db Bistro Moderne, New York NY

After a wonderful Friday with new friends and stellar dining Saturday would be another day of food and friends plus a meeting in the morning and hockey in the evening – still plenty of time for three good meals. With the day beginning in New Hyde Park and progressing to my midtown meeting, Tribeca lunch, and Forest Hills dinner before ending in Uniondale the agenda was certainly aggressive, but entirely doable with a map and a little planning.

Waking early for a long jog and then hopping the LIRR to Penn by 7:00 a quick walk would place me at my first destination, DB Bistro Moderne, just after 8:00. Too early for brunch but with eyes set squarely on one (or three) particular menu items I’ll note here that my menu was pre-ordered by special request and as such from the moment I arrived until the moment I left the service was beyond reproach. With the city (and restaurant) quiet at such an early hour on the weekendI was greeted promptly and seated by one of the two server/hostess/bussers and with coffee (La Colombe) filled and remaining filled throughout the meal the experience was underway without me even having to look at a menu.

Sipping my coffee while reading a complimentary copy of the New York Times and listening to soft French-pop overhead the entire feel of the room was decidedly haute-New York – elegant without being “fancy” and warm yet also stylish and modern. With affluent Italians occupying a pair of tables next to me and conversing exclusively in their native tongues I made small talk with my server who noted the 1970s Kings jersey sitting at my side and shortly thereafter I was informed it would be “no time” before my first course would arrive.

With the clock just shy of 8:20am and Boulud branded napkins and tableware awaiting my first course would indeed arrive from the kitchen quite quickly – a basket of three warm viennoiseries by Eric le coq, L’Echire butter direct from France, and two jams – rhubarb and raspberry by the famous “jam fairy” Christine Ferber. With the butter croissant better than any I’ve had in Manhattan I can honestly say that it alone with the butter and delectable confitures would have been enough to justify the $6 price tag, but as an added bonus there was also a pain au chocolat stuffed full of Valrhona Manjari chocolate and a second croissant layered with strawberry jam and almond paste. With each bite as good as the last if I had to utter a single complaint it would honestly be that the pastries were so good I could not find a place to use up all the lovely butter without feeling guilty.

Noting my early meeting and clearly well prepared to have me in and out by 9:00am, my second course was special requested from the brunch menu and would arrive warm with cheese still bubbling. Titled “Le Menage a Trois” – a taste of all three of db Bistro Moderne’s Croques Monsieurs and featuring Croque Classique, Croque Provencal, and Croque Moderne along with a salad of mixed greens topped with a zesty vinaigrette this was the sort of breakfast worth going out of your way for. With each half sandwich using toasted double buttered brioche and creamy Mornay, the Classique would be the most traditional – a savory ham, Swiss, and Bibb Lettuce composition that rivaled any I’d ever had. More interesting but less successful, the vegetarian friendly Provencal would match a stunning heirloom tomato with fresh basil, mozzarella, and mesclun – the bitter greens proving an excellend balance to the sweet tomato. The final sandwich – the piece de resistance if you will, would be the Moderne with supple and fatty duck confit topped with sharp goat cheese, fig compote, and spicy arugula – sweet, savory, fatty, and covered with Mornay…I’m pretty sure not even making the monsieur a madame could have improved it.

With the time nearing 8:50 and the check delivered along with a to-go cup full of coffee I thanked my servers and made my way to the street where a quick walk would lead me to the Hilton by 9:10 – a full twenty minutes early. A lovely setting, great service, fantastic food, and a kitchen willing to accommodate the diner’s whim – after a great visit to Daniel in early 2010 and this visit to DB in 2011 there is little doubt that the rest of Chef Boulud’s empire will find their way onto my itinerary during subsequent visits to the Big Apple.

Corton, New York NY

If you’d have asked me what my top five “must visit” restaurants were prior to this most recent trip to New York you’d have heard only two ranked before Paul Leibrandt’s Corton – those being L’Astrance and Pierre Gagnaire’s flagship restaurants in Paris – the latter of which Leibrandt had spent some time in training. Well accomplished at a young age and trained in some of the world’s best kitchens I’d heard Leibrandt described as everything from visionary to vexing and from precise to prima donna, but having missed out on the restaurant during my last two visits to New York for various reasons I knew from the moment I saw the Winter 2010 menu that this would be the time to visit.

With scheduling tight due to multiple circumstances I must admit that my visit to Corton could have been better planned – I mean, really, I’d only just finished a fantastic meal with two new friends at Eleven Madison Park sixty minutes earlier. Half jogging with bag and coat in hand my descent from Madison Square Park to TriBeCa would be a quick one and even so I would arrive approximately ten minutes late for my 6:30 seating – as a matter of fact, with the restaurant largely unadorned on the exterior I was actually rushed right past it at first before noticing. Entering the small cream colored space to the sight of a friendly hostess who gathered my belongings and assured me that my delayed arrival was not a problem I did feel a bit bad for having left my dinner partner for the evening, another new friend, waiting.

Seated promptly and busy chatting when our server would arrive with menus and a wine list moments later I must note that service at Corton is quite unlike most other restaurants in New York – it actually feels more akin to Los Angeles fine dining where the servers are there for you, but certainly not there to pamper you – you get everything you need, likely anything you ask for, but you both know they are doing their job and unless there is a serious gaff (there never was, service was flawless) you’d just assume the water refilled itself and the food appeared on the table. With few questions to ask since we’d previously agreed to do the tasting plus a supplement the meal began without delay.

Browsing around the space that comprises Corton I have to admit that unless one is paying attention, the nuances are easy to miss. Larger than one would assume from the street the small bar and entryway quickly gives way to a square dining room lit largely on the edges and substantially white – the walls, the ceilings, the tables, the plates – with flourishes of gold in the pillars, embossed leafs on the walls, and lettering. Featuring not an open kitchen, but rather a kitchen that can be seen through a long acrylic window that looks out into the dining room the dining room seemed designed for meditation, at least aside from the extremely loud table of six seated in the corner during our visit. Not particularly conducive to photo taking I will note that the current no-flash policy (strictly enforced as we saw regarding one of our neighbors) is a step up from Leibrandt’s previous no-photos-at-all policy.

Without further ado, the first items to arrive at our table were clearly a flash of Gagnaire – four separate and unique canapes in/on various vessels, including one served on a plastic-wrapped sauce pan. Featuring Parmesan Marshmallows, Black olive and parmesan croquettes, Almond and herb financiers, and crackers filled with mornay sauce each item was quite savory (I’d heard rumor of Leibrandt’s fondness for salt) but none overly so. With the sweet and savory balance of the financiers definitely my favorite bite, I could have easily snacked on any of these at the bar all evening.

For our amuse proper of the evening the next course to looked like an egg and was indeed an egg – or at least the yolk. Described as a slow poached egg yolk with parsnip espuma and celery root plus lotus chip the flavors of this course were decidedly vegetal but all melded together nicely by the creamy yolk. Breaking the chip up into the egg-cup and eating slowly the most impressive aspect of the dish to me was the manner in which each taste was distinct yet also additive to the whole – an aromatic experience that tasted flavorful yet light, clean yet earthy.

Prior to our first course we would next be visited by the bread man – always one of my favorite folks in any restaurant and no different at Corton. Sporting garlic focaccia, olive loafs, bulgur wheat baguettes, and cranberry-walnut bread crisps along with creamy unsalted cow’s milk butter and a sweet yet savory seaweed butter and a side of sea salt I sampled each and while I cannot say the olive loaf was the best I’ve tasted, the other three options were all excellent with both butters – had it not been for such a full day of eating I’d have surely overindulged.

With approximately ten minutes consistently between finishing a course and the arrival of the next, the first item on our night’s tasting menu would be “Local Brook Trout – lightly smoked, Osetra Caviar, Yuzu.” Served half on a plate and half on a salt rock the primary constituent of the dish was a delicate and smoky terrine of trout wrapped in black olive gelee and topped with caviar and gold leaf. With a thin layer of melted gruyere at its center and an airy puff of yuzu meringue at its left the accompanying salt rock would feature squid ink dentiles and a tempura blini topped with goats milk chantilly. With no instructions on how to eat I found this dish to be most vexing of the evening with drastic contrasts in flavor, texture, and temperature at every turn but if one were to look for a common thread the only thing I can think is that this was the chef’s take on traditional blini with trout, caviar, and creme fraiche and in any case it was all quite tasty.

Following the trout would arrive our supplemental dish – in my opinion the second best course of the evening entitled “Foie Gras – Honey Crisp Apple, Yuzu, Brioche.” Anchored by a large rounded sphere of creamy Foie Gras covered in apple cider and sitting in a puddle of yuzu yogurt the liver itself was remarkable solo or slathered on the house made toasted brioched with marcona almond butter and fried buckwheat. Rounding out the plate with dollops of yuzu gelee, truffled honey, and various textures and flavors of honeycrisp apple the $26 supplement was worth every penny.

Returning to the tasting menu but opting against the $40 winter truffle supplement our next dish would present “Sunchoke Gnocchi – Black Truffle, Brown Butter Creme.” Small in portion but ample in flavor this course was amongst the least complicated of the evening with the two nutty sunchoke gnocchi and one black truffle gnocchi centering the dish in a sauce of truffle, gold leaf, and frothed butter. With a crunchy sunchoke crisp hemisecting the dish and a dollop of aged balsamic at its base there was a precision and purity to the dish that I enjoyed, though I’d have admittedly enjoyed more of it.

The thrid course of the tasting was, in my opinion, the least successful. Titled “Scallop – Sea Lettuce, Bergamot” the centerpiece of the dish was excellent – a perfectly pan seared dayboat scallop served in its shell. Where the dish failed for me was the base of sea water gelee, vanilla grass, sea lettuce, and bergamot. Intensely briny but at the same time lingering on the palate with bitter citrus tones the entire dish just seemed unbalanced by the bergamot – like a tea bag allowed to steep for too long.

The next course would mark a return to precision and balance – first presented tableside and then plated in the kitchen “Atlantic Turbot – Faux Marrow, Huckleberry, Hibiscus” was a stunner. With the turbot loin wrapped in port gelee and finished with hibiscus jus the fish itself was lovely – a flaky and moist masterpiece nicely balanced with the sweet port. Partnered with grilled fish fins and a supple king mushroom dusted with truffle powder posing as “Marrow” the sauce, a puree of black trumpet and huckleberry, added another layer of aromatics and texture to an already impressive dish – a dish quite unlike any fish course I’ve ever tasted.

Still wowed by the Turbot our next course would represent not only my favorite course of the meal, but my favorite course thus far in 2011. Once again presented tableside before returning to the kitchen for plating, “Wild Lola Duck – Cooked in Fresh Eucalyptus, Red Cabbage Gelee, Mole” was another two plate presentation and bite after bite I would have difficulty deciding which was better. Starting first with a thin cut of breast, crisp and crackling on the exterior and strawberry red within, the mild menthol was more a feeling on the tongue than a true “flavor.” Topped with a spicy mole sauce and accompanied by a carefully arranged stack of tamarind paste, mustard greens, chicory, red cabbage gelee, and a spiced chocolate tuille the dish felt like one of the complex Southwestern presentations from a Rick Bayless kitchen yet significantly more artistic. Not to be outdone, the second plate of the main course would present duck leg confit baked in puff pastry with lardo and cocoa, cauliflower mayonnaise, and an herb bouquet. Crispy outside, molten and fatty within – the mayonnaise and herb bouquet were merely distractions from the outstanding amalgam of flavors.

Moving toward dessert our cheese course for the evening would feature “Brebis Pyrenees – White Coffee, Tamarind, Caraway.” Centered by the hard sheep’s cheese atop a white chocolate disc, this composed course would additionally feature tamarind puree, grapefruit gelee, and coffee vanilla Chantilly encircling the cheese and a side dish of a caraway crisp. Generally a fan of softer cheeses I was pleasantly surprised by this course as each bite and accoutrement showed off the versatility of the cheese – caramel and salt at times, nutty and sweet at others.

Presented as a palate cleanser, “Coconut – Kaffir Lime, Basil Seed, Golden Pineapple, Macadamia Nut Crumble” was much more a proper dessert than a palate cleanser. With coconut custard dollops laced with lime at each side and a coconut sorbet at the center the dish was subsequently topped with aromatic basil seeds, compressed pineapple and pineapple gelee, and a healthy spooning of sweet macadamia nut brittle. A decidedly tropical dessert for the middle of February in New York I really appreciated the variations in texture and temperature – much like the orange version four hours earlier at Eleven Madison Park.

Our final dessert of the evening at Corton would arrive signed in chocolate by Leibrandt. Titled “Saffron Vanilla Fudge - Matcha Green Tea Sablé, Chestnut, Vanilla” this was again a 2-plate composition with the aromatic fudge cake, chestnut meringue, and vanilla cream seated atop a sponge of matcha and topped with a thin chocolate disc and crystallized violet. Partly bitter but also sweet and balanced the overall flavor reminded me much of Matsuhisa’s Greet Tea Tiramisu with the flavors ever so slightly more nuanced, possibly due to the focus being placed more in favor of the chocolate and less on the matcha. Moving away from the cake, the highlight of the dish for myself (but not so much my dining partner) was the side-dish consisting of a Dark Chocolate Baba finished with 23-year aged rum – an overhead smash of two hefty flavors that served a stark contrast to the restraint and precision of the well balanced cake. All told I ended up with 1 and 3/4 of the Babas all too myself – who am I to let such decadence go to waste?

With plates cleared and myself opting for coffee, a rather standard and earthy peaberry, our mignardises from Corton would arrive in plethora – three acrylic boxes and a stone slab filled with passion fruit and cassis rose pate a fruit, Honey Bourbon Truffles, Mojito, Sidecar, and Brown butter salted caramel Macarons and Cassis and Violet, Meyer Lemon, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Salted Butter Caramel chocolates. Sitting and chatting for quite some time while I grazing on the sweets and sipping my coffee I won’t lie when I say that my friend did very little to her share of the bounty, yet when we left a solo macaron and only 2 truffles remained – aside from a couple of gummy macarons all treats were excellent.

Splitting the bill onto two credit cards and requesting a copy of the menu for my growing collection it would only take moments before our server returned with the menus, protective envelopes, and a pair of grapefruit and rose financiers in individual wrappers. With the tab settled and my bag and coat collected my friend and I boarded the Northbound 1-Train where a quick changeover at Penn Station would have me en route for my buddies in Queens via the LIRR in less than 25 minutes.

Looking back on the entirety of the day – Breakfast at Locanda Verde, a nearly 5-hour lunch at Eleven Madison Park, and over three hours at Corton I am still impressed with the quality of the food I had on February 18th 2011 and with the people I dined with – all in all it was a truly fantastic day that I’ll look back on fondly for some time. Focusing more specifically on Corton – all I can say is that my hunch was right, it was every bit as challenging as I’d hoped and lived up to all the great expectations I had when I made the reservation. While notably my most expensive meal on this most recent trip to New York, it was also my favorite – and perhaps the best overall meal I’ve had in New York outside the extended tasting at Per Se under Benno that cost nearly twice as much. I have no doubt I’ll be back – it is just a matter of when.

Eleven Madison Park [2], New York NY

On June 24th 2008 my sister and I had a lovely meal at Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park – the service was first-rate albeit a bit “hovering,” the food was excellent, and the room exquisite. Still relatively new to the realm of fine dining at that visit I was impressed by many aspects of the 5-course gourmand menu that we received but even in my naivety it seemed strange that five courses meant five courses – no canapés, mignardises, amuses, candies, or palate cleansers to be seen. Having been to myriad highly regarded restaurants since that first visit it always intrigued me when people spoke of the gourmand menus at EMP in the coming years – the plethora of treats and gifts from the kitchen, the flawless service that rivaled the best in the city, the 4-Stars From Bruni and Top 50 rating in S. Pellegrino – I knew at some point I would have to return to see how the restaurant under Chef Humm had progressed, but there always seemed to something new, novel, or potentially better on my increasingly frequent trips to Manhattan – at least until I heard about Eleven Madison Park’s duck.

Bearing in mind EMP’s 28-day reservation policy my initial contact with the restaurant would be January 7th – an e-mail was sent inquiring whether the duck could be available at lunch; within two hours a response was sent by Mandy Laterveer who confirmed that although they would gladly prepare the duck, it was a whole duck and (theoretically) a lot of food for one person. While I had little doubt that I could handle the duck on my own, I also had to keep in mind that there was much else I desired to try and as such I turned to chowhound in order to perhaps find a dining partner – what I found instead was two, a lovely couple who were quite familiar with the restaurant and more than willing to make a return, especially for the duck.

After a long visit to the Rubin I would arrive nearly 15 minutes early for my 1:00pm reservation and entering the revolving doors I was greeted nearly immediately with my coat and bag collected from my shoulders before I even stated the name of my party. All smiles and manners I was quickly led to a great table at the center of the room where the crowd was beginning to thin, but more than half of the tables remained occupied with couples lingering over coffee and dessert. Greeted next by our captain, Chris, water was filled and we made small talk for a good five minutes before I was offered the wine and cocktail list. Deferring drink orders until the rest of the party arrived I would next be treated with a porcelain container of gougeres and a copy of the EMP “Chicken Issue” book to browse while I waited. Sampling the gougeres, first one, then two, then the rest I must resist the comparison to compare them to the ethereal versions at Per Se – but then again, at Per Se I only received one while at EMP I had eight to myself followed by a shared basket when my new friends were seated.

Before moving on to the rest of the meal I will simply note here that we were very well taken care of at Eleven Madison Park that afternoon and while I’m certain the number of people who stopped by to say hello (including Chef Humm himself) had a lot to do with my dining partners, I do not feel we received any “special treatment” otherwise during our stay – we enjoyed the same amuses and mignardises as the tables around us, our servings appeared no larger than anyone else’s, and the wine pairings enjoyed by one member of the table were no more exclusive than those at the next table. With that noted, the service was perfect – a balance of formal and conversational, the plates described at length, and the diner never left wanting for anything. With a tasty Anjou Cocktail of Cognac, Pear Brandy, Triple Sec, Ceylon Cinnamon, Champagne, and Lemon kicking things off the new menu proved easily navigable and with orders placed it was time to sit back for nearly four and a half hours of conversation and tremendous food.

Having already noted my gripe above about the lack of amuses during my previous lunch at EMP, clearly someone was listening as the first five items to hit the table after the gougeres were all complimentary. Beginning first with Halibut Dashi Tea with Red Seaweed and Thyme and Sesame/Nori Lavash I enjoyed this clever take on tea and crackers though I have to say the fish flavor of the tea was quite muted in comparison to that of the seaweed, a choice I realized was likely intentional when I took a bite of the cracker and realized the taste was nearly identical.

Having already seen the next dish arrive at the adjacent table I was quite excited given my fondness for egg dishes – alas the only thing truly eggy about the dish was the vessel in which it was served – not a bad thing, just not what I expected. Described as Smoked Sturgeon Sabayon in Eggshell Cup with Chive Oil the texture was creaminess defined. First tasting the smoky sabayon separate and then mixing to incorporate all the ingredients the flavor profile was nicely balanced and the texture pleasant with bits of smoked fish mingling with the creamy sabayon. Largely undetectable at first, the most impressive aspect of this dish for myself was the manner in which the mild notes of chive hung on the palate after swallowing.

For our final bite before the meal commenced we received what I can only describe as the very essence of truffle absorbed in a sponge. Titled Black Truffle Beignet with White Truffle Yogurt the single bite was by far the standout of the canapés and perhaps the best I’ve ever had anywhere – I could have surely consumed a dozen more.

With our first courses soon to arrive the bread service would logically follow – a service that has changed only for the better since my last visit and will apparently be changing more soon. Featuring a Picholine Olive Roll and a French Baguette with Cow's Milk Butter, Goat's Milk Butter, and Sea Salt the breads were good but certainly nothing to write home about. What were impressive, however, were the butters – specifically the tangy goat’s milk version but also the mellow and grassy cow’s milk option which was vastly more spreadable than the icy puck of my previous visit.

With much made of the new menu format at EMP I won’t go into the controversy, but for those unfamiliar I will simply note that each dish is delineated with a single word and if further explanation is desired the captain will be glad to go into exquisite detail and if a specific component of a dish is not desired or tolerated there is a good chance it can be omitted. Beginning first with cold options my selection would be my favorite course of the meal – “Foie Gras.” Presented as a marinated torchon infused with Venezuelan Cocoa and sitting atop a quince gelee drizzled with quince consomee the torchon itself was perfect and melted in the mouth releasing notes of cocoa that permeated the palate. With coarse sea salt atop the torchon lending some textural variation the gelee was mild while the consomee was intensely sweet. Paired with a cocoa brioche the entire dish was excellent – I only wish there would have been more brioche.

For my friends the first courses of the day would be Hamachi - Marinated with Fennel/Meyer Lemon/Horseradish and Chèvre - Butternut Squash/Pumpkin Seeds/Chicory; thankfully I was allowed a bite of each. First tasting the Hamachi I appreciated the clean and light fish and the excellent balance achieved by the sweet lemon and heated horseradish. Not to be outdone, the Chevre dish featured a round of butternut squash that was hollowed out and stuffed with creamy cheese. With a sunflower seed and pistachio Tuille, dandelion greens, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and bitter chicory atop the dish was light and textural, a lovely salad.

With conversation flowing freely and multiple servers, managers, and staff stopping by to say hello our second courses would arrive after perhaps twenty minutes. Having already sampled most of the menu on prior visits, one of my co-diners opted for the Foie Gras as her second course while the selection enjoyed by her husband would be one of the more remarkable flavors of the meal – Skate seared with Madras Curry, Baby Bok Choy, and variation of Lemon. Noting aloud that one of my best memories from my first visit to EMP was actually the first time I ever tasted skate the bite that I had of this dish was again quite memorable. With the characteristic texture of the fish accented in ample notes of clove, chile pepper, cinnamon, and allspice the key to this dish was (just like my first visit) Chef Humm’s deft hand with lemon and the manner in which it melded the sweetness of the protein with the mild vegetables while tempering the heat and allowing the whole amalgam to achieve a decidedly Asian inspired harmony.

Far less complicated than the skate but equally satisfying would be my second selection, Crab - Tagliolini with Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper. Hand made in house daily the Tagliolini was uniform, prepared slightly past al dente, and loaded with butter, black pepper, and chopped scallions. Topped simply with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and flanked with both chunks and shredded King Crab there was nothing about this dish that reinvented the wheel, just great ingredients nicely prepared and presented simply – it was delicious and not nearly as filling as one would have guessed.

More conversation for the table, more wine for the gentleman, and a visit from Chef Humm would precede the third course of our meal – for my friends they each opted for the Beef - Tenderlon and Cheek Roasted with Celery Root and Black Truffles, Mirepoix which I did not taste while I myself decided on the Pork – Variations (Belly, Loin, Confit) with Mustard Spatzle and apple cider. Noting to Chris that I find mustard to be somewhat overwhelming he mentioned my concern to the kitchen and accordingly they left off the mustard sauce while instead adding a cider and pork reduction to the mustard infused spatzle. Pink, perfect, and easily cut with the edge of a fork the loin was delicious while the belly featured a layer of crackling skin over the melted fat and collagen – it was textbook. Flanked on all sides by the mustard tinged spatzle I must say it was still a little too much for my tastes, but the cider reduction and confit certainly helped.

Nearing the third hour at the four top our next course would be the special request that led to the meal in the first place – the Whole Roasted Muscovy Duck Glazed with Honey, Fennel Seed, and Lavender. With the 14-17 day aging process explained at length by Chris the whole bird was next presented for our perusal and the smell, to say the least, was intoxicating. Returned to the kitchen in order to be plated it would be a mere ten minutes before the well portioned bird would return to the table accompanied by kumquats and roasted turnips and topped with orange infused duck jus at tableside. With the crispy lacquered skin and rosy medium flesh dancing with notes of lavender and the sweetness of honey the dish was every bit as good as the rumors – a standout at a restaurant where everything ranges from very good to excellent.

With the taste of the duck still vivid on the palate it would be only a short time before the next course would arrive to transition us from savory to sweet – a taste that seemed as though it were custom made to follow the duck. Titled Variations of Jasmine and Orange the day’s palate cleanser would be a lovely textural interplay of Jasmine Sorbet, Orange Short Bread, Orange Snow, Milk Foam, Cilantro, and sections of tangerine. At one moment sweet, another moment savory, sometimes cold, sometimes crunchy – a palate cleanser that could easily stand up as a proper dessert.

With desserts en route, the next part of our experience would truly be an experience – the show of the evening as Chris prepared Intelligentsia’s carefully selected Toarco Jaya Reserve beans from North Toraja, Sulawesi via Siphon method. Explaining each step as he progressed in great detail the whole experience was a step above anything I’ve experienced thus far in terms of assuring purity of flavor and body – the result was fragrant and smooth with a velvet mouth-feel and notes of fig and caramel most notable. At $22 the coffee certainly is not cheap, but it is enough to serve three and as such certainly not out of line with what one would pay for a similar quality bean elsewhere – and that is without the show.

For our desserts the choices were a case of opposites – for myself vanilla and for my co-diners chocolate. Beginning first with my selection, an EMP classic, I was served the Vanilla Soufflé with Quark and Passion Fruit. Tall, proud, fluffy, and finished tableside there really is not much more that can be said of the souffle – it was perfect. What was most remarkable about the dish was the manner in which the intensely sweet passion fruit offset the pungent cheese – the pairing mixed with the heavy vanilla tones forming a veritable cheesecake cloud, neither too sweet nor too savory.

For my companions, “Chocolate” would place a dark chocolate crémeux amidst rounds of crunchy caramelized Banana, Black Sesame infused chocolate crumble, and dollops of caramel and yuzu. Taking only a small bite of the portion offered I have to admit that I did not get a great representation of the nuances of the dish, but the savory sesame and deep chocolate was great while the crackling shell of the banana balls was an admittedly cool effect.

Sitting and enjoying our coffee as the restaurant began to prepare for dinner service the final bites of our afternoon would arrive as Lavender Chocolate Macarons and Peanut Brittle Tuille – both tasty, the macarons a bit gummy, but flavorful and floral without being overpowering. Arriving along with the mignardises were the check and our descriptive menus presented in a black envelope, as well – a menu that was unfortunately noted later to have been printed incorrectly, mine for instance containing the descriptor for the Hamachi but not the Foie – a small detail to be sure.

With the sun outside beginning to fall and folks starting to arrive for dinner service I was surprised to find that we were not the only table remaining – as a matter of fact there were two others enjoying their wine and desserts. With conversation still flowing we were never rushed but realizing I was due for dinner reservations in less than an hour the bill was paid we bid our team farewell. With final parting gifts including the newest Relais & Chateaux Guide, a complete collection of the EMP books, and a jar of Honey Raisin Granola in hand we made our way to the street and I bid my new friends farewell for now and thanked them for a lovely afternoon – the sort of afternoon that breeds fond memories and repeat customers, the sort of afternoon that shows a restaurants progress over time, and the sort of afternoon that this time did indeed “wow.”