Up Town

My regular readers (all 4 or 5 of you) may have noticed that I have never reviewed or even talked about any restaurants uptown. This is not because they are not worth talking about, in fact the best restaurants (at least as far as Michelin or Zaggat is concerned) are uptown. The truth is I've been reluctant to talk about such places because often your bill is around 300$ and I've questioned their relevance to this blog, since thats quite a bit of bread for my teenage audience to drop. But there are ways to eat relatively cheaply uptown, and at some of the best restaurants in the city. One such example is Per Se. Per Se is located in the Time Warner building overlooking Columbus circle and Central Park. Per Se has a reputation as the second most expensive restaurant int he city, next to nearby Masa sushi. Its tasting menu averages around 300$, and with wine you can add another 100 or 200 to that. Ive had the privilege to eat at Per Se for a birthday once, and while it was certainly one of the best meals I've had, I find the price hard to justify. When a meal costs that much the guest naturally sets their expectations extremely high. I wont get into why this meal was not worth 300$, instead I will talk about Per Se's much more realistic salon area. The salon, which is a fancy word for the bar area, offers a la carte dinning ( normal sized meal that people with normal sized wallets might be able to afford). The bar area is nicely appointed, with a formal yet comfortable atmosphere. An a la carte meal is anywhere from 20 to 50 dollars, and thankfully comes with extras since the potion sizes are very small. The food is similar to the offerings of the main dining room, French inspired with American influences. one thing you certainly get your moneys worth for is service. The staff at Per Se is both professional and approachable, willing to answer questions or translate French to English for you. The bar area is noticeably less formal then the main room, and guests often walk around or stand while they eat. Another high point of Per Se is its attention to ingredients. Each element of your dish packs its own flavorful punch, and the attention to details, from the way your duck is cut to the placement of the sauce, is very impressive. I have ever only eaten in the main room, but the salon has been favorably reviewed, and if the quality of the food int he main room is any indication, the salon might be the best deal you can get for a meal of its caliber.