Celebration at Jean Georges

November 18, 2015

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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.

 

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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.

 

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How to make crab crunchy: almost addictively delicious.

 

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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.

 

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

 

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Cheddar dumplings with white truffles. See comment above.

 

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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).

 

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

 

 

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1 Comment

  • whatever_atx says:

    I’m curious to know if you remember the wine served with the foie gras. The meal looks divine and you are correct when writing that a meal that begins with sea urchin like that certainly bodes well for the rest.

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