per se (restaurant)
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per se is a gourmet restaurant located at Columbus Circle in New York, New York. The executive chef and owner is Thomas Keller who is also involved in the restaurants French Laundry in Napa Valley and Bouchon, in Napa Valley and Las Vegas. The chef de cuisine is Johnathon Benno. It opened in February of 2004 in the Time Warner Center in New York City, and was a hotly anticipated restaurant, given Keller's high profile. The restaurant features Keller's distinctive hands-on approach, including his intense focus to detail that extends to cuisine, presentation, mood and surroundings.
Keller chose restaurant/hotel designer Adam Tihany to draw together subtle references of The French Laundry and elements from both his and Keller's pasts. The blue door entrance is modeled after the famed blue door at The French Laundry.
The dining room holds just 16 tables and boasts spectacular views of Central Park. There is also a salon, bar, wine cellar, a private room for 10. Like Keller's previous project, The French Laundry, per se features two daily prix fixe menus, one of which is vegetarian.
In August 2005, it was one of only four restaurants in the United States to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide. They received the same honors in the 2007 and 2008 guides.[1] In their December 2006 issue, Travel + Leisure Magazine named it one of New York's Top 50 restaurants. [2]. The restaurant has received four stars, the highest rating, from the New York Times since its opening. Additionally, it was named as the 9th-best restaurant in the world, and 2nd-best in the USA in 2007 by the well-respected "Restaurant Magazine"[3].
[edit] Meals
On a typical night, each diner is given the choice of one of two prix-fixe menus: a nine-course vegetable tasting menu or a nine-course chef's tasting menu; each costs $275, which includes non-alcoholic beverages and a 20% service charge. Menus frequently include up-charges for luxury ingredients such as foie gras and truffles. The price has steadily increased since the restaurant's opening when a tasting menu was 150 dollars without tax and a service charge.
The private room can accommodate approximately 10 people, while the "West Room" can accommodate approximately 60.
