Le Pavillon, NYC, 6-15-2024 (4-course, $95 excl. Taxes and Gratuity, French, Michelin 1 Star)

 Le Pavillon, NYC, 6/15/2024 (4-Course, Summer Menu $95 excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Le Pavillon is located in the center of NYC midtown, 1 Vanderbilt Ave., in one of the newest skyscrapers where you can observe some stunning views of other skyscrapers. The entrance to Le Pavillon faces 42^nd St., the lower part of the building is surrounded by 6-floor height plate glass with a warm palette and friendly ambiance.

I have recently discovered that Le Pavillon has a Summer Menu thru 8/31/24, and seating time of 5-6pm vs its ordinary Dinner Menu of 3-Course $145. I was late on the appointment and was informed that Summer Menu was no longer served at the regular dining room table after 6pm. However, still available at the bar. We decided to take the bar seats as I noticed there were 2 corner seats around the bar counter, one of them has the perfect view of southern exposure facing the architecturally spectacular Chrysler building. 

 

Summer Menu offers 2 Canapés, 1 Amuse Bouche (chose 1 of 2), 1 Main Course (chose 1 out of 3) and 1 Desert (chose 1 of 2). Chef Daniel Boulud and his talented team of chefs Michael Balboni and Will Nacev prepare a contemporary French cuisine dominated by seafood and vegetable-focused items.

I.CHEF’S SELECTION OF CANAPÉS

Grilled Avocados

Just ripe avocados were grilled and served with harissa (red) and fried kales leave from Castor Belly Farm. In addition, nicely flavored Eikenberry was partially hidden in the plate. Eikenberry has been around in Turkey for a long while, from 12,000 years ago, in Gobekli Tepe civilization, Turkey. I verified with one of the servers, Eikenberry is similar to barley which is a very healthy food and can clean out your metabolism system as well as help with losing weight. Green Goddess sauce in pale green color, made of mayonnaise, sour cream, chervil, chives, anchovy, tarragon, lemon juice, and pepper, was served on the side. Eikenberry prepared in this plate is a ½ size grain of what I use and flavored with mid-Eastern flavored spices, it requires 2 hours of low heat cooking. Although I am not a fan of mid-Eastern food, but the flavor and taste of this course is very pleasant. (18/20)

Oyster Vanderbilt with White Wine

Oysters from John River Oyster in Main was prepared with white wine in grill. It has got multiple layers of herbs and ingredients. At the very bottom, sea salt was just for presentation. So did the seaweeds, I tried to taste the seaweeds and they were not even chewable. But anything else above seaweeds were edible and delicious.

At the very top was the crunchy crust powder of parsley, plankton, hazelnut, almond. It was refreshing and with sophisticated taste. Underneath this top layer was with whole piece of oyster in white wine sauce and potato chowder sauce. It was my favorite plate out of this dinner (20/20).

2ND COURSE-WILD MUSHROOM GIRELLA PASTA, broccoli rabe, Comté emulsion

Chef used duxelles mushroom in making the mushroom lasagna with house lasagna pasta sheet. It was medium al dente, the right firmness stuffed with mushroom purée. Sautées brocoli, Comté cheese emulsion and Comté cheese tuille, sautéed spinach, endive frisée were served on the side to produce a balance on taste. The top edges of the lasagna were a bit charred to be in company with the crunchiness of the cheese tuille. (18/20)

 2ND COURSE-DUO OF RED & WHITE GAZPACHOS, California strawberries, cucumber, dill, goat cheese

There were 2 types of gazpachos served in the same plate, one in white color, one in red color.

White color- was comprised of cucumber, yellow tomatoes, oca radishes, goat cheese, white grape, grape cucumber, sherry vinegar and spicey Mondego’s oil and olive oil from Portugal. The white gazpacho was absolutely refreshing, with a long and not too strong pleasant flavor on the palette. At the very bottom of the plate was mild flavored goat cheese, it was very delightful to scoop a bite of goat cheese in the chilled gazpacho into your taste bud. The yellow baby heirloom tomatoes were so delicately flavored, melt in your mouth with a lingering perfect taste. 

Red color- was mainly comprised of Harrys berry strawberry. They are wild baby strawberry from California. Harrys berry has its distinctive taste when mixed with other berries and olive oil in this plate, it has a different taste from the white gazpachos, and it was another perfect taste.

Varieties of heirloom vegetable were displayed in the plate. They were not just for decoration only. Each of the heirloom veg was prepared and flavored to yield a well- balanced flavor and artistic presentation. (20/20)

3RD COURSE-GRILLED ATLANTIC BASS, kaffir lime, celtuce, crushed potatoes, pinenut gremolata

I and my companion both ordered the Atlantic bass, I ordered my fish to be rare-medium, and it was prepared as medium-medium. But the flavor was still enjoyable.

Although I have had celtuce (Chinese lettuce) many times, it was the 1^st time that I ate celtuce as so delicate and precise. Celtuce was prepared for 2 forms, one is the stock itself and the other was the purée. It had a milder taste in between asparagus and kohlrabi. The stock itself was cooked and charred (with the mark of grilled). In the middle of the purée there was a white color puddle which is the white pine nut oil. In addition, there were sprinkles of Earl Grey powder (in black). Both versions were prepared to the perfection on texture and flavor.

Fish was seared with olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat with skin side down to yield the crispy skin. It most likely had melted butter basing to make tender and flaky flesh inside. On top of fish were roasted pine nuts seasoned with Italian style Gremolata sauce made of parley, fresh garlic and lemon zest.   

There was another veg on the side, varieties of potatoes in different color, in different size and different texture.  There were Peruvian potatoes (in purple) and salt baked Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukon Gold is a hybrid made with Yellow potatoes and White potatoes, are more moist than starchy potatoes, they are semi-starchy and semi-waxy. These crushed potatoes were adorned with Japanese mushroom and green garnishes, nasturtium. I am not a potato fan. But I enjoyed this potato galore. (19/20)

4^TH COURSE-TROPICAL FRUIT VACHERIN, pineapple-guava sorbet, spiced meringue, exotic fruit compote

Vacherin is a meringue-based desert, needs a lot of egg white. It was invented by a French pastry chef in the 18^th century. Calorie wise probably is suitable for Summer Menu.

Meringue was baked into pocket shape and pineapple-guava concentrate were made into sorbet before fitting into the meringue pocket. The flavor of the sorbet was strong but not overwhelming, complementary with the exotic fruit compote of mango, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, yellow kiwi and kumquat. It was a perfect desert for a summer night. (19/20)

4^TH COURSE-NOISETTE, milk chocolate crémeux, praline croustillant, hazelnut nougatine

Noisette means hazelnut in French. This course is a chocolate made with hazelnuts and creméux, adorned with gold leaves and artistically decorated chocolate trimming sitting on a bed of praline croustillant and hazelnut nougatine. Creméux is a fancy way for pastry chefs to describe any dessert that falls between mousse and pudding in terms of lightness, needs a lot of egg yolks. In other words, it is crème anglaise emulsified with chocolate and crunchy nougatine. It is good for chocolate lovers. (19/20)

PETIT FOUR

Pistachio – choux pastry dough filled with pistachio cream

Caramel – choux pastry dough filled with caramel cream

They were both pleasant. The whole Summer Menu was delicate, delightfully tasty and light. I must say my favorite spot was at the bar where a guest can see the beautiful and stunning view of Crysler building. However, on the other end (N side) of the dining room, there are so many greeneries around make it feel like you are eating in a striking verdant garden rather than a skyscraper. 

Maaemo (4800 NOK, 1/10/2024, 16-Course incl VAT)

MAAEMO, Oslo, 1/10/2024 (16 – Course, 4800 NOK incl. VAT), Nordic, Michelin 3-Star)

MAA (earth), EMO (mother) are old Finn language words, meaning “Mother Earth”. The correct pronunciation requires two syllables. It is the most northerly restaurant with Michelin 3-Star in the world. Its head chef Esben Holmboe Bang is a Danish chef, restaurateur and co-owner, has opened the restaurant since December 2010 with a journey thru the Norwegian landscape (sea and land) featuring ingredients from the pristine and icy waters on the north to the grown and foraged land surrounding Oslo to reflect changing seasons and the raw nature of Norway. It focuses on local food and only uses organic, biodynamic and wild produce.

Maaemo was the first restaurant to be awarded 3-star in the Nordic. It moved into a larger current location in the trendy neighborhood of Oslobukta (nearby the Opera House and Edvard Munch Museum) in March 2020. This resulted in the loss of all its 3 stars in Feb. 2020. In Sept. 2021 it won back all its 3 Michelin stars. On the front door at its current location, it has got a barely noticeable sign of Maaemo ***. In the dark we missed it when we passed by it first time.

I have visited Maaemo in Sept. 2017. Its current decoration is very Nordic style, mainly black, white, beige and grey colors of furnishings. We were greeted by the maître d’ and seated near by the lounge downstairs, there were about 30+ guests around. We were informed of the 16-Course Tasting Menu without Amuse Bouche and optional wine pairing. Food was served shortly.

I .LOMPE – Cold Water Shrimp, Horseradish and Summer Preserves

It was a bite size pancake, at the very bottom there was a piece of Norwegian potato flatbread made of flour and potato, topped with multi-layered seafood and herbs. One of the major ingredients was Arctic shrimp salad which was made of Arctic cold water shrimp fusion with lemon juice and herbs. In addition to the Arctic shrimp salad, there was a layer of umami and tasteful caramelized langoustine purée, a layer of cumelon (baby cucumber), a layer of horseradish, a layer of elder flower a and a layer of grated cured egg yolk. At the very top, it was adorned with fresh chives. Arctic shrimp is small in size, but soft and tender and tasty. Caramelized langoustine purée was umami. With the touch of lemon juice and horseradish, it was well-balanced to perfection. Its sheer small size camouflaged the daunting amount of work required. (20/20)

II. Duck Liver, Warm Brioche, Chestnuts and Toasted Yeast

It was a light brioche filled with smooth tasteful chestnut purée and toasted yeast. Cold water shrimps were wrapped inside of the green nasturtium, adorned with shredded frozen duck liver (foie gras). Shredded duck liver can only be done at -20 degree, not an easy task to shred a piece of duck liver. The shredded fine foie gras provided a delicate taste and flavor, well balanced with toasting flavor and mild sweetness of chestnut purée. (20/20)

III. Pinnekjøtt, birch and Preserved Rose

It was presented as a floral tartlet made with sliced Swedish rutabaga (turnip) and sliced beetroot. Part of the sliced rutabaga was dyed with beetroot juice to create different shades of crimson color. It not only looked pretty, it also tasted pleasant like a crunchy pie crust, rendered by a refined low temperature baking process. The final surprise was at the bottom filled with tender and juicy lamb tartare. The whole tartlet gave you a dilemma of hesitation between the palatial enjoyment of appreciation of the taste and flavor vs. the esthetic appearance. It was so delicious and pretty. Should you enjoy it gastronomically at present or have more visual appreciation? This is my favorite course among the whole dinner. (20/20)

As soon as we completed the 3^rd course, we were invited to go upstairs (ground floor) where the formal dining room and private dining space are located. Open kitchen was large and artistically contemporary looking with black color theme. Open kitchen was connected to the main kitchen downstairs where major preparation and serious cooking/baking were performed. Chef used the open kitchen mainly for the last touch up.

IV. Dry Aged Beef, Meadowsweet and Pine Cone Vinegar

35-day dry aged beef from Telemark in the southeastern region of Norway was used because of its pasture. Beef tartare sat on top of cep mushroom tartlet. Cep mushroom is larger and has a more yellowish color than the straw mushroom. On top of the tartlet, there was jelly made of meadowsweet and pine cone vinegar. The inclusion of jelly provided a well-balanced taste and flavor. (20/20)

V. Marinated Trout Roe, Apple and Smoked Reindeer Heart

Trout roe derived from ocean trout from Denmark. Trout marinated by Aquavit before being used in the plate. Aquavit is a distilled spirit mainly produced in Scandinavia. Aquavit is distilled from grain or potatoes and flavored by herbs. To be classified as an aquavit, the dominant flavor must come from a distillate caraway or dill seed. The word “aquavit” derives from the Latin words aqua (water) and vit (life), meaning “the water of life”. Use of aquavit produced a strong and spicy flavor, chef used another strong and spicy ingredient, chopped smoked reindeer heart, at the bottom of the plate to balance the overall palatial effect. Chef also used granny smith apple slices to refresh the taste of fresh trout roe. It was a creative product to perfection. (20/20)          

VI. Oyster “Tradition 2010”

It has been one of the signature dishes since 2010. Flat oysters are available from Bømlo, Norway in all seasons. Oyster and mussels were made into a layer of jell (in transparent color) sitting on top of mussel broth. In addition, cream sauce and dill oil were floating on the top. No solid piece of oyster or mussel was present in the dish. It was the flavor through different way of preparation that made the taste stand out. When I dined at Maaemo in 2017, it was served with a more dill-accented sauce. (19/20)

VII. Gently Cooked King Crab, White Asparagus and Hazelnut Milk

King crab is expensive and is the best crab from the Arctic Circle. We figured that an average weight of 3 ½ Kilogram per crab would cost $300 each in the tank. Since crab meat doesn’t have much fat content, to preserve its tenderness during the cooking process requires some clever methods. First, poached the crab in hazelnut milk and hazelnut cream. Then, prepare Chawanmushi sauce – a stock of egg, aged cheese, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, miso of sun flower and burnt onion. It was an authentic fusion sauce, a very sophisticated umami taste while still keeping the tenderness and freshness of the King Crab. Then, foam mussel stock at the very top was infused with bacon. It was a masterpiece of perfection. The tender, juicy umami taste of a king crab was sublime, the subtle acidity from the fermented asparagus was the appropriate balancing agent. It was another perfection. (20/20)

VIII. Skrei Brushed with Juniper Butter Horseradish, Lemon Verbena and Celeriac

Skrei is another name for Cod and Norway has an abundance of supply. Cod was steamed for 2 minutes, then, brushed with juniper butter and elder flower. Sauce was made of chicken stock, mussels, celeriac, nasturtium, horseradish and lemon verbena. In addition, on top of the layer of leek purée sitting on top of tender fish, there were artichoke, horseradish and jam of onion. Overall, the varieties of herbs, not overwhelming, in the recipe made its well-balanced taste and flavor. (19/20)

IX. Scallop Roasted in Honey, Sauce of Pumpkin and Burnt Onion

Scallop was from the Arctic Circle, caught by the best fisherman. To be specific, it was from the western part of Norway around Hegeland. Helgeland is derived from the old Norse Helgaland meaning ‘holy’ ‘sacred’ + land. Arctic scallops are quite a size, the largest that I have ever seen. It grew slowly because of the extreme cold water in the Arctic, it was also more elastic and flavorful but neither tough nor chewy.

It was seared in honey butter to get the well-roasted appearance. Sauce was a complicated process. It required sabayon (egg yolk only), burnt onion oil, elder flower vinegar, salt, pepper, pumpkin purée, black trumpet mushroom and dry yeast.

The Arctic scallops differ from the ordinary scallops not only in size. Their texture and flavor being more superior. If anyone ever had the Australian lobster, the Aussie lobster has the same analogy to the ordinary lobster. In this course, every ingredient was well thought and well prepared to make another mouth-watering signature dish. (20/20)

X. Scallop Roasted in Honey, Sauce of Pumpkin and Burnt Onion

We loved the Arctic scallop so much that we made a special request for scallop in a more rare-medium mode. It was another delightful treat.

XI. Reindeer Cooked Slowly over Embers, Forest Berries and Rømmergrøt

Reindeer was prepared with dual cooking processes. Chef initially cooked reindeer meat for 20 minutes then let meat rest in the pot for ½ hour. Repeat the process 3 times. Reindeer meat was more tender than usual because it was simmered by the residual heat during each of the ½ hour slow-cooking.  Sauce was made of reindeer intestine stock, juniper berries, blue berries and other berries. It also required Norweigian Rømmergrøt in the sauce. Rømmergrøt is Norwegian sour cream porridge made of sour cream/heavy cream, whole milk, butter and flour. Reindeer meat always paired well with juniper berries and using intestines stock provided a more sophisticated taste and flavor. (19/20)

We were invited to relax in the lounge downstairs where we initially started the dinner so every guest could have as many drinks and deserts as he/she liked.

XII. Warm Milk Bread Glazed with Reindeer Fat and Sour Honey winter Truffle Butter

The glazing radiated from the reindeer fat and sour honey had a special gloss on it, it did not look like ordinary butter glazing. Warm bread served with the sweet reindeer fat and yummy winter truffle butter is always welcome on a cold winter night. It also served as a palate cleanser. (18/20)

XIII. Frozen Goat’s Cream, Smoked Cherry and Plum Kernel

Goat’s cream was delicate and tasty, when served with smoked cherry and plum kernel the combined they were well suited. It was more delicate and sophisticated than an ordinary cheese course. (19/20)

XIV. Brown Butter Ice Cream Cornet Hazelnuts and Molasses

It may sound odd to enjoy ice cream on a freezing cold winter night. But we did enjoy it very much for its taste, flavor and texture. (19/20)

XV. Freshly Baked Cinnamon Buns

They radiated a sweet aroma and looked like flakier than the warm milk bread. I can see from the top crust; it also got some cinnamon sprinkles on top. (19/20)

XVI. Wild Chamomile and Pine Fudges

Candies to munch on the way home or snack. By this time, my stomach was happy and ran out of space. (19/20)