The Dish on Per Se

You know how you're going along living your life, doing your thing, and then something triggers a realization and all of a sudden you think, "My God. I am a grownup." (Or is that just me?)

I had one of those moments last week at dinner at Per Se. I was dressed up, sitting in front of a wall of windows overlooking Columbus Circle, being served wine after wine, butter after butter and six different kinds of salt.

Backstory: Hubs' business partner is a foodie and all-around lover of deliciousness. The partners recently renewed their undying love for each other with an updated partnership agreement, so he took us and another partner and his wife to Per Se to celebrate.

The restaurant is on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, a gorgeous new(ish) building that houses ridiculously expensive apartments, a Mandarin Oriental hotel, a shopping mall and Time Warner headquarters. It's already decorated for Christmas.



The food was amazing, the chef's tasting menu included a bit of everything from oysters to beef. But the thing I loved most about the dinner was the perfect tone of the service. Every single person there was warm and welcoming and full of information if we asked but didn't go on and on and on about how the hog who discovered this particular truffle comes from a long line of award-winning swine in the whatever region of Italy where truffles are found. Our waiter was sweet and accommodating, and my water glass was never empty.

Per Se's chef, Thomas Keller, made his name when he opened the French Laundry restaurant in California wine country.

My favorite touch in the decor was something I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of: the frosted glass shades on the light fixtures all have three symbols etched in them, one on top of the other. When I asked about them, the waiter explained they are the international symbols for laundry, a clever reference to the chef's California restaurant.

I can't remember half of what I ate, but band-wise it went beautifully. I had a bite or two of each course (each serving was the perfect size meal for bandsters; unfortunately, there were nine of them).

Here's the fish:

There really were six kinds of salt served at one point, and the waiter told us about each one but by that time I'd had a few glasses of wine and all I remember is that one of them was from Pakistan. I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back they were gone and another course was on the table. So I totally missed out on the Pakistani salt.

It was a great night, with fun company and good conversation and awesome wine and fantastic food that I wouldn't even begin to know how to cook. They even sent us home with cookies.

I felt good about being there. A year ago, I would have dodged the invitation or gone and felt so self-conscious that I couldn't really enjoy it. I'm not thin by any stretch, but I felt good and comfortable and able to relax and enjoy myself. For that, I'm incredibly thankful.

I'm also grateful for all your support and kindness and friendship. You guys rock. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
(My husband cannot have his picture taken without making a crazy face. In that regard, he's still four years old.)