Archive
NYC: Per Se (Mar. 2013)
Author: Victor
Restaurant: Per Se
Exec Chef: Thomas Keller
Chef de Cuisine: Eli Kaimeh
Date March 3, 2013
Notes:
My friends Ava and Fangda are celebrating their birthdays this month, so we decided to go eat here to celebrate!
The server spilled water on Ava twice while pouring water :(. She even spilled a little water on Ava’s “Fish and Chips” course and left as if nothing had happened. It was kiiiiiind of awkward, and it was a rare instance of less-than-perfect service here :(.
I would add more food commentary and whatnot, but… I’m really, really full. I somehow found myself eating at Minetta Tavern two hours after finishing this meal :(. (We sat near Common and Vanessa Williams at Minetta Tavern, though, so that was pretty cool!)
Also, I feel compelled to mention this: Ava somehow finished 20 of the 24 chocolates. That was kind of REALLY impressive.
NYC Kaiseki: Kyo Ya (Feb. 2013)
Author: Victor
Restaurant: Kyo Ya
Chef: Chikara Sono
Date: February 23, 2013
Notes:
-A lot of friends have been saying that Kyo Ya has pretty amazing kaiseki, so I’ve wanted to try it for a while now. However, I never got around to actually trying it until recently, when I finally found some friends who were willing to go with me.
-A lot of the ingredients in the meal were seasonal, and I definitely appreciate how Chef Sono tries to use the best ingredients available.
-Overall, it was a pretty great kaiseki meal! A lot of the courses and ingredients didn’t have flavors that were too strong, so I can definitely see why people see Kyo Ya as really authentic—many of the flavors were more subtle and nuanced.
NYC: Daniel (Feb. 2013)
Author: Victor, Monte, and Tad
Restaurant: Daniel
Exec Chef: Daniel Boulud
Date: February 18, 2013
Notes:
Victor:
-I’ve been wanting to come back for a while now, and Monday was a good chance to! The meal was great and better than the other meals I’ve had here before.
-The service was great except for one small issue. I asked for menus after the meal, and the server said he’d give us menus, but both of us forgot after the meal :(. Still, shouldn’t he write that down or something so that he can remember after the meal?
Monte: I had been here 2 years before and was far from impressed. However, this meal was outstanding all around – even the presentation, something I normally don’t care about, brought out a wow from me.
Tad: Daniel Boulud – the Donald Trump of the restaurant world. Although, when you are this skilled, you deserve to flaunt it. Our waiter was excellent, although a menu at the end would have been nice to remember all the dishes we had. The meal was unapologetically French, and I say that with sincere fondness and satisfaction. Excellent plating, immaculate technique. As you will read, there were a few missteps with flavor, but all in all, an excellent and memorable meal.
Monte
Victor
tadv3
Happy Noms 