Nougatine, NYC

Susan & Rich knew they'd be coming into the city on the 30th for an appointment and asked if we'd like to join them for lunch. Never ones to pass up a meal, we were looking forward to trying Nougatine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's bistro in the shared space with his namesake restaurant. They share a kitchen and a bar which I didn't realize until we were being seated.

But before we get to lunch, both Rich & I had some time to kill before the reservation waiting for Susie to finish her appointment. We decided to go grab a drink around 5th and 59th, settling on the champagne bar in The Plaza. We ordered a Veuve Clicquot Rose - a half bottle poured generously between our glasses.

One of the really cool things about drinks at The Plaza besides watching the crazy tourists come into the lobby just to take pictures of themselves is that they always bring you snacks when you're drinking. Last time Alan and I were there it was spiced nuts and peppery popcorn. This time it was a trail mix assortment of nuts, sunflower seeds and chocolate covered almonds. Yum! The Veuve was very nice - floral bouquet, dark pink color, nice finish and a high acidity that goes nicely with salty snacks.

Time to go to lunch!! We walk from The Plaza over to Columbus Circle where Nougatine is - in the Trump building actually - and are seated within a few minutes of arriving. This is when it dawns on Susan, Rich and I that we'll be literally in the outer room of the famous Jean-Georges restaurant that we all ate at back in September, 2010 when Susan was pregnant with Connor.

The menu was lovely - an a la cart side and a bargain $28 prix fixe. We decide to go that direction since the two sides of the menu are pretty much the same. We decided to get an appetizer, an entree and dessert - - being us, that's actually not enough so we also ask to throw in a burger course in between!

For the appetizers: Rich ordered the fried calamari with basil, salt and citrus chili dip that looked like a citrus foam. Very good. Susan ordered the shrimp salad with avocado, tomato and champagne vinegar dressing - also very good. I ordered off the a la cart menu requesting they swap in the peekytoe crab cake on greens. This was good but not great. I really couldn't taste the crab. Alan ordered the watermelon salad with goat cheese, olive oil and cracked pepper. Depending on the bite of this you tried it either had an overwhelming amount of pepper or was too oily. The consensus at the table was that it was a disappointing course but I actually liked it and swapped my crab cake for it. I liked the tang of the goat cheese against the sweet crispness of the watermelon.

For our middle course we asked for the cheeseburger with crispy onion rings and Russian dressing to be quartered for all of us to share. Being rather obsessed with burgers, we were looking forward to trying this one. I had dreams of something akin to the reigning best gourmet burger of all time - the one from Wolfgang Puck's Postrio in the Venetian in Las Vegas. However this one did not even come close. First - it was overcooked. Second - it was small. Third - the onion ring and Russian dressing didn't add any depth of flavor or even some crunch to make it interesting. It was a pretty boring burger overall.

For our entrees, Rich and I both ordered the skate over an asparagus / bean puree. It was as delicious as it was beautiful.

Susan ordered this lovely fish dish of which I can remember absolutely nothing about. But she liked it!

Alan got the organic chicken with chopped green beans in a broth of cinnamon, coriander and other spices usually associated with fall flavors. Alan didn't think it was a particularly summer dish.

For dessert, Susan, Alan and I all ordered the warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream while Rich got the Lindsor tort. The chocolate cake was like a souffle, all melted happiness inside. Very good. Rich liked this tort but I don't remember any of the details.

All in all it was a nice lunch because of the four of us being together, playing hookie in the city and doing what we love the most - eating and drinking. But the food didn't blow me away and I didn't get to experience the excitement of a new place with a cool or interesting ambiance. Jean-Georges was sitting at the table next to us with three guests...so we've seen him both times we've been there. The service was well orchestrated and blended in nicely - always attentive but never overwhelming. I'm not sure I'd go back there for lunch...dinner in the main dining room is a fantastic experience that overshadows Nougatine.

Jenn's Rating: 88
Zagat: 27-23-25