Gallen de Robuchon Reviews: Colicchio and Sons

Holy crap! 2 posts in 1 week? Sounds preposterous right? Well, if you said yes, then you're right. It is ridiculous. But in an effort to give you more stuff to read in the never-ending attempt to do as little work as possible while at work, I've enlisted the copious talents of The Chef of the Century, Gallen de Robuchon, to pen a review of a restaurant he recently visited. Chef, the floor is yours.

Parlez vous Francais? No? Well then, I suppose I will speak English, though it sounds so dirty coming off the tongue. Last week was my girlfriend and I's anniversary, which marked 5 years since she made the best decision of her life: dating me. So to mark the occasion, I decided to take her to one of the finest restaurants known to man, Colicchio and Sons. The establishment is of course the flagship restaurant of chef extraordinaire Tom Colicchio, who also happens to be a great friend of mine, as he is an equal of yours truly when it comes to culinary skill. I'm only friends with people who can cook as good as me, so obviously my stable of mates is quite miniscule. And if I needed to tell you that Colicchio and Sons is Tom Colicchio's restaurant, well you can just go ahead fall on a sabre.



Restaurant Review:
Colicchio and Sons
85 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
For Reservations: 212-400-6699

Ambience:
The restaurant itself is somewhat off the beaten path, but in my estimation, that's a good thing. It keeps away the riff raff that so often ruin my dining experience. You enter the restaurant and make your way up a small flight of stairs, where you're greeted by a lovely hostess who takes your coat with a delightful smile. The restaurant itself is split into 2 sections: the tap room, which has a full bar and a more casual setup, and the dining room, which is the more formal side of Colicchio and Sons. The 2 sections are divided by a monster wall of wine bottles, each more expensive than the next, though obviously money means nothing to me. I'm Ooprahe rich. Who's Ooprahe you ask? She's the French Oprah. Respect. Moving on... My lady and I of course sat in the dining room, which has just a wonderful atmosphere. It's not overdecorated, yet it has a subdued modern feel that is quite welcoming. The lighting is also perfect; I could actually see my lady's beautiful face, which is unfortunately not typical when it comes to fine dining. Furthering the wonderful experience, the level of the music was absolute perfection as it provided a lovely backdrop to conversation instead of overpowering it, again, as most restaurants do. Bravo, Tom and your decorating team.
Ambience Grade: A

Service:
Let me begin first by saying that my number 1 pet peeve with restaurant service is when the waiter doesn't tell me his/her name. I CAN'T STAND THAT. What am I supposed to say when I need my $2500 champagne refilled? "Hey You!?" or what about "Excuse me, It. Come here." Perhaps, "Peasant child. Serve me." No. I need a name. This is something I fully expected to not happen at my dear friend Tom's establishment, so suffice it to say, I was appalled when our waiter neglected to inform me of what's printed on his birth certificate. Unbelievable. That being said though, the service was absolutely outstanding. My lady and I were always served and had our plates cleared from our right side by ever-so-polite busmen. We were given fresh utensils for every course, even if we hadn't used all of them. Our water was refilled whenever the glass even thought about being empty. Our waiter, who I later found out was named Chase because it was printed on the check, was one of the finest I have ever had; he had an unsurpassed knowledge of the drink menu, which was quite extensive. He also wonderfully presented and described each dish as it was placed before us so that we knew exactly what we were inserting into our oral cavities. Going back to the drinks: the beer selection at Colicchio and Sons is matched only by the most excellent of beer bars. My lady had the Southampton Publick House Double White, while I sampled both the Corsendonk Christmas Ale and the Schneider Aventinus. Just absolutely wonderful brews. Top notch drinks. And top notch service. The only thing pulling this grade down is, obviously, the waiter not telling me his name. Can't overlook that fault.
Service Grade: A-

Appetizers:
On to the food! My beau and I both enjoyed 2 different appetizers. I'll tackle the Foie Gras Torchon with Candied Fennel Marmalade and Lillet Gelee, served with Brioche, first. I had never had foie gras before, but I've seen it a lot on Top Chef, so I've wanted to try it for some time. Yes I know, I am a French chef, and foie gras is french, but I rarely cook what I eat. I am the best chef in the world, and yet somehow my palette is too sophisticated for even my own cuisine. Go figure! Anyway, I decided that if I was to try foie gras (which means fatty liver, and is either from a duck or goose), I should try it at a place where I knew it would be the best it could possibly be, and Colicchio and Sons was just that place. The torchon had a consistency slightly thicker than a pate; it couldn't be spread, yet it was easily separated and was somewhat creamy. It had phenomenal flavor, which was only enhanced by the fennel marmalade and the gelee, which added a sweet note to the dish that I thought absolutely necessary. The foie gras itself was very buttery, very rich. The texture is not for everyone, but it was very enjoyable.

Our second appetizer was the Butter-Poached Oysters with Celery Root Tagliatelle and American Sturgeon Caviar. Caviar was another delicacy that I had never tried due to my overly sophisticated palette, but obviously, this was not the main aspect of the dish; the oysters were. The Oysters were delicate yet substantial, and had a wonderful fresh flavor that was only made better by the butter poaching process. The celery root added a different texture to the dish that offset the oyster nicely, while the caviar added that slight saltiness that brought the whole ensemble together. I can never get enough oysters, and this version certainly ranks as one of the best. A warning though to you fat people: the appetizer servings were a tad on the small side, so don't expect to get filled up on them.
Appetizer Grade: A

Main Course:
My love slave and I each had a main course, both of which I will review for you. We'll look at Megan's dish first, the Lamb Loin with Cavalo Nero, Black Eyed Peas and Honshimeji Mushrooms. I've always been a big lamb fan, and this one did not disappoint. The meat was beautifully cooked, medium just as it was ordered. It was also left unmolested; Tom let's the meat speak for itself. And this meat spoke loudly, it was just wonderful. The black eyed peas, unlike the hip hop group, were actually good and added a crunch to the dish, while the cavalo nero added the color. I was curious to see how Tom handled the mushroom, which is a rare fungi from Japan that can be prepared in a plethora of different ways, and he did not dissatisfy. The mushroom itself had an almost pulled pork-like consistency, with a very meaty texture. Very surprising, and completely delicious. Tom, you've done it again.

The dish I ordered was the Skirt Steak with a Horseradish-Crusted Short Rib, Bone Marrow Ravioli and Edamame, finished with a Bone Marrow Consomme. The dish was an absolute tour de force of cooking prowess, and while I would expect nothing less than perfection from Tom, he still managed to astound me. My palette was dancing in the streets after eating this masterpiece! The steak was cooked perfectly, a just delightful medium-rare that was exactly as I would expect to get from the best of steakhouses. Bone marrow was another delicacy that I hadn't sampled, and it was surprisingly tasty. It had a cheesy texture that filled the ravioli with wonderful flavor, while the other aspect of the dish that was made from bone marrow, the consomme, was so good I could have drank it straight from a glass. Sweet, salty, wonderful color - it's everything you look for in a broth. Simple perfection. The edamame was a welcome addition to the dish as well. But even though all of these aspects of the dinner were incredible, they all fell short of the short rib. It was one of the greatest things I had ever eaten, and was truly the star of the meal. The rib just melted in my mouth, and would have been delicious on its own, but the horseradish crust was the metaphorical icing on the greatest metaphorical cake ever. The coup de grace for sure. Thank you Tom for opening my eyes.
Main Course Grade: A++

Dessert:
Again, 2 desserts for me and the lady. First was the Warm Chocolate Tart with Hazelnut Brittle, Passion Fruit and Sweet Milk Sorbet. All of the sorbets and ice creams are produced in-house; you could taste the authenticity in every bite. The tart was wonderful, and all the other elements really added a level of sophistication to the experience. My dessert was the Cinnamon Waffles with Roasted Lady Apples and Calvados Ice Cream. The waffles were some of the finest I have ever sampled, and they were complemented beautifully by the dishes other accouterment. Pastry Chef Stephen Collucci, who I had actually tried to hire at my own restaurant, justified the faith I have in his dessert expertise. He is certainly a rising star, and it won't be long until he takes over the dessert world. We supplemented our desserts with 2 glasses of delicious port. I had the Seppetsfield Tawny 21 Yr., which is a wood matured port, while my significant other had a bottle matured Noval Black, Vintage Character. The Seppetsfield was the thicker of the 2, almost approaching a syrupy consistency - very sweet, with subtle hints of fig. Delicious. The Noval Black was lighter, with a smokier flavor to it. Also very good. Again, the drink list was second-to-none, and these 2 ports were evidence of that.
Dessert Grade: A

Overall, Colicchio and Sons is the crowning achievement of Chef Tom Colicchio, a man I've known and loved for a long time, though not only for his culinary expertise and prowess, but also because he is just a beautiful man. He had always wanted a restaurant like Colicchio and Sons, and it's safe to say that he has achieved everything he's dreamed of. The ambience was perfect, the service was outstanding, and most of all, the food was some of the best you can get on this planet, unless you're eating at one of my restaurants, of course. I may be the Chef of the Century, but I wouldn't put it past Tom to win Chef of the Next Century. Colicchio and Sons is his true genius on display, so if you have a significant amount of money burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for culinary perfection matched only in dreams, visit Colicchio and Sons, and tell them Gallen de Robuchon sent you.