New York, NY 10002
The inspiration for chowing down at wd~50 was due to the head chef's appearance on Top Chef Masters: Season 1. Wylie Dufresne is an iconic flag bearer for "molecular gastonomy". Wylie is just as clever like his shared namesake, the Coyote. But instead of using his creativity and ingenuity to devise ways to extinguish a road runner, the two-legged Wylie uses them to come up with unique and interesting foods.
2010 Fall/Winter Tasting Menu
1. Mackeral, king oyster mushroom, tangerine, moong daal - nothing remarkable. did learn that "moong daal" = mung bean. Must admit that this was the first time we've ever had mung bean with mackeral
2. Everything bagel, smoked salmon threads, crispy cream cheese - what looks like a regular itty-bitty bagel was actually a "bagel" in the form of ice cream. it was surrounded by salmon threads, which were light, airy and crispy salmon bits and accompanied by a sheet of cream cheese. this was an interesting take on a "deconstructed bagel". tasty and fun, brought a smile to our faces.
3. Foie gras, passionfruit, chinese celery - tend to favor foie gras hot and seared, as opposed this the terrined version. this iteration wasn't any better than some other terrined foie that we've had before. the accompanying passionfruit jelly was a bit overpowering to the point that the terrine's presence was more for texture then flavor.
4. Scrambled egg ravioli, charred avocado, kindai kampachi - Egg-bert! this dish literally brought a smile to Ray's face. how do you make an egg cubed?! eggs are round-ish, ovally things to be scrambled or sunny-side-up'd! by far, the most memorable dish of the night, in terms of presentation and preparation. otherwise, tasted like an avocado and yellowtail omelet...with round crispy things.
5. Cold fried chicken, buttermilk-ricotta, tabasco, caviar - like KFC out of the fridge. caviar was unnecessary. the tabasco-honey sauce was quite spicy and yummy though. probably not a simple dish to prepare but we didn't "get" it.
6. Langoustine, red pepper, black sesame, shiso - neither a shrimp nor a lobster. didn't have the appeal of either as well. some interesting flavors were present with the pepper strings and black sesame fruit rollup blanket. wouldn't go as far as to say it was yummy.
7. Beef and bearnaise - the worst dish of the night. yummy and this dish are total opposites. danmy had a bite and left it at that. the table next to us ate about the same amount. if this is consumme, we're officially excommunicating it from our palates.
8. Lamb loin, black garlic romesco, soybean, pickled garlic chive - any follow up to the beef and bearnaise would have been a step up. this was no exception. lamb was tender and the black garlic romesco was surprisingly good.
9. Vanilla-mango ice cream, yuza, spruce - light, refreshing, delicious. more please!
10. Hazelnut tart, coconut, chocolate, chicory - mmm....mmmmmmm.....mmmmmmmm!!!
11. Carmelized brioche, apricot, buttercream, lemon thyme - mmMMMmmmm...! you gonna finish that?
12. Chocolate packets (all edible!) - "edible" doesn't mean it's good.
Got a chance to meet Wylie after our meal. He was kind enough to chat with us for a bit and take a picture. Also signed our menu! Best of luck to him on Season 2!
Although the food was fun and interesting, a lot was lacking in terms of flavor. Not that flavor was missing from the dishes, just flavors that we both tend to enjoy. We both appreciated the work that he's trying to do, but were it not for the incredible desserts, we'd likely not return. The sweets will bring us back to revisit this ACME lab of food.
Although the food was fun and interesting, a lot was lacking in terms of flavor. Not that flavor was missing from the dishes, just flavors that we both tend to enjoy. We both appreciated the work that he's trying to do, but were it not for the incredible desserts, we'd likely not return. The sweets will bring us back to revisit this ACME lab of food.
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