JGV - Last but not Least

To end my JGV Journey, I've selected the Matsugen for my New Year celebration with my group of great friends. Catching up with the latest news with friends and sipping down specialty cocktail after another, finally comes the food.
The Omakase, 7 courses tasting menu, and a few extra appetizers would be a great way to end the year 2008. Started the evening with some Grilled Edamame and Homemade soft tofu. The tofu was so soft and silky that it dissolves in your mouth to soya milk instantaneously. If you are adventurous, try the Bakudan. It's a mix of sea urchin, salmon roe, scallops, scallion, poached egg, natto-"fermented soybean", and nori-"seaweed". Its medley fishy flavors were not my favorite. Then comes the nice juicy chicken meatballs served with hot mustard, good way to cleanse my fishy palette. Followed by the sushi plate: toro, salmom, kanpachi, and fluke. The fishes were all fresh as expected from a high-end Japanese restaurant. Then comes my favorite black cod with miso, it was perfectly grilled with the crispy skin and moist flaky fish. Finally, Matsugen's well known soba. It was good, but the flavor was not that impressive and the dipping sauce arrived after I was done with my noodle. . hmmmm. For the sweet finale, I've ordered the Matsugen parfait and the vanilla caramel pudding. : fresh season fruits, green tea and vanilla ice cream, red bean, white mochi, and warabi mochi. It's said to say that the desserts were the highlight of the night, I enjoyed the desserts more then the Omakase.
I was disappointed after my visit to Matsugen because, personally, i would expect alot more from an overpriced 'top notch' restaurant.

Tribeca: 241 Curch Street, NY (x Leonard St)

JGV Day 3 - Soho Experience

Mercer Kitchen is located beneath the trendy Mercer Hotel. JGV was offering a winter promotion in most of his restaurants with a prix-fixed lunch and dinner menu. Since the world is in recession, we took advantage. Apparently when we made the reservation, the staff was not clear about prix-fixed being served only before 6:30pm. But I was very pleased that the chef made an exception to accommodate us.
Glazed salmon with ribbons of celery root, capers, and creme fraiche was a great choice to start off lite. Then followed by the Grilled pork chop and spiced pears with wild rice and mushrooms. The pork chop was perfectly cooked with the juice contained inside which kept the chop moist. And the spiced pear gave a hint of sweetness to the over dish. Last but not least, the Spiced cake with egg nog ice cream with pineapple-mango salad was a great way to fullfill my sweet tooth craving with a healthy fruit salad. The experience was good but not amazing enough to be unforgettable.

Soho: 99 Prince St, NY (x Mercer St)

JGV Day 2 - Asian Fusion Style

The Meat Packaging district is one of NYC food heaven hotspot and my JVG temptation has led me to the Spice Market. But without reservation, the wait can be at least an hour. Maybe because I was in my JGV quest, I was lucky enough to be seated right as I walked in.
On a not so hungry night, I usually order a few appetizers to get a variety of flavors instead of an entree. Started the night with the Black pepper shrimp with sun dried pineapple. Then followed by the Charred chili rubbed beef skewer with thai basil dipping sauce. And finally came the Spicy thai fried chicken wings with mango and mint. Wow...it was spicy. This was my second visit to Spice Market but I don't recall the dishes being this spicy. I really enjoyed the chicken wings in my first visit but this time, I was a bit disappointed. The wings were way too vinegary and spicy, quite unbearable! After the meal, my tongue was all numb and my lips were as plump as A.Jolie's. But this 1 time bad experience is not enough for me to out Spice Market on my 'No Go List'. I will give it 1 more chance.

Meat Packaging District: 403 W13th Street, NY (x Greenwich St)

Jean Georges Vongerichten Eating Journey

During the holiday season, I've treated myself a special JGV restaurant week as away to pat myself on the back for this year's hard work. My camera broke down right before my JGV journey so you will not see any awesome foodie pictures for a little while.
My JGV journey started out at the Nougatine on my birthday. I saw JG in the kitchen. OMG.... But I was too shy to go introduce myself.
I've started the meal with the Tuna tartare with avocado, spicy radish, and ginger marinade. A touch of ginger flavor enhanced the tuna's freshness and the avocado balanced out the spicy radish.
Next comes the Poached Lobster with fresh tagliatelle, passion fruit, and prawn butter. Wow... I have the say, the amount of lobster in this dish was very generous. The portion of lobster was impressive compared to to the amount of fresh pasta. I also ordered the Soy beef short ribs with apple-jalapeno puree and rosemary crumbs. The short ribs were so tender that it melts in your mouth. The apple sweetness and the spicy jalapeno makes the perfect combination.
The blend of French cuisine with a touch of Asian spice and flavor was refreshing -even if it adds a few extra calories.

Upper West Side: 1 Central Park West, NY (@ the Trump Tower)