Jean Georges (New York, New York)

If our next number of anniversary dinners  were as good as our last two, Kristen and I are in for a serious treat for years.  After going to Alinea last year, we notched another 3 Michelin star this year.  In New York for a wedding, we had one free lunch slot available, which we spent at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous flagship restaurant, Jean Georges.  

Walking into the Trump International a few minutes before our 11:45 lunch reservation, it was only a  short wait until we were led to our two top in the back of the second dining room.  Jean Georges is perhaps the best value among the 3 starred restaurant in the States, offering a two course menu for $38, with an option to add on extra courses at $19 apiece.  After agonizing over the decisions on what to get, Kristen decided to get two courses, and I chose to add on a third course.  Given a number of seafood courses, I also chose to drink a Riesling, 2008 Dr. F. Weins-Prum Graacher Himmelreich.  

Bread service at Jean Georges came in the form of four offerings: wheat sourdough, sesame, Swedish rye, and a ciabatta roll.  Following the bread, a trio of amuses were served to us.  Starting at the bottom was a fluke carpaccio, topped with pickled rhubarb and a black truffle vinaigrette.  The waiter told us it was black truffle, but I believe he was mistaken and it was a black pepper vinaigrette.  The fish was clearly fresh of high quality, but the pickled rhubarb was far too strong for the milder fish and was all I could taste.  Continuing clockwise, the next bite was an oyster cracker filled with champagne mango goat cheese.  This was a delightful taste, creamy and crisp.  The last amuse was a almond and spring garlic gazpacho, which was suitably garlicky but not overpowering.

The first courses arrived next in the form of a parsnip soup and crispy crab.   The hot parsnip soup was poured tableside over a cold coconut cream mousse and lime foam.  This was a example of simplicity at its finest.  There were only three components, combining sweet, tart, and savory flavors in each bite.  Was it worth $19?  Not sure, but I can’t think of a better soup I've ever ordered.  Kristen’s first course was a take on a crab cake.  A cylinder of crab, devoid of filler, was coated with panko and fried, and topped with a variety of fruits, including cantaloupe, pineapple ribbons, avocado, and passion fruit.   The cake was very rich from the crab, while the fruits lightened things up.  Hidden underneath the fruit was a pink peppercorn mustard, which reminded me of Chinese mustard.  It matched well with the other components and also cut the richness of the crab as well.

My add-on course came next, which was seared sea scallops and caramelized cauliflower with a caper-raisin emulsion.  This is a signature dish of Jean-Georges, and I can see why.  The scallops were nicely cooked, still rare on the interior.  The cauliflower was deeply caramelized (look at the perfect browning!), but just before one would consider them to be starting to be burnt.  I wasn’t sure initially about the caper-raisin emulsion, but found it to be a harmonious fit, matching the scallop’s sweetness and brininess.  Since I was the only one to receive the second course, the waitstaff thoughtfully brought Kristen an extra plate, allowing us to easily share the course.

For the final savory course, I ordered another Jean Georges signature, the Black Sea Bass Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, served in a sweet and sour broth.  The bass was moist and the crust added a earthy, nutty dimension to the fish.  The fish sat atop tomatoes, potatoes, edamame, and pearl onions.  I was advised to eat the fish with a spoon, to take in the fish simultaneously with the broth.  The range of flavors in the dish was extraordinary, with tartness coming from the tomatoes and broth, the latter likely emulsified with what I assume was a pound of butter.   This was my favorite dish that we had.

Kristen chose the Wagyu Beef Tenderloin served with Gorgonzola Puffs, and a pickled ramp fondue.   The cool ramp fondue was poured over the beef tableside, which sat atop a spring onion puree.  The beef was cooked medium rare, but was slightly tougher than expected. We both enjoyed our Wagyu tenderloin at Cut in Las Vegas better, as it didn't have quite the same unctuousness.  I didn’t have any complaints with the accompaniments.  While we still enjoyed the beef and is still one of the better beef dishes that I’ve had, it wasn’t as exciting or delicious as the black bass dish, even though it carried a hefty supplement fee with it.

Both of us fully sated, we decided to split one dessert.  Desserts at Jean Georges are multiple compositions on one plate.  For lunch, two variations are offered based on a single theme, while four are on a single plate for dinner.  We settled on the Carmel dessert after briefly considering the chocolate.   On the left side of the plate was a sticky toffee cake with young coconut sorbet and tamarind caramel.  The toffee cake was sweet, buttery, and moist, and the coconut sorbet helped temper the richness of the cake.   The second dessert was Caramelized Pineapple with Carrot Cake and Molasses.  This side seemed a bit unfinished when compared to its counterpart.  It just seemed like some fruit and cake bits were thrown on a plate together.  The dots of cream cheese frosting were delicious, though.

To finish the afternoon meal, our servers brought us the mignardises:  a quartet of chocolates, sesame macarons, and vanilla marshmallows.  Our favorite of the four chocolates  was the peanut butter and jelly.  

The service at Jean Georges was at a very high level.  Water was never more than half empty before being refilled.  After each course, plates were removed in unison and the table was crumbed.  Each time we needed to leave the table, as we started to get up, a member of the waitstaff appeared just in time to slide out our table for more room to stand and to refold our napkins for when we came back.   Pacing was also perfectly timed, never waiting too long for the next course while never feeling rushed.   

We enjoyed every minute of our 2 hour lunch and would recommend it to anyone.  It is a fantastic deal to dine at lunch at Jean Georges.  Even though it is a splurge restaurant, and we just ate here, it will be on my short list of restaurants to visit the next time I find myself in New York.

Jing Fong Restaurant (New York, NY)

One place we absolutely had to hit up was a dim sum restaurant in the Chinatown area of New York.  After walking around the area for awhile, we decided to stop in at Jing Fong.  From the street, Jing Fong looks like a typical New York restaurant; cramped and tight to make use of the smaller spaces.  But once we walked in, wow.  This place was huge!

The food itself is what one would expect from a typical dim sum cart service lunch.  The food was either piping hot or slightly cool, depending on how long it sat on the cart.  But even though the food itself was nothing special, it was still quite tasty and definitely filling.

Veggie and Shrimp Dumpling | Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Puffs

Potstickers | Shrimp Mousse Rolls | Taro Croquette (Woo Kok)

Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai

Shrimp and Vegetable Har Gow

Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)

Friend Turnip Cakes (Lo Bak Go)

Hom Sui Gok

Pork and Vegetables Wrapped in Bean Curd (Sin Chet Kuen)

If we ever make it back, we'd love to try this place again or check out a different dim sum restaurant the New York Chinatown area has to offer.

Salute (New York, NY)

We were excited to spend a few days in New York for my sister-in-law's wedding and especially excited to try some of the restaurants in the area.  Salute is an Italian bistro/restaurant and was recommended to us by the hotel concierge, so we decided to try it out.

Di Campo | Baby Mixed Greens | Tomatoes | Balsamic Vinaigrette | Pizza Bread

Gazpacho | Heirloom Tomato | Cucumber | Onion | Jalapeno

We started with a salad and the gazpacho soup.  The salad was nothing above and beyond even though it was priced as such ($14).  However, the gazpacho was a good start to the meal with the sweetness of the tomato nicely balanced with the spiciness of the jalapeno.

As part of the recommendation from the concierge, she let us know Salute is known for their pasta dishes.  We accordingly ordered four separate pasta dishes to test this theory.

Tortelloni | Ricotta Cheese | Tomato Basil Sauce

Tagliatelle | Ragu of Beef, Pork, and Veal

Pappardelle | Lamb Ragu

Linguine | Lobster | Clams | Mussels | Tomato and White Wine Sauce

Each of the pasta dishes were quite delicious.  My favorite was the tagliatelle with the ragu of beef, pork, and veal.  The thicker cut pasta held up well against the robust three meat ragu.  The seafood linguine was also another favorite; however, the lobster was slightly overcooked.  Both the pappardelle and tortelloni dishes were delicious as well.

If there was any complaint about the restaurant, it was that the atmosphere and service was a little stuffy for the type of dining environment it seemed like Salute was going for.  Regardless, the homemade pasta was fantastic and a good start to our vacation. 

Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Please welcome back Carli for part two of her New York guest post

Next up was Momofuku Noodle Bar. I've never been much of a sake fan, but the Momofuku sake was the best I remember having and was the perfect compliment to the meal.

We started with the steamed pork buns which looked so good (and matched that in taste) that I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. Please forgive me.

For my main course, I had the Momofuku ramen and it was probably the best bowl of noodles I've ever had. After surviving my college and early home-owner (read broke) days on 10 cent packages of grocery store ramen, it was a shock to realize what I didn't know I had been missing.

While I've done what I can to convince Chris that NYC would be a great place for us, he has made it quite clear he does not feel the same way. Although he sites reasons such as the pace of life, the expense of living and the traffic, secretly his is probably worried I will gain 200 pounds and have to be rolled around to my favorite restaurants. If I had the ramen at Momofuku everyday like I do in my dreams, it would probably only take a year or so.

Bryant Park Grill (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Thanks to my wife Carli for contributing a guest post about her recent trip to New York.

Anyone who knows me knows that my baby sister is getting married in NYC in August. If you know me a little better, you might know that I am happy to be included in all of the planning details. Thus, my recent trip to the Big Apple to help my sister iron out some of her big day details. As I did with my husband, each day of planning ended with some noms. While I was able to bribe my husband with cake tastings, my sister bribed me with meals the likes of which can not be found in my little corner of AZ.

Our first dinner was spent trying some of the wedding meal options at the Bryant Park Grill. For the first course, we tried bacon topped scallops and seared tuna. The scallops were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of bacon to seem decadent, without pushing the boundaries of gross man food. The tuna, on the other hand did not have the same high end feel and the bride and groom-to-be will most likely be choosing a second option to accompany the scallops.

We tasted four main courses that will have to be narrowed down to two. The pasta was almost immediately out as it could be found in my neck of the woods, which means that I probably could have cooked it while hung over (and I suck at cooking). The other three main courses were very good, however. The filet was pleasantly impressive with a texture and flavor to match, the mahi was predictable but good, and the lamb had just the right amount of gaminess to it.

For dessert we were provided a sampling of mini treats that the wedding guests would be given. Since I'm not that much of a dessert person, I would say that it was too much sweetness in all. But all in all, it was a good end to a great meal.