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| at
Jumeirah Essex House |
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| New York
- USA |
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Extraordinary - Merit
June - 2008 |
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5 Stars
& 4 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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It's a stunning view standing in the middle of
Columbus Circle, right at the corner of Central Park South and Broadway and
looking east down historic and majestic 59th Street. About a block and a half
away is the Jumeirah Essex House, the location of the South Gate Restaurant
directly across from the lush green environment of Central Park. South Gate has
overcome its aura as one of New York City's newest restaurants by becoming a
culinary leader in the art of modern American cuisine. To get a sense of what
the term “modern American cuisine” means, you must think essentially
'market inspired and globally infused'.
Executive
Chef Kerry Heffernan has been pursuing high quality, fresh, locally
produced ingredients to be fused with top-level cooking techniques and
presentations as if he were on a religiously motivated crusade.
Chef
Heffernan brought with him a loyal following after previously heading the
kitchen at Eleven Madison Park in lower Manhattan. Through it all he has even
developed a way to woo more disciples into the fold by introducing The
Stroller's Brunch, a Sunday morning gastronomic adventure designed to
attract those weekend walkers in Central Park. It is certainly a tough act to
follow, especially in the footsteps of the previous Restaurateur Alain Ducasse
who vacated the Essex House with his namesake restaurant just before the advent
of Jumeirah. But Chef Heffernan has big ideas with his panoply of cooking
styles and concepts from which he can adapt to the changing circumstances in
the business of feeding people successfully. |
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| We entered the restaurant from
59th street, standing in awe amidst the fractured mirrors adorning the wall and
the 40-foot wine wall along the side, which put on display the restaurant's
entire array of wines for all to see. It is an elegantly designed space from
the renowned Tony Chi and Associates with a decidedly upscale clientele in an
open airy environment. It was a shame that this lovely retreat from the taxi
and pedestrian noise of the street was in fact punctuated by a totally out of
place genre of music. But we were here to immerse ourselves in the cultured
cuisine of
Chef
Heffernan and his capable team, so we let the show begin. |
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| South
Gate Restaurant |
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| Our dining interlude began with Hamachi, Eucalyptus
Oil, Lemon Zest and Garlic Crisp, which had a delicate taste as rich as
toro (tuna belly), smooth and buttery with a deep smoky taste, but not as
overpoweringly fatty. It was appropriate to have a glass of Salwey Rose Dry,
Baden Germany 2006, as it cut through the eucalyptus oil, softening the
intensity with crisp acids and a long clean finish. Soon after, a salad of
Grilled and Roasted Spring Onion with Fleur de Vert Goat Cheese and Banyuls
Vinaigrette was the next course. The goat cheese was soft, creamy and
absolutely heartwarming with a hint of sweetness on the tongue while the spring
assortment of grilled onions added texture and flavor. The dressing was made
from a Grenache-based fortified wine adding a lovely garnet color and a good
balanced acidity that made it come off as more delicate than vintage port.
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Next up was Flan of English
Peas, Morels, Prosciutto and Chervil Emulsion, a decidedly early spring
innovation focusing on the sweetness of the peas, earthiness of the morels and
subtle dark red color and velvety, complex flavor of the cured prosciutto. For
an interesting wine pairing, the sommelier picked a bottle of Urano Malbec
Rose, Eral Bravo, Mendoza Argentina 2007. Coming from a beef heavy country,
it is refreshing to see the rose version of this varietal with elegant aromas
and good structure. |
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| Our entrée was served next with
Sautéed Red Snapper, Green Celery Fondue, White Anchovy and
Lovage as my choice since I was intrigued with Chef Heffernan's use of the
herb 'lovage', a celery-like herb that adds an important fresh flavor
dimension. To pair with the fish entrée, the Sommelier suggested
Nussberg Alte Reben Wiener Wein, Austria. This Gruner Veltliner is an
excellent white worth trying anywhere you used to drink Chardonnay and offered
an aromatic floral and honeysuckle nose with mineral notes on the palate.
Finally it was time for the dessert course and Chef Heffernan sent out a
Chocolate Caramel Tart with Hazelnut Brittle, Caramel Popcorn and Caramel
Ice Cream. It was noteworthy to see the whimsical adaptation of caramel in
three different forms of which my personal favorite caramel popcorn, brought me
tumbling back to my childhood. To finish off the evening, it was a pleasure to
sample a bottle of New York Malmsey Madeira Special Reserve doing its
utmost to accentuate the dessert with its chocolaty aromatic depth and a very
rich palate with nice sweetness. |
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We were impressed with
Chef
Heffernan and his intuitive take on 'modern American cuisine'. It is quite
evident that South Gate should do very well under his capable leadership,
continuing the upward movement in the New York restaurant scene. Our hats are
off also to Marco Burlimann, the Director of Food & Beverage for the
Jumeirah Essex House, under whose leadership and inspiration much of the major
renovation for the South Gate Restaurant was accomplished.
Click
here to see our Seven Stars and Stripes Senior Consultant
Edmund
Buehrmann with the venerable Marco Burlimann. |
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by
Edmund Buehrmann & Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2008 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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