Eleven Madison Park, $29

I just love Eleven Madison Park.  It is one of my favorite restaurants. Eleven Madison Park inspired me in culinary school.  Our career counselors told us to think of a restaurateur or chef that we would like learn from and contact the establishment to do a trail (like an internship).  For me, Chef Daniel Humm had impressed me with his work at Eleven Madison Park. He started working in the kitchens when he was 14.  He trained in some of the top restaurants in Europe and has been nominated and received many culinary awards, most recently the 2010 James Beard Award for Best NYC Chef.  My trail didn't end up with me as the Chef's newest prodigy mainly, because I didn't have it in me to complete an entire awkward dinner service standing in corners watching others work.  I like it much better in the front of the house as a customer.  I have had great dinners and lunches there. However, I have never had their Prix Fixe lunch.

The wonderful and intelligent Mee-Ryung was my lunch partner once again.  We were seated side-by-side along a wall that gave us full view of the bright, art deco restaurant with 30 foot ceilings.  Our Prix Fixe option was two courses for $29.  If we wanted desserts, it would be a la carte.  We had a choice of two items we could pick from three categories: cold appetizers, hot appetizers and entree.  I got the veal sweetbreads and lamb. M got the tuna tartare and bouillabaisse.  With a nice Rose wine picked out for us with the help of the sommelier, we were ready for our food experience. First we were brought an amuse bouche.  A carrot marshmallow and a asparagus gele`e topping a foie gras mousse and a Gruyere gougere.  The carrot marshmallow was too carrot.  It had the untamed carrot twang of highly, yet not carefully reduced carrot juice.  M accidentally dropped hers on the floor, we got more enjoyment from wondering if the marshmallow had bounced when it landed under the table than eating the little orange square.  The asparagus and foie gras did not hit a high note either.  The asparagus gele overpowered the delicate foie gras mousse underneath and with the cold temperature at which it was served made for a an odd palate pairing.  The gougere was fine, not great, but it was cheese, hard to go wrong there.  We also received some sweet Vermont Butter and Fleur de Sel for our unmemorable bread.

We received our first course.  My sweetbreads were pretty fantastic.  The sweetbreads were sauteed and served over Israeli couscous with mushrooms, peas and garlic.  The dish was not heavy as the sweetbread were not fried.  The flavors complimented each other very nicely. I really enjoyed it.   M's tuna tartare was a little disappointing.  It was served with peas, mint and grapefruit with a couple shrimp chips.  The tuna was good, but the dish lacked a balance of flavor.  The mint, peas and grapefruit seemed like a thoughtful, tasty accompaniment.  However, in reality, the mint and peas did not add anything to the tuna, in fact they overpowered.  The grapefruit gave some needed acid to the dish but was overpowering, as well.  The shrimp toasts didn't fit with the dish.  They added little to the overall taste and enjoyment of the dish (and I love shrimp chips).  We reminisced about the superb tuna tartare at Nougatine.

Both entrees came to the table looking beautiful.  However, the lamb, like the tuna, was garnished in such a way that it hid the protein which I am not a fan of for two reasons. One, because the dish only looks nice until you move the garnish to eat and, two, what are they trying to hide?  Thankfully, they weren't trying to hide any blunder under the garnish of my lamb dish.  It was delicious.  The meat was perfectly done, the sauce was nicely balanced and the greens cut the richness nicely to make the dish less heavy.  M's bouillabaisse was gorgeous looking.  The fish was cooked well with big, plump mussels surrounding the sea bass.  The sauce looked rich and flavorful, but didn't deliver. It was bland.  At least, the fish and mussels tasted good on their own.

We decided not to order dessert.  We were a bit disappointed about the meal, so we decided against it.  I was also a little embarrassed.  I had raved about this restaurant to M and it had been my "dream restaurant" to work at (when I was in culinary school).   I was ready to go. . . until we saw Chef  Daniel Humm in the dining room.  M asked him for a picture with us.  He happily obliged, sat between us, put his arms over our shoulders and grinned.  I did not say anything about our disappointing food experience.  Besides, he has won awards and any kitchen can have an off day or even a dish or theme that is not very well received.  Boy, was he nice to take a picture with us.  I was just an admirer, now I am a bit smitten.  I will definitely go back.

Aureole, $34, April 2010

Aureole sits in its new location in the Bank of America Building on 42nd.  A far cry from its beginnings on the Upper East Side some 20 years ago.  It has been injected with new blood  by chef Christopher Lee from Gilt in the New York Palace Hotel, considered some of the best hotel dining available anywhere.  Zagat rates it a 29 in the food category.  With a rating system that goes to 30, that's a pretty special restaurant.  But, Zagat acknowledges that the vote tally was low for this particular restaurant which indicates more testing to be done.  I am up for the task to throw in a couple of votes, at least for lunch.

The restaurant is very modern, classy and airy. They captured as much natural light as is available in their mid-street location near Time Square.  After a short wait, Mee-Ryung, my lunch date, and I were led through the open dining area and modern looking bar to another dining room that was still modern, but warmer.  We were seated at a four-top table with two place settings in the corner of the banquette.  A perfect place for us to philosophize and crack each other up!  The service was very attentive, but not obtrusive.  It was a bit pretentious, but at high end restaurants that is a given.  That said, Aureole was not snooty, but quite comfortable.

The wine list was quite extensive.  They feature their wines in their decor as an illuminated second floor wine loft. Its quite dramatic. But I am interested in finding something that is a little more down to earth, and they have it.  They have several bottled wines for less than $50 and with the help of a very young and capable sommelier you can order one and not feel like you are being cheap.  The by the glass selection is very nice, as well, again decent variety and price. They also offer delicious, specialty iced teas for $4.50, which is a deal, too.

There are two options on the three course menu, which changes periodically.  This day the options were fish or pork with a yogurt or tiramisu dessert.  M got the seafood and yogurt, I got the other half of the menu.  We were served an amuse bouche first.  We got shots of a chilled cantaloupe soup flavored with micro basil and topped with pancetta and watermelon.  It was fresh and rich, but also smooth with a little crunch.  It was a lovely contradiction.

We selected bread from a basket brought to us.   I picked the Parker House Cheese Roll and M had a slice of the cranberry nut bread.   Both were a mouthful of "wow!" in different ways.  Mine was cheesy with a little crunch and M's was soft and not too sweet.  I normally don't write about the bread.  Its usually very good, but not too memorable.  This bread is worth mentioning.

The first courses were beautifully presented.  I got the suckling pig terrine and M the seafood pasta salad.  The terrine was delicious, I love all the accessories you get with it: a little mustard, a little cornichon, a little salad, a little toast.  I love to assemble each bite differently.  M's pasta was perfectly done and the size of the shrimp, scallop, lobster were nicely bite size.  She felt that the seafood was cooked a bit past perfection.  I would have to agree, it had a little more give than I would have expected from a kitchen of this caliber.  I feel like a snob to say that because the fish was terrific, but it could have been done better.  M chided me that she and I are not snobs, "we are aware."

Being "aware", the next course brought the same comments about M's fish.  It was a delicious piece of sea bass, nicely seasoned, over greens and broccolini with a white bean puree draped across the plate and small caramelized apples.  However, the fish was a bit drier than what she and I enjoy.  My pork theme continued with crispy, flavorful pork belly.  It was served over perfectly done kernels of a normally unglamourous grain, bulgar wheat.  Also accompanying were a tasty white asparagus puree to cut the richness of the pork and oyster mushrooms.  Beautiful and delicious.

Our desserts were quite surprising.   I got a deconstructed tiramisu with mascarpone ice cream and M got a yogurt cake with berry coulis.  I had assumed my dessert with mascarpone ice cream was going to be something over the top, but if you have ever tasted mascarpone, you know it doesn't have much flavor, it is a good carrier.  So the ice cream was ice cream, nothing special.  The ladyfingers were handmade and the caramel syrup was very nice. M's dessert was not only "knock-your-socks-off good" it was also beautiful.  The raspberry red and contrasting white.  I had initially pictured a lump of drained yogurt with some flavoring.  I was wrong, it was a rich and tangy mouthful.  The creaminess was cut by the berry sauce. What a pleasant surprise.

Then, another surprise: cookies!  Each cookie was different.  One was apricot, another chocolate, then one with a few flakes of Fleur de sel and a cinnamony one with a Red Hot in the middle.

Aureole is  a fantastic restaurant that I would highly recommend their Prixe Fix lunch.  It is a great value for all you get.  M and I had a great table, the waitstaff was attentive, but not overly  and the food was terrific.  Rating the food only, I would not rate it nearly perfect as Zagat did, but it certainly has many other factors going for it that would make it a perfect meal experience.