Chef Tasting Menu at Tru

I have always wanted to eat at Tru.  I have two of chef Rick Tramonto's cookbooks, Tru and Amuse-  Bouche.  Amuse is a book that I used to be obsessed with and continues to serve as inspiration.  We went to Tru the night before we went to Charlie Trotter's, so I will inevitably compare the two later on in this post.

We made a reservation at the chef's table, a secluded room right off the kitchen.  It was an excellent atmosphere - we had our own server and wine expert  - an excellent touch. 

Our tasting at Tru was a nine course, chef inspired menu.  They basically ask if you have any food issues - other than that, we'd know what we were eating as the courses were served.

What we really enjoyed about this experience was that the kitchen would prepare two dishes with the same main ingredient, which allowed us to enjoy two preparations within the same course but also the range and creativity of the kitchen.

My Birthday Tasting at Tru
March 14, 2006

Amuse

I was a little disappointed with the amuses, considering I have been in awe of Tramonto's Amuse book for years.  I really appreciate the whimsical, innovative approach he takes to these little bites to start a meal, and unfortunately we just didn't get it.   This hit me a little harder than most, as I had all of these expectations coming in....

Yuzu marinated fluke, young coconut, daikon

Fresh but not a lot of flavor coming across here.  No yuzu.  No coconut.  Very forgettable. Felt like I could have been served this dish at an average NYC restaurant.

Mushroom terrine

Awesome.  This was the mushroom terrine in the Amuse cookbook, which I find really inspiring.  Awful plating choice to me.  Really need to use a white dish to accentuate the layers and layers of mushrooms in the terrine, but very good taste.

Crab salad, lemon "cloud" (?) (pictured above)

The crab was very fresh, just a touch sweet.  The cloud, as described by the server, was a light wisp of texture which is a nice idea.   Unfortunately it didn't have any flavor.

First

Osetra Caviar, Cauliflower Creme, Lemon Confit

This was phenomenal.  The caviar (which I rarely enjoy for obvious reasons) was salty and tasted of the ocean, while the cauliflower creme was chilled, rich and earthy.  The lemon balanced the flavors.  Very nice dish.

Second

New Zealand Langoustine, Thai Chili, Lemon, Watercress

A roasted langoustine was placed on chunks of raw langoustine.  The langoustines were an inspiration - sweet, succulent, very fresh and star of the dish.  Very interesting to compare the roasted flavors with that of the raw - the raw was much sweeter to me.   The zing of the chili worked to play with the sweetness of the langoustine.  Excellent.

Roasted New Zealand Langoustine, Baby Carrot, Turnip, Fennel, Langoustine Jus

I only got a bite of this, as I was fully entrenched in the above langoustine dish but remember again the excellent quality of the langoustine and jus, which was as rich and flavorful as you'd expect a reduced lobster stock to taste. 

Third

Duck Bouillon, Duck Prosciutto

A clear, dark, brooding soup with vegetables and pieces of duck prosciutto at the bottom of the soup.  It had an amazing duck flavor but was so overly salty that we just couldn't enjoy it very much at all.   A total bummer and not something you'd expect from a restaurant of this quality.  Did more than one person taste this before serving? I'd say not.

Veloute of Duck, Duck Confit

The same overly salty duck stock was made richer and creamier, which helped the saltiness a bit, but again only barely.  The confit was rich and excellent and the soup would have been a winner if we could have overcome the salt.  But we couldn't.  Both of these soups were a disappointment to me.

Finally, I think these heavy, meaty soup courses were out of order within the tasting.  They should have come after the fish dishes below.  If we were doing a wine tasting along with this, I would have been pissed.

Four

Nova Scotia Halibut "a la panacha", Sea Urchin, Uni and Citrus Jus (pictured at top of post)

One of my favorite dishes of the night.  I didn't get any plancha flavors here.  In fact, the fish was so remarkably moist that I would have bet it was sois vide or steamed.  The sea urchin tasted of the salty sea, while the rich uni sauce was balanced with citrus and had the richness of the langoustine stock I mentioned above.  In fact, I would bet the langoustine stock was the base of this sauce. Great dish.

Grilled Nova Scotia Halibut, Razor Clams Casino, Bacon, Spinach, Clam Spinach Sauce

Another excellent dish.  The halibut was moist yet had the nice flavor from the grill.  The razor clam was breaded with and the color of pistachio.  Maybe it was spinach, not sure.  Didn't have the bacon in it, so not sure why it was called "casino".  The sauce was fresh and light, a nice balance with the clams.  Didn't get a hint of bacon in this dish.

Five

House-made Farfalle, Chicken Wing confit, Bayonne Ham, Foie Gras Glaze

This was my favorite dish of the entire tasting.  Next to the chicken wing confit was a little piece of soft chicken (the one that looks like a sausage), which we found out was cooked sous vide.  It was remarkable - soft like a pillow in the mouth but very much retaining its chicken flavor.  As for the foie gras, again, no flavors present but I didn't care.  This dish was excellent.

Farro Risotto, Braised Oxail and Foie Gras, Fried Shallots, Red Wine Beef Jus

Again, no visible pieces of foie or not really any flavors of it that  I could pick out.  All I could really appreciate was the farro and the beefiness in the dish.   Al dente in texture, the farro absorbed all of the flavors of the oxtail and beef jus, as this was the main taste in the dish.  Very basic and homey in flavor, yet very good.  A definite winner.

Six

Roasted Prime Ribeye, Braised Short Rib, Pearl Onion, Bacon Lardons

If I were even in a state of being able to eat this dish, I would have gobbled up ever thing on the plate.  Nice char, perfectly cooked, excellent meaty flavors.  Short rib was also excellent, if not excessive. Simple expression of high quality beef.  Very good in taste but lacking points in originality to me.  Was looking for a little more inspired technique or ingredient combinations here. 

Grilled Ribeye, Fondant Potatoes, Bearnaise Reduction

Great grilled flavor on the high quality ribeye.  The potatoes were a little overly saturated with fat - just way too dense with cream and butter.  The bearnaise in combination with the potatoes was pretty heavy handed to me - needed something to balance the beef and potatoes, not add to the richness.  Further, I think this dish is executed at the same level at 2 star restaurants in NYC.  A tasty but uninspired dish.

Seven

Cheese Course

Wow.  Possibly one of the nicest cheese courses I have ever had (Chanterelle and Artisinal in NYC still take the cake for me).  No limits on how many you can choose - a little slice of each was a great experience.

Eight

Duet of Desserts

I am not going to get into dessert details, because I don't pay as much attention to this as others do. I know, I suck.  Whatever.  The famous homemade root beer float Gale Gande created is phenomenal, without question. 

Nine

Mignardises and Lollipops

Just to send you off in style, the mignardises come with their own cart.  There must be about 12 little choices for you - homemade dark chocolate truffles and many many more.  I had a lavender lollipop wich I thought was a great idea.   I could get a floral flavor but wouldn't be able to pick out lavender if my life depended on it.

Thoughts and Conclusion

The service was excellent, as was the experience of being at the chef's table.  We were given an unbelievable amount of attention and care. 

However, as I mentioned, chef Tramonto is one of my favorite chefs because of the inventive approach he takes to his cuisine.  This was sorely lacking.  There were very few times that I was blown away at any point during the meal, which should just not be the case.  All of the food tasted great, but that's only part of what makes a 4 star restaurant in my opinion.  Have a look at the Tru website.   The featured dishes on the site and in his books are nothing less than innovative.  Now have a look at the menu above - pretty tame in comparison.

I am a stickler for being able to taste flavors and elements of a dish that are pointed out on the menu.  The descriptions from the server and a menu we kindly received after the meal were just not accurate with what I tasted on the plate in many courses.  What's the point of a foie gras glaze if you can't taste it? Just to sound luxurious? To me, there was a lot of that going on in this meal.  Finally, as I mentioned, Tramonto's signature course of the amuse was nothing less than a disappointment to me.  I surely missed the "blend of mad scientist and magician", as Tru describes chef Tramonto on the Tru website. 

While we experienced a larger variety of dishes at Tru vs Charlie Trotter's, I would definitely give the edge to Trotter.  There were many innovative elements to the dishes at Trotter's that I found inspiring.  The service at Trotter was impeccable and generous. 

In terms of comparing Tru and Trotter with other tasting menus over five courses I've had, I think both Trotter and Tru rank below Per Se here in NYC, with service being equally excellent at each.  I would also say that Jean Georges was also a notch above Trotter and Tru.  I would rank Le Bernadin above Tru and a notch below Trotter, as Trotter gets extra points for innovation.  And without the playful, creative genius of Tramonto pushing the cuisine at Tru, I would say that my tasting there was even on par with the technically sound efforts of Cru here in NYC.

related: Tasting at Charlie Trotter's

Comments

[Don’t forget to Duck]

I would rank Tru above trotter for sure. Both below Le Bernadin, the only place in america that I will eat seafood on a monday. Plus trotter really screwed up the whole foie gras thing in Chicago.

[thebizofknowledge]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. This sounds like it was a truly memorable experience. The lavender lollipop was a really unusual and fun way to finish off this meal!

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