Asiate

Mandarin Oriental Hotel,

80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street

New York, New York 10023

November 2008

Asiate is one of the most dramatic dining rooms in New York City. Perched on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Time-Warner Center, the restaurant offers incredible views of the surrounding neighborhoods. On this cold, rainy night the vistas were especially somber, and looked more like something out of a dark Hollywood thriller, with the lights of Manhattan peering out from under a veil of fog and clouds. Inside, the mood was much brighter, and we enjoyed a fabulous, informal dinner.

Ever since my last visit, about six months ago, I had been dying to eat the Étuvée again, and it was once again a simply brilliant dish where all the flavors came together with superb balance. The Black Truffle Chowder made for a nice middle course. My Black Sea Bass was cooked perfectly. We choose Trimbach’s 2000 Clos Ste. Hune from the extensive but pricey list. This bottle delivered the goods, as layers of mineral-infused lime, passion fruit and flowers opened up over the course of the evening. The exotic aromas and flavors worked beautifully with the Asian-inspired flavors, especially the coconut in the Étuvée and the ginger and lemongrass in the Black Sea Bass. Texturally, the 2000 is a fairly rich Clos Ste. Hune, but ideally it needs at least another few years of cellaring for its full potential to emerge. A recent bottle of the magical 1990 reminded of just how much bottle age this wine needs to before it peaks.

Food:

Étuvée; Scallop, Shrimp, Little Neck Clams, Hearts of Palm, Coconut Herb Broth

Black Truffle Chowder

Black Sea Bass; Stir-Fried Asian Vegetable, Ginger-Lemongrass Infused Consommé 

Wine:

2000   Trimbach Riesling Clos. Ste Hune   95

[Photo and Credit: Asiate, New York] 

-- Antonio Galloni