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Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten
September 9, 2015- by Steven E. Greer, MD
I have been on a streak of bad luck with my restaurant experiences this year. I have greatly disliked Fuku fried chicken, Cosme, Untitled, Parm, Maison Kayser, Sadelle’s, and The Edition. However, I read about Nougatine, the affordable section of Three-Michelin-Star Jean-Georges in Columbus Circle, and I put it on my list of things to do.
When it was announced that Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten was going to open a large restaurant in the Seaport in the Howard Hughes Corp. complex, it prompted me to go tonight.
The first thing that I liked was, when I called ahead, they picked up the phone right away. This trend of consolidating the phone system to one central office is a big mistake.
When I arrived, a delightful lady sat me in a four-top outside with a view of Central Park. The waiter was pleasant and competent too.
I started with the spicy rigatoni with meatballs for only $26. It was a large portion and not a small pretentious plating. The arrabbiata was not too hot, and the meatballs were ideal, with a nice crust and tender core.
I then ordered the organic roasted, de-boned, chicken with artichokes, shitake mushrooms, and parmesan jus sauce poured at the table. The breast and thigh were very moist and topped by a crispy skin, which is hard to achieve. It was the best chicken that I have had in recent memory.
I then went for the warm blueberry cornbread crumble. The lemon ice cream was creative, and the blueberries were properly cooked to be tangy and not too tart. This was a nice Southern American dessert made by a French team.
If I had eaten like a normal human, my bill would have been around only $40.
I then was telling the hostess about BatteryPark.TV and how I came up to see them because of the Seaport deal news. A few minutes later, none other than Chef Jean-George came out to talk to me. He really works there every day of the week.
Because of everything above, I rank Nougatine as the best restaurant experience that I have had this year. It’s about time, too. I was getting a little cynical on Manhattan.
