Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Gary, Meena, Missy and I went to Nougatine at Jean Georges. This is the casual dining side of the famous Jean Geroges flagship restaurant. Reservations were very difficult to get (most of the good ones are for restaurant week) but it was so worth it. One of my top five meals ever.
Restaurant week is always a $35 prix fixe menu. Sometimes the restaurants skimp and give you little food, or some of the cheaper items. Not Nougatine. We browsed the menu and made our selections, only to be surprised that we didn't have to choose; it's a tasting menu and you get it all! We also ordered a bottle of wine and a couple additional appetizers. Here's what we had:
I can't remember the wine we had. It was the cheapest on the menu and fantastic. A chilled red wine (though it wasn't called a Rosé), perfect for this hot summer day.
Shrimp Ceviche
Watermelon "soup"
A couple excellent pre starters
Melon Soup
I can't remember what this was exactly but it was great. Very light, cold soup with lots of fresh melon. Other interesting flavors including some red pepper flakes to gives it an occasional kick.
Foie Gras Brulee
Wow this was amazing. Probably the best I've ever had
Bluefin Tuna Tartare
A common, simple dish but done very well. They put guacamole with the tuna. I loved that!
Slow Baked Salmon
The fish was evenly cooked all the way through. The sauce was perfect
Veal
A few slices of veal with lots of herbs and some slices of red pepper. Absolutely perfect. So many subtle flavors coming together. Our whole table was trying to pick out all the flavors we tasted, kind of like wine tasting.
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
Some peach thing with a fancy name, with peanuts, fresh berries, and sesame ice cream
Really, really incredible desserts. And not too much, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.
At the end of the meal we were full, but not stuffed. I didn't at all feel like I had had too much to eat. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more. The food and service were perfect. This restaurant definitely deserves 3 stars from Michelin (and 5 stars from iSachin).
I am moving Jean Georges (the formal dining room) to the top of my "to do" list.
Price paid for food: $45
Regular price: $70
Would pay: $70
Here's a picture of me in the bathroom:
Restaurant week is always a $35 prix fixe menu. Sometimes the restaurants skimp and give you little food, or some of the cheaper items. Not Nougatine. We browsed the menu and made our selections, only to be surprised that we didn't have to choose; it's a tasting menu and you get it all! We also ordered a bottle of wine and a couple additional appetizers. Here's what we had:
I can't remember the wine we had. It was the cheapest on the menu and fantastic. A chilled red wine (though it wasn't called a Rosé), perfect for this hot summer day.
Shrimp Ceviche
Watermelon "soup"
A couple excellent pre starters
Melon Soup
I can't remember what this was exactly but it was great. Very light, cold soup with lots of fresh melon. Other interesting flavors including some red pepper flakes to gives it an occasional kick.
Foie Gras Brulee
Wow this was amazing. Probably the best I've ever had
Bluefin Tuna Tartare
A common, simple dish but done very well. They put guacamole with the tuna. I loved that!
Slow Baked Salmon
The fish was evenly cooked all the way through. The sauce was perfect
Veal
A few slices of veal with lots of herbs and some slices of red pepper. Absolutely perfect. So many subtle flavors coming together. Our whole table was trying to pick out all the flavors we tasted, kind of like wine tasting.
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
Some peach thing with a fancy name, with peanuts, fresh berries, and sesame ice cream
Really, really incredible desserts. And not too much, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.
At the end of the meal we were full, but not stuffed. I didn't at all feel like I had had too much to eat. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more. The food and service were perfect. This restaurant definitely deserves 3 stars from Michelin (and 5 stars from iSachin).
I am moving Jean Georges (the formal dining room) to the top of my "to do" list.
Price paid for food: $45
Regular price: $70
Would pay: $70
Here's a picture of me in the bathroom:
