Address: 176 Perry Street, New York
http://jean-georges.com
Phone: 212-352-1900
Jean Georges' less formal and supposedly less expensive Perry Street restaurant was the third and final restaurant we went to during NYC restaurant week. This is also the restaurant which I had reserved for the biggest group - 9 people in total. I am not sure how "hot" the restaurant is, or still is, but I was able to get a table for 9 people about one month ago.It's hard not to notice those transparent minimalist apartment buildings driving by the downtown area of West Side Highway. But I only found out on the day of the dinner that one of these buildings actually houses Perry Street restaurant. Perhaps like many first timers, Gan and I thought the entrance to the residential apartments was the entrance to the restaurant since there's no sign outside to let us know otherwise. And obviously, we don't look we live there and were shooed off "politely" by the doorman to the restaurant next door.
Before Perry Street, we had been to a number of Chef Jean Georges' restaurants including his flagship restaurant Jean Georges, his Soho restaurant Mercer Kitchen, and his fusion restaurants Spice Market and Vong. Other than Vong, we were not extremely impressed by his restaurants. But I enjoyed the food at Perry St, and thought the restaurant week menu was done pretty well (limited menu, but done well). I really love the calamari appetizer with yuzu dipping sauce (a side order), the heirloom tomatoes & mozzarella salad and the Lemon flan & sorbet dessert. The Grilled Hanger Steak which Gan ordered was delicious too.
I noticed the waiters and waitresses at higher end restaurants are often less enthusiastic about serving customers during restaurant week. The waiter at Anthos behaved that way, and so did our waiter at Perry Street. Not to say that they were rude or anything, but a smile or some enthusiasm while talking our orders/serving us would be nice. Despite the slightly snobbish service/environment, the food at Perry Street did live up to my expectation. I definitely want to go back again to try out its regular menu.
Gan and the guys
The girls posing
Heirloom Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad
Crispy Calamari with Yuzu Dipping Sauce and Sesame
Sauteed Shrimp with Baby Artichokes, Lemon Fennel Vinaigrette and Paprika
House Made Mozzarella with Pickled Rhubarb and Black Pepper
Salmon with Shisito Peppers
Grilled Hanger Steak with Herbal Spinach and Liquid Gruyere
Lemon Flan and Sorbet Dessert
Molten Chocolate Cake with Pistacho Ice Cream
11 comments:
Hi, there, I ordered from the regular menu that day. Asparagus with Chinese mustard for starter, and steamed red snapper on mashed potato bed for main course. The lightly braised asparagus was succulent and refreshing, but the sauce was a snake's leg (redundant)-- a bit too salty and pungent, spoiling the purity of the main ingredient. I loved the steamed fish, which was meaty, smooth and milky. The potato bed enhanced the impression by bringing out the flavor of sweetness and sealing the moistness of the fish. The sauce for the fish was just light buttery broth. That's all it needs.
Side with you, the service was a big drawback. The stuffs were indifferent and quickly disappeared after presenting the dishes. It's very different from my last experience at a Jean Georges restaurant in Shanghai, for which I wrote a glamorous review in a magazine. I probably wouldn't go back to Perry Street anymore.
I wonder if the food/overall experience at Jean Georges in Shanghai is much better than Jean Georges in NYC. Gan and i were not too impressed with JG here, thought for the $$$$, Le Bernardin was much better and more consistent. I think the chef is trying to do too much with so many restaurants all over, and there's not enough quality control.
I would go back there again, but not any time soon since it'd definitely be more pricey with the regular menu. But I like the "less formal" atmosphere and subtle asian influences in their food, and would like to see what they have to offer :)
The decor and service in Shanghai were definitely better than Jean Georges in New York, in my opinion. But I always have problems with the so called Asian-American fusion (or any fusion) which usually stands up for nothing but a loss of characteristics of both parties.
The price of Perry St's regular menu is quite ok. The cost of the two dishes that I ordered was very similar to that of the dinner menu for restaurant week. =)
The decor, as you said, was sleek and modern. From my note, "while wide glass walls invite the daylight without any reservations, numerous glittering candles lighten the nighttime mildly, giving a foggy effect to the lounge mostly decorated in white."
Have you tried Daniel?
yes ate in Daniel a couple of years ago. the food was good, but wasn't wowed as well. I think the best fine dining french food I have eaten, was definitely Taillevent in Paris. Ze Best. Le Bernardin was awesome too.
i think Asian fusion can be great, but not many restaurants are able to do that successfully and keep it simple and subtle. I think Chef Eric Ripert and Chef David Bouley are two chefs who really understood Asian ingredients and techniques and know how to utilize them to enhance their food/dishes. I heard Thomas Keller is also famous for using Asian ingredients. So I'd really love to eat at Per Se and French Laundry one of these days.
Oh, I didn't know that you'd been to Taillevent before. I went there with my parents to celebrate their anniversary a couple of years ago. Un repas extraordinaire! =D
Ok, I'll put Le Bernardin on my list to try. As for Per Se, I heard very different opinions from my friends. But SJ likes Thomas Keller a lot from reading his books, so probably we'll take a try sometime soon.
yes, definitely check out Le Bernardin before Chef Eric Ripert gets too busy with his new restaurant, Westend Bistro in DC, which opened sometime last year. I think he's still quite involved in cooking at Le Bernardin, if not we wouldn't have caught a glimpse of him at the restaurant last December.
Thanks, Sarah. It's always fun talking to you. Keep writing :)
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