East Coast Extravaganza: Dinner 1 - Citi Zen

As many of you know, one of the primary goals on this trip is to have some good eating from the east coast. I'm going to posting some of the more exciting eats of the trip, pictures of the dishes, and my intense critiques of them.

Amuse-bouche - I forgot to take a picture of this one. . . it was my first time. Anyway, this gift from the kitchen was a rather pretentious way to start the dinner off. These small appetizers, while absolutely stunning in presentation, had little taste and little texture.

Course 1 - Soft Boiled Path Valley Farm Hen Egg: melted spring onions, shaved shoat leg and morel mushroom broth. This was probably the best dish of the whole dinner. The broth was dilectable, and the mushrooms were perfectly prepared. The soft boiled egg added a rich creaminess to the dish that made its elegance something all should try.

Course 2 - Confit of Big-Eye Tuna: marinated jicama and sun-choke coulis. While the tuna was cooked to a beautiful medium-rare, the tuna wasn't nearly as seasoned as I like. the jicama was the strongest flavor on the plate.

Course 3 - Tempura Soft-Shelled Crab: rhubarb confit, field greens, and fresh rhubarb. The tempura batter seemed amateur and wasn't cooked to its crispy potential. The rhubarb however was absolutely wonderful. It added a depth of flavor that made the dish much more complete. It complimented the taste of the crab wonderfully.

Course 4 - ? I kinda forgot about this one...but I'll figure it out...

Course 5 - Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farms Lamb Rib-Eye: green chick peas, piquillo peppers, merguez, garlic confit and turmeric broth. This dish was another rather disappointing one. The lamb was cooked beautifully but completely lacked seasoning. Even a dash of salt and pepper in the cooking, with a sprinkling of kosher salt for presentation would have made this better. The broth carried all of the flavor, and was quite delicious. The chick peas were undercooked, but wonderfully flavored. It was an all around ok dish.

Course 6 - Strawberry Shortcake: strawberry gelato, sugared sweet roll. The gelato was absolutely delicious. Its flavors refined and robust, and its texture was as creamy as could be. It was incredibly tasty.

Course 7 - Chocolate Pretzel Terrine: ganache, praline ice cream, and chocolate cake. This dish had its highs and lows. The ganache had a wonderful flavor. The Rum gave it a great depth. It was perfectly smooth and prepared. The praline ice cream had a wonderful flavor. The chocolate cake was slightly gritty but did have a nice flavor. It was all around a nice ending.

Now, don't get me wrong. These critiques are on the harsh side. One might think I didn't enjoy the dinner. One would be mistaken. It was actually an incredible experience. I absolutely loved the experience. The wait staff was incredible, the presentation of the food was exquisite, and the food was for the most part delectable. It makes me so excited to continue on with this tour.