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| Dining Incognito |
Patina
Tara Weingarten
08/02/2004
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This wooden curtain conceals a small wine
cabinet, which stores a few spectacular bottles from the restaurant’s ambitious
42-page wine list. The inventory includes a 5-liter 1975 Château Mouton
Rothschild Pauillac, for $2,100, and a jeroboam of 1995 Perrier Jouët Belle
Epoch Gold Millennium 2000 special edition, $3,200.
Though the décor is
stunningly chic, executive chef Theo Schoenegger’s meticulous cooking is the
true eye-opener. Schoenegger serves a six-course chef’s menu ($120 per person)
that changes with the seasons. A diver scallop carpaccio with white asparagus
melds perfectly with a dandelion salad drizzled with a pine nut and fraises des
bois vinaigrette. Another course highlights black cod, glazed with Quebec maple
syrup, with lobster ravioli and a yuzu-ginger emulsion. This creates the perfect
segue to the main course: olive oil-poached squab breast with wild mushroom
risotto and port foam.
The dinner concludes with a phenomenal cheese course,
as guests select from a cart that includes samples from around the world: ami du
chambertin, a Burgundian delicacy that boasts forceful, barnyard flavors, and a
nutty Brie de Meaux that exudes buttery smoothness. Unique cheeses tempt the
palate, notably a Humboldt fog from Northern California and a St. Maure goat
cheese from the Loire Valley. For $60 more, diners receive a wine pairing for
each of the six courses from sommelier Eric Espuny, one of the city’s sharpest
wine stewards.
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