NY DAY 4: FROM HIGH BROW TO LOW BROW

We had only one thing to do on our last day in NY, and that was lunch at the famed Jean Georges Restaurant. Now, as many of you know, Jean Georges is one of the few restaurants in NY that has been awarded 4 stars by the NY Times. I've only been to only one other 4 star restaurant, and that was Per Se. Amazingly enough, Jean Georges does a lunch prix fixe menu that's very reasonable. You get two courses for $28 and each additional course is $12. (Dessert is only $8, and considering the price of dessert yesterday at KO Prime, that's a freaking bargain).

So Tom, my cousin Jeany and I headed off to Trump International on Columbus Circle. When we arrived, we were escorted through Nougatine (the casual part of the restaurant) into Jean Georges. The dining room was very small (actually, I think it was smaller the Nougatine) and I'm sure it couldn't seat more than 50 people. The rooms was bright and airy, with high ceilings, but I immediately started noticing some flaws- the stain from a spilled drink on the carpet, the smudge on the white tablecloth, paint faded on the dishwear...small details, but details that a 4 star restaurant isn't supposed to miss. Perhaps it was because we were dining while the sun was streaming into the restaurant that I noticed these flaws, and they would be less noticeable during dinner service, when the lighting of the restaurant would make in dimmer and change the atmosphere.

The service was quick, attentive and pleasant, though I could sense the disappointment when we didn't ordered wine with our meal. When we opened up our menus, we realized that it was very seafood heavy. A ton of fish, which isn't unusual for summer, but with Jeany being pregnant, she didn't have a ton of choices. I, on the other hand, had a tough time trying to decide what I'd be ordering and Tom ended up getting 3 lunch courses.

I did order a fun passion fruit lime soda, which was quite tasty. I do love passion fruit. And soon we were serve our amuse bouche (compliments of the chef). Below, you'll see a shrimp, a mini spring roll and a chilled mango soup.

My favorite (actually I think everyone's favorite) item was the mini spring roll. It contained a very familiar Asian plant, but I don't know the name in English. But this is when Jeany first noted that there's a progression of flavors in your mouth. You start out with something, and it becomes something else. Take for example, the mango soup. I wasn't a fan of it, but the first thing you tasted was salt. Then there's a hint of sweetness from the mango and it finishes wish a slight tingle and heat from a mild chili. It really makes you think, and this would be repeated the same experience would be repeated throughout the rest of the meal. And I must say, I think this is the first time I've had an eating experience like this.

Next up was my first course. It was grilled prawns on shitake mushrooms and topped with a yuzu foam. When it first arrived, I was surprised at the sheer amount of foam. First, I kinda feel that foams are very 5 years ago, and I've never been a huge fan of them. Plus, foam was also used in Tom's appetizer of sashimi.

Again with this dish you have that same progression of flavors. The slight sweet/sour character of the foamy. The saltiness of the shrimp, and there was a mayo-like sauce spread on the bottom of the plate. It was pretty good, and really filling.

Next up was Tom's second course. A dish of scallops with cauliflower and caper sauce.

I'm picturing it here cause I really enjoyed the pairing of cauliflower and scallops. It's not something I'd ever think of, but the sweetness of the cauliflower really enhanced the flavor of the scallops. However, the capers sauce was far too salty and overwhelment the entire dish. It should've been used sparingly.

Next up, my second course. Poached halibut with Shimeji mushrooms and lemongrass water. This was my favorite dish of the entire meal.

The halibut was cooked well, maybe like 30 seconds too long, but it was still tender. And once again, you have that same progression of flavors: the earthiness of the mushrooms, the sweetness of the fish and the spice of the lemongrass. It looks simple, but really was quite complex.

For his third course, Tom had sweetbreads, which he enjoyed, saying they were very well cooked and tender. Oh also, during our meal, we actually did see the chef, Jean Georges Vongerichstein. He came out to the dining room to greet some of his VIP diners, and I always say, it's great to see a chef in one of his long running restaurants. I mean, he really didn't need to be there. It was a Monday, lunch service, and the summer. Could you ask for a slower time? And I was recently reading an article about his plans of developing an eatery in Mexico City. Yet, there he was, checking up on his restaurant, and I admire that.

By this point in the meal, we were all stuffed, but I insisted that everyone order dessert, because the pastry chef, Johnny Iuzzini, is very well known, and I wanted to see what he was doing. Jean Georges is well known for serving "themed" desserts. For lunch you get 2 small plates (dinner you get 4) which revolve around a theme, like chocolate. I ordered "summer", Jeany ordered "rhubarb" and Tom get "chocolate."

Here's my summer dessert: I was really excited by it because I got a mini cherry souffle with a side of chocolate ice cream and a plate of macerated peaches with candied pistachios and farmer's cheese. Unfortunately, I wasn't totally in love with it. The souffle was a bit undercooked and the peaches were kinda mealy. Half way through, I made Tom trade with me.

Here's his chocolate dessert:
There's a Jean Georges chocolate cake (aka, a molten chocolate cake) with a side of vanilla ice cream, and chocolate panini with hazelnut, olives and cheese (I forget which kind). I must say, the panini was my favorite dessert, just for its interesting combination of flavors and the crunchy chocolate "bread". The chocolate souffle was also well made, but not anything new.

Lastly, here's Jeany's rhubarb dessert:
The thing on the right is some type of rhubarb slushy, that Jeany enjoyed. She let us have the rhubarb cake with yogurt ice cream on the left. I gotta say, it wasn't all that great.

And of course, you gotta finish with the complimentary petit fours. Here's a plate of chocolates:I was surprised at how well made the chocolates were. Usually when pastry chefs make chocolates, they don't turn out great. (The ones at Per Se weren't stellar) But these were very well made.

And finally, a side of homemade marshmallows (in vanilla, mint and stawberry) and some mini macaroons.I wasn't a fan of the marshmallows, though I applaud the cute idea (having them cut in front of you fresh from a jar). And the mini macaroons were good, but too tiny to really proffer an opinion on.

Up to this point, our meal was well timed and the serving staff quite attentive. But after the desserts were served, we were basically ignored. We had finished eating, plates had been cleared and we had to wait 20 minutes before getting our check. We would've asked for it if our server was anywhere near us, but he was too busy serving his other tables. Plus, the valet service and door service at Trump International in general leaves much to be desired. They should keep in mind that dining is an entire experience, and waiting an additional 15 minutes in 90F heat post lunch for your car to be pulled out of valet (in addition to the $25 they charge), doesn't make a diner leave happy.

Overall, we had a pleasant dining experience, and I'm sure it's a different restaurant during dinner service. But based on our experience, I just feel that Jean Georges was more like a 3 star restaurant than a four star one. For me, we didn't have any truly memorable dishes. Ones that we'd remember and talk about later (Like the chestnut agnolotti or the oysters and pearls at Per Se) I don't think we'll be back, too many other places to try, but if you're looking for a fancy lunch at a bargain price, Jean Georges is the way to go.

After finishing lunch, we started on our long drive back to Boston. I say long, because we got delayed on the departure and ended up in the middle of rush hour traffic. We made one stop to get gas and ended up grabbing dinner at a Friendly's. My very first trip to Friendly's (though I see them all the time)
I was expecting to be like a fast food take out place, more like Wendy's, but turns out, it's a sit down restaurant more like Denny's (with really ugly decor that's suppose to invoke memories of your aunt or grandmother's place).

We still had a way to go, so I didn't want to order anything too heavy. I got a salad and soup combo. Hands down, this is one of the worst salads/meals that I've had in a long time. The soup tasted like Progresso and the salad just didn't taste like salad. When I ordered it with Italian dressing, the server proudly presented me with a bottle of Ken's Lite Italian dressing, proudly proclaiming that I got the whole bottle. The only edible thing on the plate was the garlic bread. I should've just ordered an ice cream sundae, which looked quite good.

Meanwhile, Tom got a turkey burger. Which he said was edible. I snacked on some of his fries.I only include this because this meal was the polar opposite of the one we'd had early in the day. But it just shows our ability to go from high brow meals, to low brow meals, all in the course of 6 hours.