We wish everyone could dine by the hand of Thomas Keller, who continues to set the bar on both coasts. Per Se has taken well to the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, the recognizable French Laundry blue doors welcome here too, though, these are a front for fast moving glass panes which slide open instead. This entrance proves just as unforgettable; a reminder that while Per Se embodies the same principles of excellence as The French Laundry, anticipate a different transformational experience. Wood and stone tones accent, giving the decidedly sleek urban venue an earthen touch. Two nine-course menus are on tap each night: a chef's and vegetable tasting menu. On each, Keller, or rather, chef de cuisine Jonathan Benno, balances perfectionism and whimsy while dazzling taste buds. Past masterpieces making curtain calls include tiny salmon and crème fraîche ice cream cones and another signature, ivory 'oysters and pearls,' a sabayon of pearl tapioca, oysters and white sturgeon caviar that fails to get old. The $275 price of admission also nets you waitstaff who move with the grace of ballerinas, and, at the same time, articulate Keller's vision; carefully seen-to details like six kinds of sea salt set on a small silver platter and custom-made china. But the gorgeous flavor combinations, like foie gras with oatmeal ?génoise,? Oregon huckleberries, crosnes, sorrel and maple glaze with toasted brioche, steal the show. The 1,200-bottle wine list does its part to astound as well, a true connoisseur's collection with plenty of affordable choices and a welcome selection of over 120 half bottles. Give yourself over to sommelier James Hayes, and you'll thrill to the string that follows. Desserts like devil's food cake, chocolate marquis and malt mousse with banana-crème fraîche sherbet are just the beginning to the end of the seemingly nonstop procession. They are followed by mignardises, chocolates, cookies packed to-go and the lingering memories of what portends to be one of the world's finest dining experiences.
Reviews for Per Se
