SoISeeIt

In Paris - A Tasting Menu with Pierre Gagnaire Himself

2011-06-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Robert and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary by having the tasting menu at the 3-Michelin starred Pierre Gagnaire. It was the best fine dining experience I have ever had - even better than Daniel in New York. The four hours of nonstop amazing food was already A++, but the service was truly VIP. They only served about 15 parties, and Pierre Gagnaire himself visited each table to ensure that they were having a good time.

Me, Pierre Gagnaire, and Robert

I was so shocked when Pierre Gagnaire greeted us during our meal that I forgot to take a picture, so our waiter (he's moving to NY in a few months to waiter at Daniel) asked Pierre Gagnaire to meet us at the lobby to take a picture. Such great service; he was willing to move mountains for us. When we were leaving, I mentioned that I wanted to stop by the Longchamp store and within seconds he went to the computer and googled directions for us.

amuse-bouche

another amuse-bouche

Series of appetizers:

the appetizers all together

Salpicon of tourteau crab and celery, dog cockles, cucumber / wasabi sorbet

Cremeux of burrata cheese, shredded mortadella and red orach

Jelly of fennel / Bonito fish / mediterranean sardines

Grenailles potatoes flavoured with Sezchuan pepper, coarsley chopped Coeur de pigeon, tomatoes, and Paris mushrooms with miso

Soufleed bread stuffed with a nettle mousseline, young garden broccolis

Series of entrees:

Gilt-head bream carpaccio with Guernica chilli, Albator tuna and white asparagus; juice of black olives from Nyons thickened with rhubarb, corn bread croutons

Fricassee of Rex rabbit from Poitou flavoured with oregano, leeks, carrots and turnips in sweet and sour sauce; red-leaf salad fondue

The liver pan-sauteed a la Diable, snails petits gris and gnocchis flavoured with garlic cream

Series of desserts:

picking the final dessert - chocolate

Finally ... coffee

Last week, I came across the list of the "Top 50 Restaurants in the World" and Pierre Gagnaire was ranked 16. Surprisingly, below L'Atelier. After experiencing both in the same week, I would definitely rank Pierre Gagnaire above L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. This place is a must! I am in love with this restaurant, and it is by far my favorite tasting menu yet!

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More Information:

Pierre Gagnaire (http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com)

Category: French

Attire: Extra Dressy

Price Range: $$$$$

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In Paris - Walking Along the Champs-Elysees

2011-06-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

Location: Champs-Elysees, Paris

On day 3 of our Paris vacation, we decided to explore the Louvre. After the Louvre, we walked along the Champs-Elysees and came across this chic restaurant called De Vez. We decided to eat here to kill time before seeing a show later that night. After a bottle of wine, we lost track of time and missed the show for that night, but thankfully we made it back to see the show two days later.

Robert + me in front of the Louvre

Obligatory pose while walking along the Champs-Elysees

Risotto with Morel Mushrooms

Surprisingly, this dish came with a lot of Morel Mushrooms, considering how expensive they are. They are my new love. Yum.

Terrine of Chicken + Duck Foie Gras

Beef Tartare with Fried Cheese on the Top

De Vez

Dessert - cheese plate

the bottle of wine that made us miss our show!

Eiffel Tower at Night

The restaurant was only a 15 minute walk away from the Eiffel Tower, so after dinner, we decided to take a stroll to see this romantic icon. A friend from work told me about this amazing crepe place next to the Eiffel Tower, but sadly at that point we were too full to eat more.

In Paris - the French Version of the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart

2011-05-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Location: Near the Notre-Dame, Paris

After L'Atelier, I was craving for more local food, aka street food, to balance my food experience in Paris. I saw a picture of the gyros from Maison du Gyros on a food blog and immediately wanted to try some. (sidenote: I am a big fan of the lamb / chicken over rice from the NY food carts.) Once we learned that Maison du Gyros was near the Notre-Dame, we planned our Notre-Dame tour around this fast food Greek restaurant. It was imperative that I try the Paris version of my favorite NY drunk food.

the chicken for my gyro

my 4.50Euro gyro - delicious!

The picture does not do the gyro justice; you can't even see the tomatoes and lettuce in this picture. yummmm.... freshly shaved juicy meat, tomatoes and lettuce drenched in tzatziki sauce, all wrapped in a warm pita. And yes, much better than the ones from the food carts in NY.

Afterwards, we made our way to the Notre-Dame.

In Paris - Lunching at the 2-Michelin Starred L'Atelier

2011-05-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Location: Saint-Germain, Paris

Robert made lunch reservations a few weeks in advance at Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in Saint-Germain. Little did I know how famous Joel Robuchon is! He has been named "Chef of the Century," awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best craftsman), and has 26 Michelin Guide Stars from his dozen restaurants all over the world. 26!!!

We sat down and I knew I was in for a gastronomique treat.

Modern & chic ambience

12-years old ham from Spain

the amuse-bouche - bruschetta

the wine & wine holder :)

la langoustine - in truffled ravioli. my fav!!!

the mashed potatoes that they are famous for - delicious and extremely buttery

red snapper

pigeon wrapped in foie gras and greens. yummm!

magnum bottle of wine for the meal

coffee + candies for dessert

Robert + me

Robert outside the restaurant

L'Atelier is new-aged fine-dining at its best with its trendy atmosphere and deliciously thought-out and executed food.

Have you been to a Joel Robuchon restaurant? Which one is your favorite?

In Paris - First Night Out Exploring The Town

2011-05-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Location: Latin Quarter, Paris

I'm over a month behind on blogging about my visit to Paris, but it's been a crazy month with starting a new job and apartment hunting. My new job has been amazing, but the apartment hunt was such a stressful period. NYC is so crazy when it comes to looking for a place to live!

Robert and I planned a last minute week-long vacation to Paris in April, since I had a break in between jobs. We stayed at a "cute, but I wouldn't stay there again" hotel in Saint-Germain-Latin Quarter. For our first night, after taking a red-eye from JFK to CDG, we decided to take it easy, explore the neighborhood, and find an authentic "French" place to eat. We stumbled upon this amazing tapas restaurant called Dans Les Landes.

Robert and me

We walked in and the waiters immediately started speaking fast French to us. After studying French for 7 years from middle school to college, I just stared blankly back. WIth some hand gesturing and random phrases of French on my end and English on their end, I managed to tell them that we didn't have a reservation and that we wanted to sit outside. It was a beautiful night out, and we started off with a carafe of house wine.

Cous du Canarde "duck neck"

Pate Spring Rolls - the best item of the night!

After the waiter realized that we couldn't read the menu and that we were just randomly pointing at items to order, he recommended the Pate Spring Rolls. OMFG! They were absolutely amazing! I am still craving this today.

Pig's Feet - yes, we decided to eat things that we didn't normally eat back in NY

After dinner, we walked around the corner to Le Saint Medcro for dessert.

Crepe avec Grande-Marnier (aka alcohol and fire)

Crepes are a must-have in Paris; we had them everywhere - both at restaurants and on the streets from food trucks. I have to say though that I love crepes from food trucks the most.

Where would you recommend as your first meal in Paris?

A Fancy Birthday Dinner At Morimoto

2011-03-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Location: Meatpacking (btn 16th St. and 10th Ave.)

On Robert's actual birthday, he and I were flying to Atlanta for a wedding, so he celebrated the weekend after at Morimoto. I normally don't like Asian-inspired restaurants, unless it is cheap and in Chinatown, but Morimoto is an exception. It was so amazing that I don't even know where to begin. Everything surpassed expectations from the unique, trendy decor to the strong, yet delicious drinks to the savory Asian-themed food.

Me and the birthday boy in front of the clearly lit wall of plastic water bottles

My fav drink of the night: lotus blossom (I think that's the name). It tasted like alcoholic ice cream! And don't forget to eat the lychee.

By the end of the night, we probably had all of the cocktails on the menu. The cocktail menu is a bit small, but each cocktail recipe was very creative and totally worth it.


Shriya & Runie. And there's my fav drink of the night again!

Me & Jocelyn in front of the infamous wall

Appetizers:

Toro tartare

Japanese lobster fritters

Oyster foie gras

Entrees:

Sea Bass with Japanese Eggplant - highly, highly recommend, even though it looks plain!!

ishi yaki buri bop - the waiter cooks it tableside

Braised black cod

duck, duck, duck - foie gras croissant, roast duck & soft duck egg

birthday surprise!

Arianne & Peter

Feroz, Ed & Robert

My only complaint is that when we sat down, the waitress casually asked us if we wanted edamame. I thought that edamame would be like bread & olive oil at Italian restaurants, so I was a bit surprised when the bill came and we were charged for it.

Overall, I loved Morimoto! Next time, I want to sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs at work.

Oh, and before you leave, you must stop by the bathroom, even if you don't need to. There's a surprise!

craftbar

2011-03-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Location: Flatiron (btn 20th St. and Broadway)

A few weeks ago, I had dinner at Chef Tom Colicchio's restaurant - Craftbar. For those who need an introduction, Tom Colicchio is the judge on Top Chef (I'm addicted to the current All Stars series!), and he also owns Craft, Craftsteak, and 'wichcraft. Craft is his upscale restaurant in NY, Dallas, and LA. Craftsteak is, clearly as the name states, his steakhouse with locations in Las Vegas, NY, and Foxwoods. And 'wichcraft is his sandwich shop around NY (one in Bryant Park and another near KTown).

We had a group of 8 people at dinner, and we loved it! It has a very chill, relaxing, yet elegant feeling to the place. And needless to say, the food was delicious!!

We started off the night with a bottle of the Vernaccia Nera "Collequanto" from Italy. It was so good that we ordered additional bottle refills after we finished the first one!

Appetizers: white anchovy & soft cooked egg bruschetta and pecorino risotto balls.

Entree: Red Snapper. Yum!! It's already half-eaten!!!

Entree: One of the specials of the night. Duck?

The crew at Craftbar


After dinner, we had drinks at 230 5th - a rooftop lounge that offers a beautiful view of Manhattan. Since it was still cold outside, they offered us red robes to keep us warm!

Can't wait to try Craft next!! Which Craft restaurant is your favorite??

Public

2011-02-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day Weekend, Robert surprised me and took me to Public, a Michelin star awarded restaurant in SoHo. As I walked into the restaurant, I thought it looked familiar and confused it with Fig and Olive, another favorite of mine. The decor and ambience of both are very similar: modern and classy with a hip feel.

In addition to its coveted Michelin Star, Public's chef Brad Farmerie has been named as one of the Top 50 Chefs to Watch. Needless to say, I was very eager to try the food here.

We started off with a bottle of Syrah from New Zealand. I would highly recommend this bottle; it's rich and fruity and reasonably priced.

Syrah, Gunn Estate, 2007, New Zealand

For appetizers, we began with the grilled kangaroo. We ordered this because it's different: you don't encounter kangaroo on the menu at that many restaurants in the US. To those who have never had kangaroo before - the Public version tasted like chicken but a bit juicier.

Grilled kangaroo on a coriander falafel with lemon tahini sauce and green pepper relish

For our main courses, Robert ordered the New Zealand venison loin and I had the herb crusted cod. Both were extremely delicious. You cannot go wrong with either.

New Zealand venison loin, Cabrales dumplings, oyster mushrooms and salsa verde

Next time that I eat here, I'm going to order a side of the brussel sprouts, which our waiter recommended. The couple beside us ordered a side of this and the smell made my mouth water. I had a taste from my cod dish as you can see from the green specs below, but next time I want the entire thing!

Herb crusted cod with a barley squash risotto, Brussels sprout leaves and squid ink sauce

Elegant yet hip, impressive but not too fancy ... this place would be perfect for a first or second date ... getting to know someone that you like, but not wanting to send the wrong message of being too serious. (Not trying to imply you shouldn't go here if you are in a serious relationship either! It's just a great first date idea!)

Hello!

2011-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hello e-world! I tried to stay away from e-journals since my LiveJournal days back in high school. I cringe just thinking about those entries - either very giddy about boys or depressed about them. And so, I made a pact to myself to not jump on the twitter, foursquare, or e-blogging bandwagons.

But anyways, I had a change of heart and here I am. Starting all over again. Hopefully though, this time, no more teenage angst.

The purpose of this blog is to share my food adventures. Ever since I moved to New York about a year and a half ago, I have become a growing foodie. I love good food; I love nice restaurants; and in general, I just love to eat.

My sister, Jessica - a freshman at Berkeley - helped me create the name. Do you get it? So I See It. SISI! My little sister is too clever!

Last August, Jessica and I went on a cruise to Bermuda aka "cruise 15" or "freshman 15 all over again" cruise.

Me and my sister

The food was delicious and, conveniently, everywhere - with restaurants & cafes on every floor, by the pool, at the bars, and even room service for no extra charge! Here is a little preview of the meals on board:

@ Salsa - the Spanish restaurant