I recently had the amazing privilege of dining at Per SE, the Manhattan restaurant known for its tasting menu. For $295 (yes, you read it correctly) per person, one gets an amazing nine course meal that changes daily. There are always two menus, one “Chef’s Tasting Menu” and the other, vegetarian.  There is also some choice and the restaurant does allow substitution.

Nova Scotia Lobster

Out of the nine courses that I had that evening, I would say that my favourites included the oysters and caviar (which is, according to my mother, a signature dish of the restaurant and is available on a regular basis), the butter poached Nova Scotia lobster (and this is coming from someone who is not a big fan of shellfish) as well as the Berkshire pork (served with cornbread, pickled okra, wilted dandelion greens, mizuna and whole grain mustard vinaigrette).  The alternative to the pork that evening were short ribs – they were, according to my dining companions who ordered it, a little on the salty side.  The desserts (two to choose from) were also quite interesting.  Mine was called the “Purple Cow,” which was made with Concord grape soda, vanilla “genoise,” caramelized fillo chips and grape sherbet.  The server said that it was meant to be a little like a grape soda float.  It was, however a little too “candy table”-like to me in terms of taste.

Berkshire pork

There were also some items that weren’t officially listed on the chef’s tasting.  One was a salmon tartar served in a cone and at the the end of the meal, there was cappuccino ice cream, made to look like a tiny cup of cappuccino, complete with foam.  Delicious.  Another finale were the truffles, which we had an amazing selection of – there were so many different kinds to choose from ranging from simple hazelnut and Bailey’s cheesecake to more elaborate, spicy flavours.

Cappuccino ice cream

Presentation of most of the courses was beautiful.  Portion size was small, enough for one to get more than just a taste of it, but not nearly as large as a typical dish in a standard three or four course dinner.  The restaurant, which is located on the fourth floor of Shops at Columbus Circle (aka the Time-Warner building), offers a beautiful view of the park below.  If we had gone just a few weeks later, the beautiful fall colours would have been even more gorgeous.

In addition to the chef’s tasting menu and vegetarian option, an a la carte menu is also offered in the lounge area.  Reservations can be made by calling 212-823-9335.  Dining at Per SE is definitely an experience that one would never forget.