Archive
NYC: Juni (Jan. 2014)
Authors: Monte and Tad
Exec Chef: Shaun Hergatt
January 20, 2014
Monte: I had tried SHO downtown when Chef Shaun Hergatt was still working there and thought it was great. I had been wondering what he had been up to when I randomly saw that Juni had reservations on OpenTable and I decided to google it since I had never heard of it. Surprise, it’s Shaun Hergatt’s restaurant. The lunch deal of 3 courses for $35 (or 2 courses for $30) looked accessible so Tad and I jumped on it (Tad edit: for the record, I would have jumped on it if it was $100 for three courses).
Tad: It’s been a while since I’ve written on Noms, mostly because I spent the last few months finding myself. After over two decades of schooling, I finally had to face the “real” world (or at least father threatened to cut me off unless I got a real job). So I guess this is my job for now…I will keep writing until I get bored.
I guessed that Shaun left SHO because catering Wall Street business lunches wasn’t what a chef of his caliber deserved (you can’t BUY discerning taste, to paraphrase the old adage). The new restaurant is a way for him to showcase his cuisine at a more centralized location, however icky the new location may be: Jungsik aside, it’s hard to think of Korean food, especially of the type in Koreatown, as anything but what you eat to demonstrate your worldliness in ethnic foods.
NYC: Le Bernardin (Dec. 2013)
Authors: Victor and Monty
Exec Chef: Eric Ripert
December 21, 2013
Food:
Amuse-bouche:
Left: Beet with goat parmesan.
Middle: Tuna tartare with soy glaze and potato crisp.
Right: Cauliflower soup with potato foam and parmesan tuile.
Monte: Oh mah lordy lord this was a marvelous start to the meal. From left to right you first get a soft cheesy bite of sweetness, next a wonderful textural contrast with crispy and creamy salty goodness, and lastly a wonderfully aromatic rich soup. Wunderbar.
San Sebastián: Akelarre (Nov. 2013)
Author: Victor
Exec Chef: Pedro Subijana
Website: http://www.akelarre.net/public_home/ctrl_home.php?lang=en
November 3, 2013
Akelarre (or Akelaŕe) was the last of the restaurants that I had on my list for San Sebastián, and it was also the last meal I had before heading to Barcelona. The restaurant itself has a wonderful view of the sea, so try to reserve a seat near the window if you get the chance. Most tables are near the window and have a view of the water, though you should try to avoid any of the tables farthest from the window—they don’t really have a view of the water
You have an option of three tasting menus: a land-based one, water-based one, and one with some of the Akelarre’s classics. I went with the classics (even though I generally like “newer” dishes) because I wanted to try what helped make this restaurant and Chef so famous. I also added the suckling pig as a supplement because it just sounded so dang good haha.
Monte
Victor
tadv3
Happy Noms 