Celebration at Jean Georges

November 18, 2015

Any meal that begins with this – sea urchin on black bread with a little hint of jalapeno and a splash of yuzu – is bound to be great. Frankly, I loved this so much we could have stopped right here and I’d have gone home happy. Jean Georges – almost seventeen years later – continues to make each evening there pure pleasure.  The room is understated, graceful, elegant, the service superb, the wine list a treat. And the best of the dishes, like the one above, are designed to thrill.

Tartar of sweet, briny bay scallops tangled with sea beans and tossed with toasted sesame seeds.  It’s hard to know what to do with bay scallops – they’re pretty perfect on their own – but this honors their simplicity.

How to make crab crunchy: almost addictively delicious.

Here seafood goes on an entirely different journey: sweet little shrimp mingle with crisp bits of water chestnut, their flavor teased out by a gentle hint of saffron. So fresh, the textures so sprightly. We were drinking  a 2014 white Burgundy from Alice et Olivier de Moor, which made the dish even more seductive.

Grilled foie gras dumplings with papaya.  Need I say more?

Cheddar dumplings with white truffles. See comment above.

My favorite of our entrees: magret of Muscovy duck with Jordan almonds and tiny butter-poached turnips.  Jean-Georges seems enamored of turnips at the moment, serving them in every possible presentation (including topped with heaps of caviar).

A medley of fall flavors – pear, concord grape, apple – and a lovely way to end a meal.

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