Saturday, November 5, 2011

Accent Lighting at "per se" in New York--Another Ten Best French Restaurants











Prior to the spring of 2004, New Yorkers were right to be
kicking themselves. Though superstar chef Thomas Keller
started off his stellar career in the Big Apple at acclaimed
 restaurants La Reserve, Restaurant Raphael and Rakel, it
was at The French Laundry on the Californian coast that he
hit his stride and came to be seen as the US' greatest chef.
How could they have let him get away? When Keller came
back to New York to open his East Coast outpost in 2004,
he was welcomed with open arms. He opened Per Se in the
Time Warner Centre, an upscale mall of smart shops and
smarter restaurants, at Columbus Circle at the south-east
corner of Central Park. Renowned designer Adam Tihany makes
the most of the setting where you'll find a version of the famous
blue door - fashioned after the French Laundry's own, an
elegant fireplace and a field-stone interior in a crisp, urban environment,
with excellent views of the park and just 15 coveted tables.
Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno has followed a nicely varied
East-West learning curve. The CIA grad started in the Bay Area
at Michael Mina at Aqua before joining Chef Keller in Napa.
He ended up back on the East Coast, where he accrued
experience at major names such as Daniel, Les Célébrités,
Gramercy Tavern and Craft. He was soon drawn back to Napa
for 18 months where he worked with Keller on the Per Se
concept. There are two menus only, both nine courses, a chef's
tasting and a vegetable tasting menu. Classics from the French
Laundry, such as the famed Oysters and Pearls and the Salmon
Tartare, are there, but the daily-changing menu also includes
perfect examples of the Per Se style, complete with Keller's
signature speechmarks - "Schnitzel Holstein" Pan Roast
"Ris de Veau", Sunny-Side Up Quail Egg, Herb "SpŠtzle"; or
"Omelette aux Fines Herbes", Herb Roasted Salsify,
"B‰tons" and "Coulis de Cresson". (from GolfWorldInfo)

So, lighting...
Front door--accent lighting on the signage
Kitchen--task lighting so you can tell the chicken from the beef
Dining Room--recessed lighting and candle light for ambiance

I LOVE THOSE BLUE DOORS


5 comments:

  1. Wonderful lighting...

    and those dishes really look sumptuous.

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  2. Fabulous lighting and ditto on those blue doors, love them but it's the food that has my attention!

    Enjoy your weekend Cindy!
    Debra

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  3. Love the lighting and the blue door, gorgeous color but we were a bit disappointed I must say. Ditto French Laundry......

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  4. My first thought on viewing that blue door was that I loved it! The decor is beautiful and lighting looks to be perfect.

    Hope you are having a great weekend.

    Kris

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  5. Cindy,

    Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I love that blue door with the topiary standing nearby. So French!

    Happy to be following your blog!
    -Keri

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting Illumination! It is so fun to share ideas and inspiration.

All the best - always,
Cindy