Per Se

Soooo, I’m thinking about writing a book about my dining experience at Per Se. It will be titled “101 Ways to Describe Per(Se)fection.” I was truly blown away. I found myself complimenting every single aspect of my meal there—the food, the service, the ambiance, the presentation and the little things they do to make you feel special. Everything was absolutely perfect. Calling the food “Delicious” felt like an understatement. “Nice” would have been such a plain description. McDonald’s can be described as nice and to call Per Se the same would just be downright offensive. To describe the food with such mediocre terms, I would be a disgrace to fellow Foodies the world over.

So back to the book, it’ll be formatted with one word per page. It will and should be brought to Per Se for a meal. As every course is brought out, the reader/diner will open the book to a random page and the word will accurately describe their dish. Think like “The Book of Answers” except adjectives to describe your experience.

So far there are 15 words — Perfect. Execellent. Phenomenal. Astounding. Amazing. Awesome. Divine. Incredible. Outstanding. Terrific. Fantastic. Wonderful. Fabulous. Superb. Heavenly.

Of course there’ll be slang words! Tight. Legit. Money. ill. Shiznit (ie. This Salmon with Creme Fraiche amuse bouche is the shiznit!)

I’m still taking submissions for words. After all the words there’ll be mini chapters such as..
1) “If you ask nicely, they will give it to you” to describe the service and how much they go out of their way to please you (ie. asking for a second helping of amuse bouches and a second round of chocolate)
2) “if you tell them that you’re there for a special occasion, they print personalized menus for you and your dining party.”

Another important chapter will be dedicated to the difference between spring and fall flavors. With the Fall flavors being all about truffles, risotto, heavier sauces and meats and the Spring being lighter with a lot of fish and poultry. (Though of course this definitely could change as Per Se’s menu changes daily, to be covered in the chapter called “It’s different every time.”)

I haven’t yet decided if there’ll be a section for medicore words like Nice, Delicious and Good. I might put it in for the people that were unimpressed by the food. If this chapter will be in my book though, it’ll be all the way in the back as the spotlight of the book is how truly amazing Per Se is. All book proceeds will go to my Per Se dining fund.

best meal of my life..the lobster was to die for..wagyu is a def…foie gras was ok..ive had better

one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life. the only thing better is probably toro in tokyo and almond croissants in paris. get the wagyu, but pass on the fois gras.

Great food and really stellar service. If anything differentiates this restaurant from French Laundry, it’s the almost obsequious waitstaff.

While the menus at the two restaurants are almost identical, they do make some specialty cocktails at Per Se that you won’t find at French Laundry. The Gin and Tonic is surprisingly unique.

Bar none, the best service and food in NY (other than some sushi perhaps, which is hard to compare)

Best NY restaurant other than Kurumazushi. The egg thing with black truffle emulsion is incredible, as are the “oyster and pearls.” The lobster is very memorable. The GM Raj Dagstani is a great guy. And don’t miss white truffle season there! They bring out a humidor with huge white truffles that are in immaculate condition, and the portions are very, very large.

It’s expensive, but it is worth the experience from beginning to end. I am always in awe of Thomas Keller.

I got lucky and went to Per Se spur-of-the-moment courtesy of my internship and a British hotel group and had a great meal; scallop tartar was memorable, as were the “Pre-a-PorTea” desserts—these high-end cookies from London modeled after couture. All in all, the whole experience of having a 9-course meal in 3 hours was ridiculous, in an amazing way. Definitely not your average restaurant, and getting a table on your own is apparently quite difficult.

unbelievable service & presentation. food is quite unusual but too much fuss, and not enough of….well, can’t pin-point what it is, but just not seem to be worth it. perhaps french laundry is better?

One of the two-best restaurants in New York. Service is the best in the city…incredibly attentive. Food is great too. A place to go on a special occasion.

Without a doubt the best service I have ever received in the United States. It was as if the waiters could hear my thoughts. The food was also very good. The ingredients were high quality and pleasing to my tastebuds. I would highly recommend this restaurant, but be prepared to spend half your rent on a dinner for two.

This place is fantastic!

The food are great and the staff are very accommodating.

The greatest meal of my life! No contest! Thomas Keller is a food god, and his NYC temple of culinary adoration is the best the city has to offer. Many of the greatest restaurants in the city charge as much (or almost), but this is the only one I’ve been to where I thought it was completely worth it. The service is impeccable (the best you’ll ever experience) and the food is just to die for.

The restaurant is ridiculous. Yes, it’s in a mall in Manhattan (who knew they existed), and yes, it’s extremely difficult to get a reservation unless you have connections, and yes, when I last checked, it was $210 per person for the tasting, tip included.

But if you’re willing to jump through those hoops, you’ll find a paradise worth traveling to on the other side. We were lucky to have made our reservation through a friend who worked there, so we had a few extra courses and some friendly banter about our mutual friend. Everyone made a point of coming over to welcome us. It was touching. And not intrusive or annoying in the slightest. Every seat in the house has an unimpeded view of the moon rising over Cental Park (only at night, I suppose, not for lunch). And if you ask nicely, you’ll be treated to a tour of the kitchen (and it’s true, Keller has a live-feed to The French Laundry on a plasma in the kitchen).

The food. The food. The food. It’s what you go there for, of course. And it doesn’t disappoint. You’ll have your choice of four different salts, and multiple butters from various farms (your server will tell you the name of the cow who provided the milk for the butter if you want). The best dishes were traditions imported straight from FL, like the salmon tartare cone with sesame, and the oysters and pearls. And the fois, and the wagyu — I just can’t do the menu justice.

It’s definitely a special occasion dinner, not something I’d suggest doing very often (unless you regularly have four hours to spend on dinner).