An inevitable part of living in New York is the constant coming and going of friends. Most of my friends have been going lately (though I myself have come and gone once). Today, another good friend of mine marched out of Manhattan. For one last hurrah, myself and other ex-bankers convened for lunch in midtown.
Lunch has always been my favorite meal and midtown has dozens of options for those intrepid enough to venture away from the desk for an hour (or two, or in today's case, three). I perused Opentable options quickly this morning and alas, there it was: Jean Georges, 12:00 PM.
Jean Georges is a 3-star Michelin, 4-star New York Times restaurant in Columbus Circle. I had been to Nougatine, the more casual restaurant in front of JG, in the springtime and that was delicious on it's own (another lunch for a departing friend). Normally this meal would start around $100 for food only, but they are known for their amazing lunch menu, which is $28 for 2 courses (year-round, not a restaurant week special). I've been wanting eat here from the moment I heard about it (the mid 00s) and unexpectedly, today was the day.
First off, I loved the space. The room was much more intimate than I had imagined. It was decorated in light grey and white and was nestled up against the Central Park West / Broadway wedge of Columbus Circle. The menu was broad. Many different protein options across two courses. My friends and I ordered across the spectrum of the menu: myself, I went for foie gras brulee (pictured, upper) with strawberry and panko crusted rabbit (pictured, lower).
As expected, amuses arrived at the table. There were three: a sliver of madai, some sort of corn fritter in spicy alioli, and clarified gazpacho. All three were homeruns. If you forced me to choose a favorite, I'd go with the gazpacho, which despite looking like apple juice, had an awesome flavor that one would never associate with something lillet-colored. The corn fritter exploded corn once you bit into it (and I mean that in the best way possible). The madai was a light morsel of delicious fish that was less bold than its bouche brethren, but a nice way to start the plate.
The meal was paced like a dinner rather than lunch, so the time between courses was sizable, though we were easily able to fill it with conversation about the group's recent travels. The first courses arrived. My foie gras brulee instantly ranked among my top 5 courses of 2009. This may sound like a strange comparison, but it tasted like toast and strawberry jam that I used to eat as a child. But imagine the best bread and best strawberry jam ever. Add to it luscious foie gras. It did not have the whimsy of Ko's foie gras shavings but the flavors were spot on. It had something caramelized on top that added a nice crunch as well.
Onto the main courses. I elected the rabbit, something I started eating frequently in Spain. This rabbit had the consistency of chicken--a preparation I'd never quite seen before. It was white meat, free of all the minuscule bones of the garden beast (the main drawback of rabbit). The flavor was subtle--too subtle. The panko crusting was nice, but it did not adhere to the meat enough. I liked this dish, but the texture of the crusting was reminiscent of a soggy chicken cutlet. The saving graces were the garbanzo beans and saffron that accompanied the rabbit. These added huge flavors to the dish that compensated for the sad texture.
Dessert was an additional $8. The menu was split into four "notions" of dessert: Summer, Cherry, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Our table went 3x chocolate and 1 cherry. I opted for the chocolate. According to NY food lore, Jean Georges is the restaurant responsible for creating the molten chocolate cake. This is the same cake that Domino's pizza is now peddling. This is indicative of the impact a single dessert at a fine restaurant can have on the entire nation's culinary landscape. The molten chocolate cake was probably the best one I have eaten--it had shell like exterior and once you cracked it, it oozed. It was accompanied by an unconventional chocolate and peppermint dish with chocolate noodles. This portion of the dessert was more interesting than delicious. The chocolate noodles were certainly a unique taste and I had envisioned the peppermint tasting more like a candy cane and less like toothpaste than it did.
Would I go back to JG for lunch? Certainly. Would I for dinner? Certainly, if someone else was paying. All in all, I'd say my expectations were met (not exceeded) but for a spontaneous Monday lunch, you'd be hard pressed do much better.
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