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| - I came to the Jean Georges Steakhouse for a group dinner hosted by some guys with whom my firm does a lot of business. The menu had been preselected with one table-wide appetizer, and three to five choices of soup/salad, entree and dessert. All of the choices appear on the regular menu.
The table started with the chilled seafood platter, with an awesome selection of oysters, shrimp, crab claws and crab legs. There were multiple cocktail and other sauces - I'm sure this appetizer cost a fortune, but it was truly extraordinary.
I chose the Burrata Mozzarella (salad), with tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The burrata could have used more salt but it was very fresh and really nice. Not your average grocery store tomatoes, and good luck finding obviously handmade cheese like this - really nice dish.
How disappointing then that my medium rare NY Strip Steak was overcooked to at least medium - that shouldn't happen at a Jean Georges restaurant. No red, just a bit of pink in the middle. The steak also tasted bland. I wasn't a big fan of the mushrooms either. The mashed potatoes were awesome and probably had as much butter as they did potato.
My dessert confirmed the steak was an aberration. The chocolate cake was ridiculous. Not too sweet but just bitter enough and perfectly melty on the inside with a rich ball of ice cream. Excellent.
Two comments on the service. While it was fantastic overall (they were cool when we lingered after closing time), it was annoying when the staff kept asking whether I was having flat or sparkling water, and then when one didn't ask somebody topped off my flat water with sparkling water - not cool. Then it was annoying when a photographer cajoled us into taking a souvenir photo of the table. Then she wanted $20 for each print. Really guys? At Jean Georges?
Overall the dinner was great, and special thanks go to our hosts. Great place.
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