We walked into the formal dining room, which was bright and minimalistic, much like Perry St, but with a more formal atmosphere. It seemed like the perfect interior for a nice lunch. After our waiter took our orders, we were given a plate of 3 amuse-bouches.
The amuses were a warm broccoli soup with creme fraiche, beet with white chocolate and orange zest, and house made mozzarella with shiso and honeydew. From these first bites, I knew we were in for a treat. My personal favorite was the broccoli soup. It probably sounds uninspired, but it was truly bursting with flavor.
My first course was the Foie Gras Brulee with Roasted Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar. It was AMAZING. This was my first time ever really eating foie gras, and definitely not a bad place to start. Not surprisingly, it actually tasted exactly like creme brulee with the sweetness and blowtorched sugar. It also had the texture of custard. The foie sat atop a piece of brioche, which actually wasn't super easy to cut through, but it's all good. Of course, I loved the pairing with the strawberries and balsamic vinegar as well. It's becoming a bit ubiquitous in my world, but I'm still enjoying it.
My second course was the Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Pea Puree and Baby Carrots. This was another amazing dish. It was so tender, the sweetness of the glaze wasn't too sweet, and the pea puree matched surprisingly well with the short ribs. Excellent dish. The serving looked small, but it was the perfect amount since short ribs can be a bit rich sometimes. I definitely recommend this one for any future JG lunch goers.
Unfortunately, both Gabe and I somehow forgot to take a picture of our desserts. I settled the "Chocolate" dessert ($8) which came with JGV's famous molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream. It also came with a warm chocolate gnocchi with gianduja, basil, and some kind of citrus-y marmalade. These came in really tiny tasting portions, but they were both on the rich side. The molten chocolate cake was, of course, beyond amazing. Definitely the best molten chocolate cake I've ever had. I didn't like the chocolate gnocchi as much. The texture was great, but I didn't care too much for the citrus-y thing it was sitting on top of.
Lastly, we got our mignardises which consisted of homemade marshmallows, macarons, and chocolates! Right now, I forgot what all the flavors were. I enjoyed the marshmallows, but the macarons were so small that they were practically hollow. These were nowhere compared to Eleven Madison Park's macarons (to come later on).
Going to Jean-Georges for lunch was a great way for me to try the place without going all out, but the dinner tasting menu is still on my list for things to try when I eventually come back to New York. Maybe later on, Gabe can write about his dishes, as I'm sure they were all superb as well.
Jean-Georges
1 Central Park West
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