What I Got: Hamachi Crudo, Grilled Branzino, Corn Crème Brûlée, Charred Brussels, Truffle Macaroni and Cheese, Raspberry Beret, Île Flottante

Price: $$$$

Location: NYC

Review:

Hamachi Crudo – The Hamachi Crudo includes raw hamachi, hibiscus, dried raspberry, almonds, and lime zest.  The fish is thinly sliced and incredibly tender.  It almost melts in your mouth with its fresh, delicate, buttery flavor.  The sweet dried raspberries and citrusy lime zest on the fish balance each other with their contrasting flavors and compliment the fish.  The hibiscus sauce adds a complex tart, fruity flavor.  The almonds bring a great crunchy texture and nuttiness.  This is a delicious, light appetizer.  The fish is incredible on its own and the ingredients with it create a refreshing harmony of flavors.

Grilled Branzino – The Grilled Branzino includes two skin-on filets of branzino with brûléed lemon and an herb sauce.  The fish is cooked beautifully so that it is flaky and incredibly moist.  With the lemon squeezed on top, the flavor and texture of the fish is elevated and shines through.  This is a simple, delicious dish.  I absolutely love branzino, and this was perfect.

Corn Crème Brûlée – The Corn Crème Brûlée includes a sweet, savory corn custard with caramelized sugar on top sprinkled with salt.  It is served as a side dish that can be ordered with the main course.  Corn is one of my favorite foods, and this crème brûlée was one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten.  The custard has a wonderful sweet corn flavor with real kernels of corn throughout it.  The custard is surrounded with salty butter that balances out its sweetness and brings out the savory flavor of the corn.  The caramelized sugar on top compliments the custard and brings out the sweet flavor of the corn while balancing out the salty butter and salt crystals on top.  This crème brûlée is a unique mix of sweet, salty, and savory.  It showcases both the sweet and savory flavors of corn.  If you love corn as much as I do, you must try it!  It is a love letter to corn and its deliciousness.

Charred Brussels – The Charred Brussels are Brussels sprouts with spicy honey and fresno chilis. They are served as a side dish that can be ordered with the main course. The brussels sprouts are cooked so they are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The spicy honey coats the sprouts and allows the chilis to stick on. The honey and chilis make it so that the brussels sprouts are bursting with a sweet and spicy flavor that blends perfectly with their earthiness. If you can handle some spice, this is an amazing side!

Truffle Macaroni and Cheese – The Truffle Macaroni and Cheese is a three cheese macaroni and cheese with truffle.  It is served as a side dish that can be ordered with the main course.  This is one of the best truffle macaroni and cheeses I’ve had.  It has gorgeously crisp cheese and bread crumbs on top.  Inside, the cheese is melty and creamy with truffle flavor that comes through in every bite.  There is the perfect amount of cheese so that it is rich but not overly decadent.  Truffle lovers cannot go wrong with this macaroni and cheese.

Raspberry Beret – The Raspberry Beret includes almond sponge cake, raspberry Bavarian cream, dried raspberries, and crème fraîche. The almond sponge cake has raspberry Bavarian cream between each layer. A sweet crème fraîche topped with dried raspberries cascades down the cake. The almond sponge cake is moist, sweet, and nutty. The Bavarian cream is packed with sweet, tart, fresh raspberry flavor and is silky and smooth. The crème fraîche around the cake is creamy and mild which brings together the cake, dried raspberries, and Bavarian cream. This dessert is a light and refreshing treat. It has the most pure raspberry flavor I’ve ever had in a cake.

Île Flottante – The Île Flottante is a meringue floating atop vanilla crème anglaise and topped with praline roses.  The meringue has a beautiful fluffy, light texture.  It is like eating a cloud.  I am not usually a fan of meringue, yet I found this one to be incredibly delicious.  The crème anglaise is ultra creamy and thick with an elegant vanilla bean flavor.  The crème provides excellent flavor to the more neutral merengue. The pralines add another layer of flavor and a crunchy texture to contrast the smooth and light meringue and crème.  This dessert is simply heavenly.  If you have ever dreamed of biting into a cloud, this is the closest you’ll get.