While we waited for our table at Jean Georges we took a seat in the velvet-couched lobby of Trump Tower with a few other couples also waiting to get in. We were seated at a round table near the entrance with very nice natural light – the whole room was full of sun, but there was no squinting necessary as it was masterfully diffused in the newly renovated space. Matt scared the server for a moment when he asked if it was ok if we split the plates (for the lunch menu people typically order two plates and a dessert). However, the server’s fears were assuaged when we listed off the 8 plates that we wanted to try.
Amuse bouche: House made mozzarella topped with pineapple, a crab fritter with spicy mustard and an herbal chicken soup. The crab was definitely the highlight of this course. The mozzarella was nice and the soup was a little bit reminiscent of a shot of wheat grass from the health food store, but not quite as potent. It had hints of herbal greenery but overall was not very flavorful. The fritter was good texture, good spice and did its job to wake my palate up to get ready for the meal ahead.
Sashimi of Madai, rhubarb semi-freddo and Sichuan peppercorn oil. At first the oil coated my palate and overwhelmed the other flavors. But, after another bite the madai was very fresh and the rhubarb semi-freddo was a good pair. This went very will with the ‘05 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris because they both had the combination of vegetal flavors and some residual sugary sweetness.
Foie gras brulee, pineapple-meyer lemon jam. YUM! This was probably my favorite dish of the whole meal. The top of the foie torchon had the perfect crispyness and a little salt, complemented by the tangy and sweet jam served on a little piece of toasted brioche. I have had bruleed foie before, but nothing this good. We were planning on getting another one of these with dessert to have with the Sauternes, but unfortunately that plan was vetoed by the closed kitchen (more on that later).
Steamed gulf shrimp, carrot juice, charentais melon and wasabi. The shrimp was cooked very well and the melon balls were delicious. Surprisingly, the carrot and kaffir lime broth was sweeter than the melon, but held a fresh pulpy carrot taste. This was one of our first hints at how Jean Georges had mastered the sauces and broths – there would be more liquid delight coming soon.
Sea scallops, caramelized cauliflower, caper-raisin emulsion. One of Matt’s biggest peeves is overcooked scallops, and these had just crossed the line to a little bit rubbery. We both enjoy our scallops almost completely rare but luckily for this dish the caper-raisin emulsion saved the day. It was surprisingly savory with a little bit of the caper acidity on the finish. I often have an aversion to cooked cauliflower ( I think this dates back to over-steamed heaps of it in pre-school) but this crispy, sweet cauliflower caused me no problems.
Skate with Chateau Chalon sauce. The skate was cooked perfectly in soft, almost stringy pieces that came apart with ease. They called the topping a brunois of zuchinni and tomato but the cut looked a little big to be a brunois (maybe I’m wrong here?). The Chalon sauce was fantastic – chicken stock, carrot juice, cayenne pepper and Chateau Chalon (which has a little bit of the same oxidized properties as port).
Sweetbreads, lightly pickled white asparagus, coriander and orange. I could call this REALLY good chicken nuggets, but that might be rude. However, these were tasty little fried treats, with an intial taste kind of like chicken and a finish with that dry, almost dusty innard quality. The sauces were nicely plated – the oil kept seperate from the other for a cool effect and there was a little bit of heat off the thai chili oil in the yellow sauce.
Rabbit roulade with panko breadcrumbs, garbanzo beans, dill, gewurztraminer and saffron broth. A quote from Mattt: “This broth is mean!” The garbanzo’s were still crunchy on the inside and the rabbit was cooked well, with strong flavors from the dill coming out in the meat. This was the special of the day and alll around a pretty good dish.
Roasted veal, braised artichokes, parmesan and lavender. Well, I am no knife master but this bad boy was pretty hard to cut. However, I will gladly overlook this for the tremendous flavor that it packed – the artichokes added a nice acidity to the dish and the sauce was very french and delicious – once again confirming the sauce assesment.
The heartbreak of the meal came next when we tried to order another foie for dessert and we were told the kitchen had already closed so they could not do it. I guess rules are rules, but one of us would have gladly jumped back to the kitchen and torched some foie and plopped some jam in a little bowl. Oh well.
in my excitement to eat it, i forgot to photograph the first dessert until it was far too late. It was on an apple theme: Toasted sesame cake, Green apple sorbet, Yuzu fruit fricasse, creme fraiche, caramelized Phyllo warm apple pie, Rum raisin ice cream, tamarind sparkling apple, pomegranate seeds, lillet froth and some dry crumbly stuff that looked like blue cheese and tasted like dehydrated space station ice cream.
Frozen chocolate po, Warm caramel tart, crispy olive-hazelnut praline, caramelized Bacon caramel curd, dehydrated sponge, roasted pineapple sorbet, coffee-cardamom Ice cream, vanilla soda, liquid caramel sphere.
Jean Georges’ chocolate cake, vanilla bean ice cream, Gianduja-Jasmine Mousse, chocolate Krispies, ricotta malted chocolate pain perdu, licorice, buttermilk banana cocoa noodles, peppermint broth, white chocolate ice cream
Chocolates – coconut, espresso, peppermint, pb&j, bergamont, sesame praline
apricot, caramel, raspberry pb&j macaroons
ginger, rose, vanilla marshmallow
The desserts were all quite nice, the warm chocolate cake was not too heavy but still super rich and delicious, the caramel curds were lacking a little, but the chocolate noodles were a playful texture and tasted good too. The mini macaroons were delicious, as were the chocolates but the marshmallows were nothing special.
overall, a very nice lunch.
