June 13, 2014
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| (JG signature) Sea Scallops, Caramelized Cauliflower and Caper-Raisin Emulsion - 2+ J's comment > very tasty & fresh, the sauce worked wonderfully w the scallops; I'll admit I was a tad worried when I saw how thin the scallops were and how crisped it was at the top - it looked like it was overdone frankly, but no, the scallops were cooked perfectly |
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| Sautéed Halibut, Lily Bulb-Radish Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette - 2 J's comment > not bad; lovely sear on the fish, cooked perfectly, flavor OK but could have used a tad more sauce, and well, something to 'prop it up' from its one-dimensional flavors |
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| (JG signature) Young Garlic Soup with Thyme and Sautéed Frog Legs - 2 J's comment > not bad; would have liked a stronger garlic flavor; ironically, butter lover that I am, I thought there was a tad too much cream in this; FYI, you're supposed to dip the frog legs into the soup before munching on the drumsticks - cute, but I would have preferred the meat to have been served boneless; FYI, we were provided w 'towels' afterwards to wipe our fingers with (exactly like the ones provided @ Prestons) |
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| (JG signature) Lobster Tartine, Lemongrass and Fenugreek Broth, Pea Shoots - 2 J's comment > not bad; lobster fresh, but broth slightly underwhelming; loved the insanely crisped toasted piece of baguette underneath (hence the 'tartine'), but definitely not enough for all the lobster pieces piled on top |
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| Butter Poached Lobster, Saffron Tapioca, Gewurztraminer and Passion Fruit - 2 J's comment > not bad; the foam you see is Gewurztraminer foam! The flavor of the wine was quite prominent, and made a lovely side kick to the actual star, being the lobster, which was fresh and all that, but the foam definitely got huge props for being so unusual |
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| Green Asparagus, Wild Oregon Morels, Asparagus Jus - 2 J's comment > not bad; the most tender yet largest asparagus I've ever seen; morels & sauce were a nice accompaniment |
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| (JG signature) Turbot with Château Chalon Sauce - 2 J's comment > not bad; would have like a bit of a sear to the turbot, but poach was alright; the real star was the sauce though, which, like the Gewurztraminer foam above, retained the wine flavor wonderfully; still, I can't just eat sauce... |
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| Diver Scallop Carpaccio, Anise Hyssop and Lime - 2 J's comment > not bad; surprisingly not too greasy considering the amt of oil underneath the scallops |
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| (JG signature) Egg Caviar - 2 J's comment > not bad; creamy eggs w the subtlest caviar I've ever had (not that I've had a lot in the past, mind you), but from what I remember of the past caviars, in comparison, this particular type wasn't nearly as salty nor fishy, but I didn't think it was particulary 'wow' either; actually, I think I prefer the Northern Divine caviar |
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| Amuse bouche: Salmon w pine nuts - 2 J's comment > not bad; quite a tasty mouthful of fresh salmon and the texture of the pine nuts made this interesting |
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| (JG signature) Broiled Squab, Onion Compote, Corn Pancake with Foie Gras - 2 J's comment > slightly disappointing; the squab was a tad overdone and impossible to cut despite the sharp knives provided; corn pancake was OK, but the foie gras wasn't nearly as rich and creamy as it could be, in fact I think it was borderline dry |
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| Rack of Colorado Lamb, Smoked Chili Glaze, Spring Onion and Broccoli Rabe - 2 J's comment > salty; really salty; meat was cooked to medium rare as suggested, but the actual texture of the lamb was slightly stringy; not a fan; no, not at all |
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| Meyer Lemon Gelée with Caviar and Crème Fraîche - 2 J's comment > kinda like a lemon jelly, but really toned down sourness notes; caviar was the same as the scoopful on the egg above |
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| Amuse bouche: Spiced strawberry and cucumber on beet puree - 2 J's comment > spicy as advertised, really strong strawberry flavor w just a touch of cucumber notes |
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| Amuse bouche: Yogurt cucumber soup w beet syrup and Thai chili - 2 J's comment > definitely got the yogurt flavor w a slight kick (the chili I bet); everything else... not so much |
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| Assorted bread & unsalted butter - 2 J's comment > right off the bat, we had a sneaking suspicion that our following meal was not going to be as fantastical as we were expecting of a 3 star Michelin restaurant; first of all, the bread was served lukewarm / room temp; all the breads were dense, especially the pretzel and the ciabatta which had really chewy exteriors; if I absolutely had to pick one on to gnaw on though, I had a slight preference for the sourdough as it was the least dense |
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| (JG signature) Chocolate Dessert Tasting - 2+ J's comment > phenomenal molten chocolate lava cake w the vanilla ice cream side kick, truly impressed; other items on the dish were also intriguing, but not to die for |
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| Strawberry Dessert Tasting - 2+ J's comment > excellent macerated strawberries - not saccharine as is so often the case, paired beautifully w the airy sponge cake and vanilla creme; other items on the dish were definitely understudies |
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| Complimentary house made marshmallows - 2 J's comment > not bad; softest marshmallows I've ever had, but not much flavor to these |
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| Complimentary macarons - 2 J's comment > not bad; airy and not too dense; both advertised flavors, strawberry & rose, permeated clearly; macaron to macaron though, Jungsik's ginseng macaron's texture (foregoing the flavor cause I dislike ginseng to begin with) was much better |
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| Complimentary p'tit fours chocolates, fruit jelly & caramel rice wraps - 2 J's comment > not bad overall, the caramel rice wraps were quite well done actually, just the slightest bit of caramel, not too much, not too sweet either; chocolates and fruit jelly were OK |
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| More chocolate to take home (same kind as the ones above) |
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| Palate cleanser: Sorbet balls on crisps - 2 J's comment > avg sorbet; crisps were a tad hard though (I think it had to be to not melt under the sorbet), neither went very well w the other |
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| Cherry-Yuzu house made fresh fruit soda - 2 J's comment > not bad; definite cherry and yuzu flavors as promised and not too sweet |
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| Passion Fruit-Lime house made fresh fruit soda - 2 J's comment > not bad; like the other soda above, the advertised flavors were present, yet not too sweet, but I thought the combo above made a better pairing; FYI, this was on the house as our server kinda forgot about it and we had to remind her of it |
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| Boulevardier - 2 J's comment > not bad; smooth, one of the better boulevardiers I've had in the past, but not terrific |
Menu
Extra Comments
Jean Georges got three Michelin stars for 2014, but the only factor at this restaurant that I would give a 3 star is the service which was impeccable: the plates (simply designed but very pretty plates BTW) were set down and removed in synchronization and the servers were not pushy or snobby. The food, whilst really not bad, was... well, not what I expected from a 3 Michelin star restaurant. Not even a 1 Michelin star restaurant really. Or alternatively, if Jean Georges is a 3 Michelin star restaurant, Jungsik should have 7.
All three amuse bouches noted above were all served at once at the beginning of the meal, and then the courses just followed one after the other, with the p'tit fours, marshmallows, etc. all rushing in at the end; it felt just a bit overwhelming. My dining partner and I each ordered a different tasting menu (there's the Jean George's signatures, and then there's the 'regular' seasonal tasting menu); whilst no 3's were achieved today, I think the JG signature dishes had just the slightest edge over the seasonal tasting menu overall.
Final Note, despite the actual location of Jean Georges being so close to Central Park, you don't actually get to see the view of Central Park at all, just some hedges surrounding the front of the restaurant. Oh, and JG is actually the restaurant at the Trump Tower (as you'll note from the cover picture, it's not exactly the easiest to find off the street).
Labels: fine dining, french, michelin star, new york
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