Jean Georges

My darling Stb and I decided to pretend to be ladies who lunch during my spring break… Actually, who’m I kidding?  I’m pretty darn close to being one already anyway…  In any case, we made plans to lunch together and Jean Georges, whose lunch menu has been on my radar since it came to my attention that it’s $32 for two courses for lunch – a ridiculously awesome deal – was chosen, though StB expressed some reservations about going, since she hadn’t been too impressed with it in the past.  I put on a cute dress but wisely chose flats as my footwear, and there we found ourselves. 

The bread service was a bit strange; our bread waiter just asked us if we wanted bread, but didn’t tell us what kinds he had.  I started worrying almost immediately; whenever I choose a place to eat, I always fret if it isn’t good, even if I’ve never been.  The bread itself was great; I chose ciabatta (which tends to be my choice), and it had a great crust, with an airy, open inside. 

The butter was the perfect temperature, and I didn’t bother using any salt. 

Though I’d been disappointed at Matsugen with the cherry yuzu soda (which was also offered here), I decided to forge ahead and ordered a tangerine soda, while StB went with the passionfruit.  I found mine actually quite perfect; the fruit flavor was pronounced, without being overwhelming or too sweet.  Yum. 

Our amuse bouche trio: a shot of carrot ginger parsnip soup; toast with goat milk butter, and a mushroom canneloni.  I enjoyed the canneloni the best, hands down… it was cheesy and almost meaty, even.  A perfectly sized bite of yumminess!  The little toast with goat milk butter topped with a parsnip was also very good, while the soup shot was just okay.  Not surprising, though, I don’t tend towards carrot ginger. 

StB ordered the sea trout sashimi, draped in trout eggs, lemon, dill and horseradish, which I’d had my eye on when I perused the menu online.  When she mentioned she was going to order it, though, I switched gears.  I think she enjoyed this dish; I didn’t hear much from her about it after she ate it. 

When we’d been given the menus to look at, I’d immediately noticed a dish on there that hadn’t been on the website. 

Peekytoe crab salad topped with pink peppercorn mustard with exotic fruits.  Lots of flavor, but I wanted a bit more oomph; it felt a little restrained.  Not enough pop.  Still tasty, though. 

StB was dealing with some issues so she chose to order the softest foods on the menu – here is the parmesan risotto with mushrooms and herbs.  She thought it was okay, but to be fair, that has to be one of the more standard types of dishes offered. 

And for my main course, I ordered the sweetbreads with grilled pear and licorice.  The drizzle on the side had a slight edge to it, which on its own bordered on unpleasant, but really complemented the sweetbreads when eaten together… even more so when eaten with a piece of the grilled pear. 

A close up of the sweetbreads, which were skewered with sticks of… licorice?  I didn’t try to eat the sticks, haha.  The sweetbreads themselves bore only the slightest hint of chalkiness, and were good.  Of course, I really like sweetbreads…

As the meal came to a conclusion, we were handed dessert menus split into sections.  Chocolate, apple, caramel… just some of our choices from the dessert menu curated by Johnny Iuzzini, but pressed for time, we had to decline.  Besides, we were both comfortably sated at this point. 

At that moment, a cart was wheeled over in front of us.  Trays of chocolates were lined up, waiting to be placed in front of eager diners ending their meals, along with an apothecary jar filled with what looked like one long white rope of fluffy softness.  “Vanilla marshmallows, made in-house,” the smiling server told us before snipping off two pieces for us.  “Lavender macarons,” while placing the small dish containing the cookies in front of us.  StB declined eating the chocolates, so I goofily tried each one in turn before directing my attention to the macarons.  Executed flawlessly, though lavender is definitely one of my less preferred flavors; a shell that yielded to the pressure of my teeth, cracking softly and revealing a soft, chewy center… yes, please.  The marshmallows were even more pleasant; I’ve not been a fan of homemade marshmallows in the past, finding them too sticky for my preferences, but these were ethereal in texture and melted away as my mouth enveloped them with hot, moist air.  If I could make marshmallows like these… I would…

Yvo says: This was definitely an experience that I would like to recreate; sometimes I get caught up in things and forget to pay as much attention to the meal as perhaps I should.  This was one of those cases, where I’d like to go back, order more appropriately, and fully immerse myself in the meal as it unfolds around me as opposed to allowing myself to be distracted by other things.  Definitely a good meal, and at these prices, luxury is affordable by just about everyone.  A three Michelin star restaurant for lunch?  Don’t mind if I do…
recommended – truly a bargain at $32 for lunch