Marc barks

Lifestyle blog by a well-connected costarican. Wanna be my plus one?

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How to score a meal on a three star rated Michelin restaurant for $100 per guest

Hey, guys!  As you may have seen, I recently took a family trip to NYC.  My brother’s bday was part of the reasons for the trip, so we wanted to do something special. His taste is HIGHLY evolved, I think his wardrobe might be even better than mine (as well, he beat me to be the first of the family to buy some fragrance from -hallowed label- Creed).  So I went for something extremelly special.

So when I asked him what did he wanted to do for his bday, he said: DINNER!

What did I do? Being NYC one of the top culinary destinations in the planet, I looked up the best places ... on a budget. Offered him three options, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and the Four seasons.  The first two a three star Michelin rated restaurants, the last one is a classic staple. He chose Jean Georges, I reserved almost a month in advance and booked the deal of the year: little is known Jean Georges offers a lunch sampler called “Tastes of Spring” with seasonal dishes, with many of the ones served for dinner at a fraction of the price (sometimes 1/4 of the price if seated for dinner). To say it was an experience is quite an understatement, flawless service, flawless food and great great ambiance, conductive to have nothing close to a religion experience. We chose the following for lunch: Entrées:

Yellowfin tuna Ribbons, avocado and spicy radish, ginger marinade

Wild italian mushroom risotto

Market Mushroom Salad with Wild Greens and Herbal Pine Nut Dressing

Main dishes:

Black Sea Bass Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus

Maine Halibut, Glazed New Onions, Carrots, Peas and Saffron 

Sautéed Veal Scallopine, Flying Pig Ham, Mushrooms and Lavender

Drinks:

Cherry yuzu homemade soda and my brother ordered a Bellini for his bday.

Here, you can see the complimentary amuse bouche. SO fresh!

The ribbons are a staple of the restaurant, they were REALLY good, but, as a costarican who gets fresh tuna year round, it was an OK experience, I preferred the risotto.

The amuse bouche came with a little green, tarty liquid. Delicious!

It was amazing!

They even gave my brother some dark chocolate ganache cake and there were this little desserts which had everything from homemade marshmallows to matcha tea white chocolate cookies (to die for). The amazing part is that the dinner for three costed right under $300 USD.  Considering in my homecountry, I have payed much MUCH more per diner at some other outings, I can only say: if you are in NYC, you *MUST* go and try it.

Our faves were mums picks, anything with mushrooms and the risotto. To be honest, we wanted to eat more but the food was so good we didnt want to abuse and have an excuse to come back.

If you plan to go, please keep in mind they do hold a dresscode, and they open reservations for the month the first day of the month (I chose to wear a Thomas Pink poplin shirt, an Asos jacket, Helmut Lang white pants and Fabrizzio Berrocal foulard) As well, mind your manners, my brother forgot  to place his cutlery correctly in order to advise he was done with his main course, so the poor staff had to wait like 15 mins until my brother corrected the situation and they cleaned after the us. (Isnt it AWESOME?)

If booked, you can always try “Nougatine”, a more cash option right next door. Or many of the other great options offered by NYC.

How many stars for the meal? ALL. The service/food was amazing!

Pics taken by yours truly,  PS Happy bday, Danny! 

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Hi guys! So while in NY, a friend (Thanks, Petra!) who is friends with a dj invited me to this event in Ladurée.  We all are QUITE familiar with its pastry but I was SHOCKED with their delicious cocktails. Apparently, they host this event periodically, so if in town, inquire!

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Coney Island!

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Fat cats, family and the place we will call home for this week in Brooklyn

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Minerals (yes, thats the Hope diamond and those are Marie Antoinettes earrings) at the Museum of Natural History

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Fun in Washington DC. Weather was warm and summery. Great museums! My fave? The subway, sooo beautiful!

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Quick trip to SJ. Prepping for trip

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One of those nights: First Vertigo, then Hoxton, then run for the mountains! Great outing!

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Chamaeleo video release party

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Turrialba daytrip

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Turrialba daytrip

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Fun with orange blossoms and filters

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At the blogger brunch I cohosted

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Casting day

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Night out and its remedy

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Daytrip and food

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Popup store for Mercedes Benz