Raising the bar

"Per se" is one of my favorite expressions, because you can sort of throw it into almost any sentence and automatically sound like you have a working, casual knowledge of Latin. It literally means "by itself", and it is the humble name for a restaurant judged to be in a league of its own by many New Yorkers who KNOW how to eat (even if they don't know how to cook.)

When I told Anna that I was going to this zenith of cuisine, she insisted I document my evening. You might think that it would take something away from the refined atmosphere of the classiest restaurant in Manhattan to be taking photos of each course... But everyone was too polite to bat an eyelash at any gauche behavior. (This is a theme of truly fine dining that I have already recognized and appreciated in the context of more "colorful" moments of Ford Family Dining Adventures.) So snap away I did, during the few seconds between each course hitting the table and then disappearing.

It was an enchanting evening, but I regret that I didn't memorize any of the names of the dishes or their ingredients. So we shall see whether this experience informs the culinary activities of the north and south branches of the Cackalacky Kitchen. There were some other courses not pictured here including dainty little salmon sashimi ice cream cones. Don't hold your breath for that one to appear at my next cocktail party.

Oysters and caviar to kick off the menu. I personally got more of a kick out of the little mother-of-pearl spoons and the houndstooth pattern on the dinnerware, but my fellow diners were pretty excited about this.

An interesting combination of different kinds of melons, radishes and pine nuts.

Seven different types of salts - the one in the middle (I kid you not) is brought down the Himalayas on the back of a yak. The waitress told us this with a straight face.

Some fish, I am embarrassed to say I have no idea what kind. I had already started to lose track.

The scallop in some sort of fruity balsalmic sauce was absolute perfection - my favorite course.

This Wagyu steak was served with spinach and mushrooms and a perfect disc of finely sliced potatoes. (Basically an extremely fancy version of french fries, and just as good.) I am never as excited about meat as the trappings around it, but everyone oohed and aahed over this course.

This cheese - barrata - is mozzarella made from cream, and tastes as good as it sounds.

It seemed like a very good idea to celebrate the nearest birthday, which I think was about a month away from our dinner.

If this coffee and doughnut weren't part of the flock of desserts, it might also double as the best breakfast ever.

If I hadn't been stuffed, I can imagine trying to stuff my cheeks like a chipmunk with these freshly made truffles.

Good thing they gave us a goody bag - I can imagine getting really hungry on the way home.