The 10 Best French Restaurants
in the World Located Outside of France 2009
"I call Thomas Keller a
genius. But now we call everyone with the slightest talent a genius.
So I
will allow the food he produces do the talking. It speaks of a palate which
is sensitive, refined and sophisticated; it speaks of an intelligence which
is wide-ranging, adventurous and playful; and it speaks of a technique which
is disciplined, masterly and firmly rooted in the French tradition."
– Francis Bown, Bown's Best
"I'm a huge fan of Per
Se. The cuisine gave me everything I wanted. There's so much
satisfaction in the food. From the start to the finish, it was pure
pleasure. Everything was at a high. There were no troughs.''
– Marcus Wareing
Lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Reservations are accepted by phone two months in advance.
Lunch and Dinner
$275 Nine course Chef's Tasting Menu $275 Nine course Tasting of Vegetables
A $175 Five course tasting menu is
available at lunch Friday to Sunday.
A 20% gratuity is built into the restaurant and bar prices.
Discretionary tipping above the 20% gratuity, while allowed, is neither
expected nor encouraged.
Address:
Ten Columbus Circle
Time Warner Center Fourth Floor
New York, New York 10019
"Of
itself", "by itself" – this is the definition of "per se", a common
Latin phrase. But this phrase is also
the most unique name I know of for a restaurant. Consider some
New York restaurant names you know. Several are named after their creators, such
as Bouley or Daniel. Others suggest a location, such as Le Périgord. What makes the name Per Se
unique is that it succinctly reflects the aspirations of its Chef
and owner, Thomas Keller, that this new restaurant not simply be a
"French Laundry East", but a unique destination restaurant that stands on its own
over time, "of
itself", "by itself".
One enters the restaurant to the left or right of the never-moving blue doors
on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center. I will never forget the
first time I saw the dining room on my initial visit one week after the
restaurant reopened due to the February kitchen fire. In a word,
stunning! The view of Columbus Circle and Central Park is postcard
perfect! The dining room is modern and spacious, in two tiers, with
tables as well spaced as you will find at the very best Paris restaurants such
as Guy Savoy or L'Ambroisie. The tables are all round, with chairs that
are unpretentious, yet large and comfortable.
What
makes dining at Per Se such a joyous adventure is the scope and variety of courses
served. I always look forward to beginning with the classic Thomas
Keller opener, miniature ice cream cones of salmon tartare with sweet red
onion and crème fraîche. As for the canapés that are served before the
first course, my favorite is the pickled deviled egg with a black truffle "pop
tart". But the canapé I most eagerly await on each visit is the soup.
The soups are the best I have tasted anywhere. Being a canapé before a
major meal, they are never "heavy" soups with a too-filling cream base.
They are light, yet incredibly rich and flavorful. Two standouts worth
mentioning are the chilled corn soup with vanilla and basil oil, and the hot purée
of celery root soup with braised chestnuts and black truffles. (An advance peek
of the Thanksgiving brunch menu, which was to begin with a Provençal pumpkin
spice soup with brown butter dumplings, briefly tempted me to abandon my
family and come here.)
As for the main courses, they are
always very good, even when they are unexciting. For example, the meat
courses I have had range from an unremarkable wiener schnitzel to a beef dish
with oxtail and onion of such intensity that it immediately recalled the
cooking of Bernard Pacaud, my favorite Chef in France. The prepared
cheese courses is always interesting and inventive.
Service at Per Se is thoroughly professional; superior service
in New York is not to be found. A captain will be in charge, with
a backserver and various "runners" assisting in the serving of dishes. Everyone is
courteous, friendly, and – should you have a
question about anything put in front of you – very well informed about
what they are serving.
And the total dining experience? The
unbridled elegance and excellence I experienced at Per Se has succeeded in
making this restaurant the one I enthusiastically recommend to anyone yearning
for the three star Michelin Paris dining experience in New York. I'm
always eagerly
looking forward to saving enough money so I can afford to return!
And the long term significance of Per Se? I am
convinced that Per Se
is the most significant French restaurant to open in New York since the
opening of the restaurant at the French Pavilion during the 1939 World's Fair.
While the cooking at Per Se is described as American with "classic French
influences," make no mistake: this is cooking as thoroughly grounded in French
tradition as any currently served in New York. As for the renowned Le Rrestaurant
Français at the 1939 World's Fair, yes, there was much French cooking in New York (some of
it very good) before 1939. But when visitors to the 1939 World's Fair
dined at this restaurant in the French Pavilion, they experienced a level of
excellence in French cooking not previously known in the western hemisphere.
But was everything "perfect"? I'm sure it wasn't. No doubt the
trial of operating a restaurant with Chefs and staff from several top Paris
restaurants produced its share of missteps. But in the end, what counted
was the new level of excellence this restaurant achieved. Likewise, Per
Se – while not perfect – has raised the
bar to set a higher standard of French-style cuisine in New York, a standard that I
expect will be of great influence for years to come.
Maurice Graham Henry
Thomas Keller,
one of the most inventive American Chefs working today, is as renowned for his
well-honed culinary skills as he is for his ability to establish a restaurant
that's both relaxing and fun. Good food coupled with a memorable social and
sensual experience has always been Keller's focus. "Our food is serious,"
says Keller, 48, “but we also want people to have a good time with it." If
the reputations of his Napa Valley restaurants, The French Laundry and Bouchon,
are any indication, he has succeeded.
Now Keller brings his distinct style to New York City with Per Se, his new
restaurant located in the Time Warner complex on Columbus Circle. Per Se features Keller's French-influenced contemporary American cuisine presented in
a discreetly elegant space, designed by premier restaurant/ hotel designer
Adam Tihany.
A
native of California, Keller began his culinary career as a teen, working in
the Palm Beach restaurant managed by his mother. After serving
apprenticeships in Rhode Island, Florida, and the Catskills, Keller moved to
France in 1983, where he worked in several Michelin-starred houses including
Guy Savoy and Taillevent. He followed with successful runs at La Reserve and
Restaurant Raphael in New York City. By 1986, he was ready to open his own
restaurant, Rakel, which resulted in extensive critical acclaim and a loyal
clientele.
Five years
later, Keller moved to California to work as executive Chef at Checkers Hotel
in Los Angeles. In 1994, he discovered The French Laundry in Yountville, which
quickly became a destination restaurant known for its compelling cuisine. His
bistro Bouchon opened in 1998; Bouchon Bakery followed five years later. A man
of exceptionally high personal standards, Keller also values genuine
collaboration. Having assembled staffs with equally high standards and
expertise at his Napa Valley enterprises, he has been able to concentrate on
his many interests. Keller is also the author of the award-winning
The French Laundry Cookbook. More recently, he collaborated with Raynaud
and the design firm Level on a collection of simple sophisticated white
porcelain dinnerware called Point (in homage to the great French Chef and
restaurateur, Fernand Point). Modicum, a Napa Valley Cabernet, has been
developed with General Manager Laura Cunningham; vintage 2000 was recently
released. In 2004, branches of Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery have opened in Las Vegas.
In 2001,
Keller was named America's Best Chef by Time Magazine and as World
Master of Culinary Arts by a panel of international judges at the
Wedgwood Awards. In addition, and to name only a few, he has
collected many coveted accolades in the last decade, including
consecutive 'Best Chef' awards from the James Beard Foundation, the
first Chef ever to achieve this distinction. And on December 12 2005,
The French Laundry and Per Se were each named one of the
10 best French restaurants in the
world located outside of France for 2006 by DininginFrance.com. In
2003 and 2004, The French Laundry was at the top of “The World’s 50 Best
Restaurants” list published by London-based Restaurant Magazine. Since 1999, The French Laundry
has been a yearly recipient of the Mobil Travel Guide’s Five Star Award. He is
also a member of Relais & Châteaux: Relais Gourmands and Traditions & Qualité,
two French associations recognized for their dedication to international
culinary excellence.
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The 10 Best French Restaurants
in the World
