Per Se, Chef Thomas Kellers dream restaurant, has outgrown its growing pains and has now totally fulfilled Chef Keller’s mission to have a French Laundry grand dining experience in NYC.
I remember Chef Keller’s sheer joy and excitement when he first showed me around the kitchen, just after Per Se opened. I have been there many times since, but I now can say that this is one of the finest dining experiences in the world — in fact, I have decided to do my 60th birthday here.
David’s birthday was a classic five hour lunch in the private room, which is, in my opinion, the most beautiful private room in NYC. The food and service was 11 on a scale of 10. I will go into more detail about the menu in future additions to this blog, but for right now:
One of the greatest courses paired with wine I have ever had was the 1966 and 1978 La Mouline with the snake river farms “calotte de boef” — probably the best beef dish I have ever had, ever. The Chef, when we asked, was a tad reluctant to reveal his secret technique, but I think I was sous vide (however, the online recipe instructs, likes the chef stated, that this is a grilled dish: http://www.foodarts.com/recipes/recipes/980/calotte-de-boeuf-grill). More on this later.
The 1966 and 1978 La Mouline are amongst my top ten wines of all time — and these two bottles were near perfection. David brought these as his birthday gift to us, and no one was lost on the significance. 1966 was the first year Guigal made La Mouline, and his first child is incredible. No more left on earth, sorry. He continued and really found his mark in the profound 1978. Both bottles were perfect examples of this wine — quintessential elegance: utter balance with tannins fully resolved, viscosity and jamminess on the mouth and an otherworldly finish (due, in large part, to the viognier in the mix).
This is like drinking liquid gold, and the Per Se team created a dish that it so complimented — it was kinda mind blowing.
Next I will tell you about the 1966 DRC Richebourg (along with the other 1966 Burgs) with the pheasant dish — white meat and dark meat prepared separately with an incredible display of cooking technique… stay tuned for that.
