#97 – WAKAME BUTTER at CORTON

This food adventure is getting expensive. Time Out likes to run the gamut. Some of their list items are a steal. The taro cakes were 75 cents a piece. Others, like the $26 Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern, are definitely an investment. But none are so financially confusing as the Wakame Butter at Corton.

See, it’s technically free. Time Out even writes the word complimentary. Could it be true? Well, there’s a catch. There always is, isn’t there? You get the butter complimentary… when you order one of Corton’s prix-fixe dinners (which are either $85 or $140). So really this is the most expensive butter I’ve ever encountered.

There were two of us and the thought of us each spending close to $100 for a spread of butter seemed outrageous. So I had the brilliant idea of showing up (without a reservation) and trying for a seat at the bar. I figured they didn’t serve food very often at the bar, so maybe they’d let us split a prix-fixe meal there. And on a pretty slow Saturday night, the plan worked.

The bartender seemed a little hesitant at first since I imagine they don’t have much action at the bar except as a service bar or a waiting area. See, Corton is one of the most-talked about high-end restaurants in the city of the last few years. It’s stark and stuffy (not to be confused with snooty) with expensive French wines, detail-oriented servers, and experimental modern French cuisine to boot. And they only offer prix-fixe options (which means nobody’s leaving there without dropping some dough). I’m not one to wear anything but jeans or shorts, but I figured, so I didn’t look like a total schlub, I should maybe button up a shirt and put on some slacks. I didn’t want to get turned away from our chance at that butter.

I was pleased they let us split the cheaper prix-fixe option and by the time dessert arrived, that bartender finally warmed up to us. As part of the meal, we received a few amuse bouches including a very nice roasted pepper and avocado parfait, which was reminiscent of a shot of refreshing gazpacho. Once the free tastes subsided, we got our bread. And you know what that means.

The wakame butter was one of two butter options. I felt bad that we didn’t pay much attention to the sweet cream butter (it was delicious when I finally sampled a bit), but even if the wakame butter wasn’t on our list, I think I would still have favored it. The butter comes from Vermont Cheese and Butter Company, but chef Paul Liebrandt livens it up with the addition of wakame. So what is wakame already? Here we go: it’s seaweed. This is seaweed butter.

Evidently, this is a popular item in Brittany known as beurre aux algues. But this is the first time I’ve ever encountered it in this country. And the novelty of it really got me excited. So I didn’t hesitate once we received it on a cold slab with just a dash of sea salt.

I was dismayed to find that the bread was not soft or warm. I guess they take so much effort in the butter preparation that the bread gets left in the dust. But the butter was incredible. The seaweed added some brininess, a vegetal quality, and more salt notes. The butter itself was rich and perfectly creamy with a touch of sweetness. Together these flavors played out in harmony on the palate. I’ve never been so excited by butter in my life. And even though the bread was rather limp, I could have eaten the butter straight (and I almost did).

The rest of the meal was rather memorable. The presentation was spectacular (I’m sorry I didn’t take more pictures, but I felt I should be on my best behavior). We had a decadent foie gras torchon (it was wrapped in some sort of sour cherry skin) with a Spanish spiced butter. What is it with all this butter?  Is Corton secretly trying to kill us all?

And a beautifully prepared lobster that was poached in lemongrass butter (seriously, more butter?) and served with an amazing blueberry ravioli stuffed with lobster meat. I found the lobster itself to be a bit lacking in the flavor department, but the green apple cilantro sauce that it was served with brightened up the dish.

And then for dessert we had the “Gold Bar” which was a slice of a chocolate bar with a sherry reduction and smoked caramel ice cream. Pretty rich stuff. Which I guess is fitting based on how much all this stuff costs. Rich people must love rich food. And if it all tastes like the wakame butter, I really want to be rich!

Would Corton’s Wakame Butter make my Top 100? At this price, I would hope so and while I don’t think I’ll ever spend the money to taste it again, I’m sure glad I did. It was rich, unique, complex and fantastic. It gets a solid 9 out of 10.