOO onthis

French Laundry, Per Se - these are restaurants that I always thought were like urban legends. Do they exist? If so, I probably would never be able to dine there. My friends Randy, Kat, Brian and May were in town and May (Mary - according to the reservation) made it happen.

Randy summed it up very well, by saying the meal was a bit of a roller coaster. The 4.5 hour meal started on an extremely high note with these amazing puff balls of gruyere cheese and a salmon tartare and creme fraiche “lollipop.” Mike K. referred to the creme fraiche as cream cheese and was corrected by the server and Brian proceeded to pretend to lick the salmon tartare as if he were licking a true lollipop. The experience was elevated with the next course… the “Oysters and Pearls” which is a dish that I think our entire party will never forget. Full of flavor, amazing textures and a portion big enough to have a good taste, and small enough to keep you wanting more. We began our descent with the Big Island Hearts of Peach Palm “Bavarois” and experienced some twists and turns with the Fletan en Panade De Pomme Verte, and Liberty Farm’s Pekin Duck. The ups for me, were the dishes I don’t typically order or like to eat but enjoyed at Per Se - the lobster, lamb and donuts!

More than the food though, and what I’ll remember about that night, was the company. I think we all felt a little misplaced and had several “who are we?” moments throughout, which made the reality of our conversation all the more hilarious. Some topics at the dining table (which was placed near an amazing view of Central Park) included: the poo Brian puts on his back to helps his allergies, weird thumbs, and poo in other contexts. We also sat obliviously through history as we heard someone yell - “Osama!” and disregarded it because we thought it was a joke.

A huge thanks to Thomas Keller for giving me a good meal, and an even bigger thank you to Randy, Kat, Brian, May, Mike, Steph, and Michael for giving me an experience.

“Oysters and Pearls”: “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar

Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster: Sweet Carrots, Hadley Orchards’ Medjool Dates, Violet Artichokes, Petite Basil and Bottarga Vinaigrette

Elysian Fields Farm’s Lamb: “Cassoulet” of Shelling Beans, Red Pepper “Raviolo,” Thyme Leaves and Parmesean “Nuage”

Donuts.