L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

So my girlfriends wanted to take me out one night to celebrate. They asked for a place to eat. Any place that I've been wanted to try. And of course, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon came to mind. This small restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel has always been floating around in my radar but I never pulled the trigger. So they happily made my wishes come true with a reservation for 4 at the counter at 8pm on a Friday night.

We arrived a little early and sat at the bar drinking sparkling water and complementary nuts and olives. These were really really good. As we waited past our reservation due to the amount of people sitting at the bar, we were glad with the tray of food. We were getting quite hungry and antsy at the same time. However, we wished we had ordered drinks instead.

When were finally seated at the bar, we saw this (picture below) right in front of us. That's the kitchen, completely open for viewing. Lots of fresh food were placed on the shelves while workers finished plates. In the back were the stoves and ovens where chefs made fresh produce and meat into something fantastic.

For appetizers, Salami Esq. had the foie gras ravioli served in chicken and herb broth. This was really good. The fattened goose liver melted between the thin pasta sheets and the broth was clear and delicate. The herbage was a little overwhelming but easily pushed to the side.

I had the Seared Day Boat Scallops with Endive Salad. The scallops were really big in size and perfectly cooked to have a light sear on the outside while remaining raw on the inside. Taste and texture was perfect. The endive salad added a pleasant bitterness to the dish which paired well with the natural sweetness of the scallops.

Ms. Lollipop had the Soft-Boiled Eggs on Piperade, Iberico Ham and Parsley Oil. The flavors though delicate were really rich as well. You can't really see the eggs but they're in there. The piperade was different from what you would normally find in this Basque dish which is mainly onions, green peppers, and tomatoes. The Iberico ham was cut into slivers and strewn over the dish created a beautiful contrast in colors and flavors.

And lastly, Doc Nut had the Crab Meat with Avocado Cream and Tomato Powder. She not only loved this super delicate crab dish but she also loved the  presentation. So much so that she (jokingly) thought about stealing that egg. Anyway, the flavors of the crab wasn't overwhelmed with the avocado not the tomato powder. She was a very happy camper.

For entree, Salami Esq had the Free-Range Caramelised Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Potato Purée which she loved. Although a quail may be small in size, it was definitely rich enough to satisfy her hunger. The meat was tender, the foie gras was rich, and the potato was creamy goodness.

Ms Lollipop and Doc Nut ordered the Roast Hanger Steak, Sautéed Shallots, Shishito Peppers and was really happy as well. With a nice seared crust, they dug in and gobbled this up. The shallots had a nice channelization that added that slight sweetness to an otherwise savory dish. I knew they really enjoyed this and left nothing on the plate to be wasted.

For my entree, I had the Roast Duck Breast served with Cherries, Fresh almonds and Lemonbalm. The duck was prepared wonderfully. The meat was really juicy and flavorful while the skin was rendered of its fat resulting in a crispy treasure. This was a truly amazing dish and loved every single part of it.

And for sides, they gave each of us some whipped potatoes in its own mini Staub coccette.

Here's a closer look at the potatoes which I suspect were dotted with black truffles. The potatoes were so smooth and creamy that I knew that copious amounts of butter and cream were added slowly to get this texture.

To cleanse our savory happy palates, we were offered a small minty dish.

I don't particularly remember the name of this freebie but I do know that I didn't love it. However, the reason why I didn't love it was the mint. You see, I'm not a huge mint fan and this was very minty. It did do the job of preparing me for some sweets though.

And finally, the desserts. Salami Esq had Le Tendance Chocolat which included chocolate cream, bitter chocolate sorbet, and oreo cookies. I don't really have to say anything about this dish. I mean, look at it and read the description. Enough said.

Doc Nut had Le Souffle which was orange blossom and grand marnier flavored with a side of stracciatella cream. She thought that that souffle was really light and airy with just enough orange flavor. The stracciatella cream was really amazing on it's own and didn't need to be added to the souffle.

While Ms Lollipop skipped dessert but ended up finishing everyone else's food, I picked Le Sphere which was a golden bubble filled with champagne zabayon, mandarin sorbet, and orange supreme. Look how beautiful that dessert looked!

I carefully cracked though the thin layer of the bubble and was presented with the smooth and creamy zabayon which was accented with lots of citrus flavor. I really liked this dessert for being so refreshing after a good meal.

To finish the meal, they offered us some homemade candy. How cute!

Each little sugary piece had it's own picture/writing. One was a heart, one said L'Atelier, one said Merci (thank you), and one was a lemon wedge. I love it!

The food, service, atmosphere, and decor was absolutely amazing. I had a really good time. Although we waited well past our reservation to be seated, they apologized and treated us very well for the rest of the night. I would absolutely come back here again. Oh, and the counter is definitely the place to sit.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
The Four Seasons Hotel
57 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 829-3844
fourseasons.com
joel-robuchon.net