Comments on: Nougatine at JG and Revisiting Bouchon Bakery

By: thewanderingeater

thewanderingeater — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:52:25 +0000

Mitzy: First of all, thank you for finally commenting! Secondly, you had a two-day class with Pierre Herme himself?! I ENVY THEE! Yes, his macarons are swoon-worthy and it nearly made me cry when I ate them for the very first time. [Sighs] I want him to open a boutique in NYC dammit!

By: Mitzy

Mitzy — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:37:47 +0000

First of all, I’ve been reading your wonderful blog for a couple of months but never got a chance to leave any comment. I agree with you that Pierre Herme still has the best macarons. In fact, I just finished 2 full day class with PH himself in Chicago a couple of days ago. I tasted his macarons for the very first time and they blew away everything I’ve ever tasted in New York. I’m going to post more about that once in a lifetime experience soon in my blog.

By: thewanderingeater

thewanderingeater — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:11:54 +0000

Doug: We'll plan on it! Marie: Well, I hope you've read my comment before. But I'll give it a try again sometime soon. Ulterior Epicure: Ah. The thing is, I went to Nougatine not Jean Georges proper (which I would certainly LOVE to go again, on the latter). Different kitchens. Different staff. Food is inconsistent. I want JG! And yes, Keller can do so much better with the macarons.

By: ulterior epicure

ulterior epicure — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:18:06 +0000

Ha. I did almost the same tour as you, except I hit Bouchon Bakery by day and ended up at Jean Georges by night!

By: Markie

Markie — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:45:40 +0000

The macarons at Madelaine’s on 23rd are indeed the best to be had anywhere. They are pricey but worth the splurge. Delicately crispy on the outside, moist and cakey within, and tons of flavor. Take that, Keller.

By: Doug Cress

Doug Cress — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:50:16 +0000

Hey Tina, lets hang sometime soon. Need my intermittent dose of you and Ariel et al. :)

By: thewanderingeater

thewanderingeater — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:48:40 +0000

John: Wow, you had it worse than I did. I haven't tried db bistro yet... Traci: Thanks! As for Madeline, I've tried their macarons on two separate occasions and I found them a bit too mushy or wet. Meh. The only very good ones are from La Maison du Chocolat (in Rockefeller or the Upper East Side), where they fly in their macarons from Paris. Why can't Pierre Herme open a boutique here!

By: Traci

Traci — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:26:09 +0000

Love the photos of the macaroons (and your use of the word “innards”). I am obsessed with those things! You must try the ones at Madeline’s on 23rd Street!

By: John

John — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:35:39 +0000

I had dinner @ Nougatine awhile back and have to say it was a bit of a disappointment as well. I went in fully aware that it was a ‘casual’ offshoot of JG, yet, still, it didn’t meet my expectations. Food was presented sloppily and I had to remind the waiter that he had missed a drink order for the table. I had a vegetarian dining companion and gave the restaurant 48 hours notice and they said that it would not be a problem. I even called 24 hours ahead just to remind them and re-confirm that I would need vegetarian options for the tasting/prix fixe. And of course, upon arrival, they had no clue what I was talking about and had to scramble. The food itself was…good. Not great, but good. Out of all the casual restaurant attempts from NY’s fine dining masters(daniel boulud with bar boulud/db bistro, ramsay with maze, etc) Nougatine was the most disappointing.