Every now and then everyone needs to treat themselves to an amazing meal in New York. I recently visited Nougatine at Jean Georges after a recommendation from my friend Diane, and I cannot thank her enough! For those who do not know about this restaurant, I have one thing to say – GO!
Nougatine allows diners to experience Jean Georges’ creative meals in a more relaxed environment, they even have an outdoor terrace.
When I go to places like this I love to get the tasting menu. One slight problem was that it did not include the Niman Ranch pork chop(?!)… I did ask if the would substitute it for the dry aged sirloin, but no dice. (I had to ask!)
That being said the meal was flawless. It started with an amuse bouche of toast topped with goat cheese, cherry tomato and balsamic vinegar. I honestly thought that the goat cheese was a little bland, the tomato was really sweet which offset the tang of the balsamic. On the side was a cucumber soda – so fresh it was a terrific way to cleanse my palette for the meal to come. I really want to make a cocktail with that as a base perhaps with gin…. I need to add a juicer to my growing list of kitchen tools.
Next came a tuna tartare on a base of avocado topped with radish surrounded by a ginger marinade. Each element complimented the other, the creaminess of the avocado and the crispy radish slices. The spiciness of the ginger marinade brought it all together.
Then the foie gras brulee with strawberry jam and aged balsamic vinegar. I had read about this before I went, and I have to say it was nothing short of amazing. The richness of the foie paired with strawberry and cut by aged balsamic vinegar all contrasted with a layer of hard caramel on top.
The fish dish was skate served over avocado, black beans surrounded by a pesto sauce. It was of course cooked to perfection, so fresh and light. After the skate we were served a grilled dry aged sirloin served with mash potatoes and crispy onions. Served rare with a nice char. The only thing I wish was that it had come with more of the crispy onions! For dessert we had a sampling that included a warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, a filo pastry with fresh strawberries and a rosemary ice cream.
We washed down this amazing tasting menu with a bottle of white Alsace Pinot Grigio which was a little sweeter than what I normally drink but it went with the meal very well. If you have not been to one of Jean Georges restaurants, I highly recommend it and Nougatine is a great way to do so. They have a lunch prix fixe which looks amazing as well. One day I will have to return for the pork chop!