Welcome back for a bite-by-bite rendering of lunch at L’Atelier in the Four Seasons New York.
We’re having the eight-course tasting menu to get the broadest view of what this kitchen can do.
Bon appetit.
Amuse Bouche
Adorning a beautiful chestnut soup is a crouton the size of a hearty diamond and a miniature celery leaf. Mushroom and sherry flavours came through, but not the purported bacon, which we should have been able to taste. Why else tell us about it? Still, what you do taste is well balanced and delicious. To the side of the gem crouton, a clover leaf shaving of truffle, a sign of what was to come.
1st course
Blue fin tuna tartar, bergamot red pepper confit with quail egg
Nothing else on this plate had to be any good, because the tuna was unbelievable. The firm, jewelled flesh was cut into a brunoise and barely seasoned; the cook realized it needed next to nothing. But in a place like this, well enough can never be left alone. The tuna is the base of a napoleon-style plating, under some red pepper and a round sliver of parmesan cheese.
Two problems. First, the promised bergamot confit never materialized. The peppers tasted roasted, period. Second, the construction became an instant mess when first approached by a fork. This could have been avoided with a different building code to save the credibility of this dish.
I pushed the peppers and cheese to one side and had a transcendent experience with the tuna and the soft-boiled quail egg that I broke nearby.
2nd course
Duck foie gras with shaved black truffles
A gelled pool of cold mousse formed the physical base of the dish, which was served in a bowl, a curious decision that made perfect sense. It was simultaneously rich and light, with complex earthy flavours, and garnished with shaved truffle and gold foil. Lovely.
3rd course
Day Boat Scallops in their shell with seaweed butter
Two elements spoiled this course: a tough and stringy scallop [where was the pearly soft centre that makes perfectly cooked scallops so great?] and a brown butter that didn’t offer even the faintest hint of the sea. Too bad, so sad.
4th course
Truffled langoustine ravioli with tender young cabbage
Recovering nicely from the scallop gaffe, the langoustine was perfect, and so was the whole dish. Each element offered up something subtle and distinct, and came together nicely with a delicate unadvertised fois gras butter.
5th course
Amadai in lily bulb, yuzu citrus broth
Amadai is to tile fish what the Patagonian tooth fish is to sea bass. Still, a rose is a rose, unless it gets over-fished. Stay tuned.
Any other delicately flavoured fish would have worked here. The lily bulb tastes like leek and its bulb was cooked potato-creamy. The broth kept its citrus restrained, nice work. But I could pass on the chrysanthemum blossom garnish. The idea was interesting up until it landed on my tongue. It was like eating a miniature thistle-top.
6th course
Roasted Kobe beef with sautéed shallots and green herb salad
For my first experience with Kobe, I’m glad it came unadorned. It tasted like an egalitarian marriage of quality beef and French butter. I’ve never eaten flesh like this before. There were only four medium-sized bites, which was plenty. I reverently gave each bite its due and then dipped into Robuchon’s signature white truffle potato puree, which he likes to serve in a little black pot and tastes like a savoury potato-custard soufflé.
7th course
Dessert #1
Coconut ravioli, lemon mascarpone mousse
Sometimes a ravioli isn’t a ravioli. This is one such case. It’s impossible to single out the stuffing because there were so many elements on the plate: grapefruit section [only one], grapefruit foam, mint sorbet, kirsh brulé, kirsh gelée, mousse, almond tuille and chantilly.
Worth drawing attention to was the kirsh brulé, a round of custard bruléed outside its cocotte, and a transparent tuille the size and shape of a razor clam, both technically impressive.
The foam was gratuitous. Foams usually are.
8th course
Dessert #2
Caramelized apple, rice pudding, rosemary ice cream
List of elements: rice pudding, roasted apple, orange glaze, rosemary ice cream, orange foam, puff pastry, vanilla sauce.
A skilled hand made the apple the star of this dish. It held its shape while soft enough to spread, which I did on the puff pastry, which was ideal — crisp, light, rich. As the headliner, the rice pudding flopped. Not bad, just not distinctive in any way. The orange flavours also flopped: the glaze was reduced to bitterness, and the foam had no flavour. Kudos for the rosemary ice cream,but the vanilla sauce was overkill.
Finally,
Espresso with espresso macaroon
Good coffee, but I pass on the cookie.
Enough is enough, already.
