Per Se is a New American and French restaurant at The Shops at Columbus Circle, on the fourth floor of the Deutsche Bank Center at 10 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City. It is owned by chef Thomas Keller,[1] and the Chef de Cuisine is Chad Palagi. Per Se has maintained three Michelin stars since the introduction of the New York City Guide in 2006.

Per Se
The main dining room, February 2008
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedFebruary 2004; 20 years ago (2004-02)
Owner(s)Thomas Keller
Head chefThomas Keller
ChefChad Palagi
Food typeNew American, French
Dress codeJackets required[1]
Rating
Street addressThe Shops at Columbus Circle, 4th floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle, Manhattan
CityNew York City
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code10019
CountryUnited States
Other information$390 prix fixe[3]
Websitewww.thomaskeller.com/perseny

Development

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Thomas Keller opened Per Se in February 2004. Keller also owns The French Laundry and Ad Hoc in Napa Valley; Bouchon in Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles; and Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley. According to Keller's website, he is "the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings" by Michelin.[4]

Keller chose restaurant/hotel designer Adam Tihany to draw together subtle references to The French Laundry and elements from both his and Keller's pasts; for example, the decorative blue door at the main entrance is modeled after the blue door at The French Laundry.[5]

Per Se offers two nine-course tasting menus for $355, one vegetarian, and a five-course menu for $245.[6] These menus are prix fixe, but guests may choose upgrades that may increase the menu price up to $800.[7][8] According to Per Se, the wine list includes 2000 wines.[9]

The restaurant has three dining rooms. The East Room is the entry to the other two rooms and serves the five-course menu in salon chairs and lower tables. The Main Dining Room serves the nine-course menus, and the West Room offers private dining.[10] All rooms offer views of Columbus Circle, Central Park, and some Midtown and Upper East Side skyline.[11]

Ratings and reviews

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Per Se was awarded three stars ("Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey") in the 2006 inaugural Michelin Guide to New York City,[12] and has maintained that rating every year to date.[13]

Since 2013, it has been the recipient of the AAA Five Star Award.[14]

As of 2017, Zagat gives Per Se a rating of 4.6/5 for food, putting it in their top 50 restaurants of New York City.[15]

Since 2013, Per Se has been a recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award.[16] It made the La Liste Top Ten (#2), and was recognized by L'Art et Manière for Outstanding Service in 2016.[17] It has been awarded five stars (highest rating) by the Forbes Travel Guide annually since 2005.[18]

In 2011, it was called the best restaurant in New York City by critic Sam Sifton of The New York Times in a four-star review.[19] This rating was downgraded to two-stars by Sifton's successor, Pete Wells, in 2016. Explaining this change in the updated review, he wrote, "With each fresh review, a restaurant has to earn its stars again. In its current form and at its current price, Per Se struggled and failed to do this, ranging from respectably dull at best to disappointingly flat-footed at worst."[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Per Se | Manhattan | Restaurant Menus and Reviews". Zagat. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  2. ^ "2023 Five & Four Diamond Hotels & Restaurant Lists". May 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Today's Menus - Thomas Keller Restaurant Group". www.thomaskeller.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "Thomas Keller - Biography". www.thomaskeller.com. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  5. ^ Rockwell, David (July 21, 2011). "A Restaurant Designer's Tour of the Best Doors in the Business". The Atlantic. In some sense, Per Se is the urban transformation of the French Laundry, which is immediately expressed with the bold bright blue door surrounded by a garden in the middle of the Time Warner Center. This door is now a symbol known throughout the country and the world, and heralds yet another of Thomas Keller's masterpieces, but this time it really is just a symbol. The portal experience is slightly lessened here because the blue door is only for show, and in fact, you enter through another door on the side.
  6. ^ "Per Se - New York, NY". Per Se. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Sutton, Ryan (July 21, 2021). "With New $800 Menus, Masa and Per Se Become Even More Inaccessible". Eater NY. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Per Se Experience: Saturday Afternoon Lunch in New York with three Michelin Stars". The Whole World Is A Playground. January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "Restaurant | Thomas Keller Restaurant Group". www.thomaskeller.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Private Dining & Events General Information | Thomas Keller Restaurant Group". www.thomaskeller.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Per Se Experience: Saturday Afternoon Lunch in New York with three Michelin Stars". The Whole World Is A Playground. January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Fabricant, Florence (November 1, 2005). "Michelin scatters stars on New York". The New York Times.
  13. ^ "Per Se". Michelin Guide. 2019.
  14. ^ https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022_TRV-5D-Restaurants-Apr-2022-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ "The 50 Best Restaurants in NYC - Zagat". www.zagat.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards". Wine Spectator. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  17. ^ BEDDOU, Yasmina. "2015 Edition From La Liste, The Leading International Restaurant Ranking". United States Press Agency News. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  18. ^ "Per Se - New York City Restaurants - New York City, US - Forbes Travel Guide". Forbes Travel Guide. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  19. ^ Sifton, Sam (October 11, 2011). "A Critic Selects a Last Meal". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  20. ^ Wells, Pete (January 12, 2016). "At Thomas Keller's Per Se, Slips and Stumbles". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
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40°46′07″N 73°58′59″W / 40.768735°N 73.982938°W / 40.768735; -73.982938