Lunch at Jean-Georges

My one dinner at Jean-Georges several years ago was a big disappointment. I know that it has its fans, but I’m also aware that many others have had disappointing experiences, but when a friend asked to meet me there for lunch, I was willing to give it a second chance.

After looking at the wine book, I asked the young man who had presented it a question about the 2010 Grivot Vosne Romanee. His answer left us dumbfounded, but I managed to ask him what he would recommend, and it was something so wrong for what we wanted that I was left speechless. What he should have done, was not open his mouth except to say he would send over someone who knows something about wine, which he did, but not until I gave him the look. BTW, the sommelier thought the Grivot was a great choice.

We agreed on the tasting menu, and it offered us some exquisite dishes, but there was one obvious misstep. After a plate of 3 assorted amuse bouche, the first course was a very rich and luscious egg yolk topped with caviar. It reminded me of the egg sushi from the movie, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, even though it was nothing like that…it just made me think of it. Following this was a madai sashimi on crostini with shaved black truffle, delicious and acted as a palate cleanser after the richness of the previous course. Next was my favorite dish, parsnip ravioli with bits of coconut gelee in a beet vinaigrette - fantastic flavors. Then the botched course of Arctic char on a celeriac purée with a spicy cilantro sauce. From the first bite, all I tasted was salt, and not from the fish but from the purée. After salt, it was a jolt of heat from the sauce. We both tried eating the fish by itself but just wasn’t enjoyable. The fake wine guy, but reasonably good waiter, offered to redo or replace the dish, but we still had another savory course and didn’t need this one, so we declined. Next was my second favorite dish, crispy pig confit on rutabaga purée topped with a red onion marmalade. The over salted previous course was just a fleeting memory, and this one is probably the top one or two pig dishes I’ve had. The citrus dessert plate was a yawn, although I did like the creme brûlée on it. The mignardises were forgettable, and what’s up with the marshmallows? I didn’t like the pretentiousness of it at my dinner and I didn’t want to partake at this lunch.

At the end of the three hours, I’ve come to the conclusion that Jean-Georges needs to train his staff better (I wasn’t going to mention the bread server who missed my bread plate and dropped a roll on my dinner plate-not a big deal), and I don’t care to go back.

one data point for me and also disappointing.
alan

Been very consistent for me - get there once a year for the last7 or so. Still a value at lunch although not the screaming value it was. Usually one of us will have a do-so dish with the rest being great.

Sorry to hear of the poor lunch Diane. I eat with Barry.
Usually at his lunch and for a party of 5 or 6 we usually have one bad dish (ill conceived or poor prep) which they will graciously replace.

Suzanne - only the one course was executed poorly, and we turned down their offer to replace. Desserts were a letdown and wine service was just plain stupid until the sommelier came over, but 3 courses were fabulous. It’s just at those prices, service and food should be flawless.

I always accept a chance to make a wrong right.
As I recall mine was a funky fish dish (Steamed Skate with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Spaghetti Squash and Soy-Yuzu Broth) that just did not work and I replaced it with the sea urchin (Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Black Bread, Jalapeño and Yuzu) which was great.

Serious question.
How can a restaurant pricing at that level consistently miss on 20% of their courses?

i remain in the camp of jg lovers, and seemingly against the tide.
the $38 lunch is a screaming value, and i’ve enjoyed nearly perfect assistance from the staff on all occasions i can recall.

much like at le bernardin (which seems to also disappoint here), i like what i like at both of these restaurants and often make quick visits (ie i skip the tasting menus these days). at le b i visit the bar room for 1 or 2 of my favorite small dishes with a glass or 2 of chablis or whatever white burg they have open, and at jg i do 2 or 3 dishes at lunch with more recommended wines by the glass. i mean it when i say, i have yet to be disappointed, although admittedly it may always not be the pinnacle of cuisine.
i’m ok with that once in a while

Diane, how was the 2010 Grivot Vosne Romanee? Were there any other red burgs that stood out to you from the list? Thank you for sharing your experience. I have a dinner reservation there this Friday and will have one of the tasting menus. It’s my first time, and when I booked it weeks ago, their website was under construction and no wine list was available. Their website is still under construction, and I even contacted them to see if there was any way to post their wine list online so a prospective diner (with a reservation) can take some time to peruse it. I have not had a response from them after 5 days. How can a restaurant of that caliber and reputation not have a wine list on their website for weeks? I don’t like to make last minute wine decisions, but it looks like I will have to this Friday. (I’m red burg and bordeaux-centric).

Harold - the Grivot was very nice. The wines list is enormous, and it will take considerable time to make your selection. I made it easy on myself by limiting my selection to the list of half bottles, since there were just two of us, and we started with a white, 2011 Huet Sec Le Haut- Lieu.

In our experience, it’s one dish among a varied tasting menu. Five people times five courses, maybe two have ordered the less successful one, making it more like 8%.

Perfect! Thank you Diane. That’s precisely what I would be looking for too (a half of Huet).

Enjoy your dinner, Harold.

One of my finest restaurant memories is of Jean-George (a comped meal which merits it own thread - “sometimes Jean-Georges, he doesn’t let you pay!”) and I have largely remained loyal to the place. But a tendency toward over-the-top brightness can result in oddly heavy-handed dishes from time to time.

Diane, we went with the seasonal tasting menu for dinner. There were highlights, and lowlights. We enjoyed the sauteed foie gras with green apple puree and dashi yuzu foam, the diver scallops were decent, but the maine lobster, arctic char, and lamb with crunchy polenta were average at best. Totally agree with you about the arctic char. Salty and way too spicy!

We had the 2009 Grivot Beaux Monts, which showed well.

Overall, we are not dying to go back.