#72 – POCHIERTES EI at SEÄSONAL

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

How could I not love all the restaurant discount sites out there? I’m a Jewish foodie, for Chrissake!

Many restaurateurs and industry folk say it’s bringing the art of eating out down to its lowest common denominator. Well, I think it’s a great way for me to try more restaurants without ending up homeless. And if the restaurant decides to offer the deals, then as long as you’re well-behaved and tip appropriately, everybody wins, right?

Village Vines (now called Savored) is not my favorite of these sites because you have to pay $10 before you get a discount (usually 30% off). That means you have to spend $30 before you start saving any money, which of course is pretty common at any of the restaurants on Village Vines.

I decided to purchase a reservation for Seäsonal, since it was on Time Out’s list and I wanted to save some money. And their Austrian-influenced high end menu sounded delectable.

The hostess was incredibly gracious and hospitable, making us feel like we were in for a wonderful evening. Unfortunately, that was far from the truth.

Our European server was unfriendly and quite snooty. I asked some questions about the menu and his answers were totally unhelpful and even condescending. In response to me asking about the cod, he said “It’s a white fish,” when prodded even more, he rattled off all the ingredients already listed on the menu. “It’s a simple dish.” Really? From what I read, the food here was borderline molecular gastronomy. I’d have been shocked to get the cod and discover it was just a plate of white fish. I didn’t order it, so I guess I’ll never know.

But once we placed the order, that was the last we saw of our server. Granted, the restaurant got very busy and he seemed to be the only one on the floor, but he was able to hobnob with the other tables and walked by us a few times refusing to make eye contact. Even a smile, nod, or a “How is everything?” would have been nice. Although maybe he knew the answer would have been, “Not so great.”

We ordered a few appetizers and one entree to share. We took our waiter’s recommendation (although I should have known) and ordered the pork belly. I’m not generally a fan of pork belly unless it’s very crispy and the fat doesn’t feel like fat. He assured me I would be happy. Funny enough, this was the most gelatinous and fatty pork belly I’ve ever had. It was actually nauseating. I had to spit it out into my napkin. I never do that!

The smoked arctic char was fine, with typical flavors of creme fraiche and dill, but for the price, it was quite tiny. And apart from the beautiful presentation, it was nothing innovative. We also tasted the weiner schnitzel, which was also good, but again nothing playful or too special. And for $28, it was way overpriced. Both Schnitzel & Things and Cafe Kristal do an equally fine fried veal cutlet and it’s much more affordable.

I’m pleased that the most interesting thing we tasted was in fact the list item. It’s an appetizer called Pochiertes Ei (poached egg) that is another masterful presentation. It’s a perfectly poached egg underneath a mountain of mushroom foam, dotted with chunks of lobster meat, and garnished with crispy pumpernickel croutons. So, you can imagine this dish was quite rich with just a bit of earthiness. There was a creaminess that was balanced with the crunch from the bread. But I still felt like this was missing a little brightness. Between the lobster, egg, and foam, it was all a little too decadent without relief (aside from that wonderful crunch). The Modern’s Poached Egg in a Jar hits perfectly on this restraint and refinement.

The food was all visually stunning, but unfortunately didn’t do anything special to my tastebuds. It might have made up for the horrible service (aside from the wonderful hostess and some friendly food runners), which made us feel unwelcome. My hunch is that because the server knew we were dining with a discount, he treated us like we were less paying customers. And I suppose in some ways we were. But we truly felt like we didn’t belong here. I can only imagine how different our experience would be if we were paying full price.

And that’s my big problem with these discount sites. Discounted food shouldn’t mean discounted service. And then I’m still expected to tip for the full meal? In cases like this, we shouldn’t blame the discount sites or the people who patronize them, but instead we can only blame the restaurants.

Would Seäsonal’s Pochiertes Ei make my Top 100 of the year? Regardless of the elitist service, the dish was well-conceptualized, but was missing just a little something. Yet the ingredients were fresh and tasty and the presentation spectacular, giving this dish (not the restaurant) a 7 out of 10.