Per Se
A tasting menu for two at superchef Thomas Keller's plushly impersonal 16-table dining room overlooking Columbus Circle will last three hours and set you back a cool 550 clams (and that's not counting drinks). So why are reservations harder to come by than courtside seats for the Knicks? Because, from the parade of Fabergé-worthy amuse-gueules to the hail of post-dessert chocolates in flavors like orange blossom, Per Se delivers the sort of polish, pampering, and obsessive attention to detail not found anywhere else outside of Keller's own award-winning Napa flagship, French Laundry. Expect Keller's legendary sourcing—quail, corn, and eggs from the smallest, most attentive farms in America—and his signature treats like butter-poached lobster, foie gras peach melba, and oysters and pearls (tapioca with Sterling white sturgeon caviar). That and the service, so classy, caring, and smart, will do more for your ego than years of therapy.
Tip: Try one of the restaurant's well-priced German Rieslings instead of a budget-busting California Cab.
As Featured In...
From Food & Wine, Apr 2008
“I was working at the world-renowned Per Se restaurant in Manhattan to pay my way through graduate school. ...” MORE>>
From Food & Wine, Jul 2007
“He uses them every chance he gets, often sourcing them from unusual places (among the eggs that he stocks at Per Se is the beautiful Araucana variety, which has pink, blue or yellow shells; his supplier is a 17-year-old girl from Connecticut). ...” MORE>>
From Food & Wine, Mar 2007
“'You’d expect more stuffiness from a place like this, especially because everyone is wearing a really nice suit,' says Ilan about Thomas Keller’s extraordinary restaurant. In addition to the exceptionally attentive service, Ilan likes the gracious welcome at Per Se’s hostess station. 'It’s not snobby. I don’t feel awkward about the way I act there,' he adds....” MORE>>
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