Dining on the cheap at Jean Georges in NYC

Food lovers who live in or have visited New York City have either heard of or dined at one of Jean Georges' restaurants.  His signature restaurant, Jean Georges, has earned three Michelin stars and is considered to be one of the best restaurants in the city.  So how do we enjoy a three course Jean Georges meal for only $26?  We dine in the more casual Nougatine at Jean Georges and enjoy the Autumn Fixed Price Lunch Promotion.

We start off with a couple of housemade sodas ($6 each):  Chili Lime soda at left had a punch of spicy flavor while the Black Cherry Yuzu soda at right was more mellow and had an herbal flavor.

Here was the salt that came with our bread and butter.  We've gotten different salts at other fancy restaurants like Per Se, The French Laundry, and Cyrus, but we haven't developed a proper appreciation for them yet.  Though it's lost on us, it was a nice touch.  

Crispy Coach Farms Goat Cheese Fondue, Pear, and Crystallized Pecan Salad:  The cheese was warm in the crispy wrapper and the salad was rich and well balanced with sweet, sour, and bitter tastes.  This was Autumn on a plate!

In contrast, the Tuna Tartare with pickled radishes, avocado, and a ginger marinade, was fresh and light.  It went well with the Chili Lime soda.

Shrimp Salad with avocados, tomatoes, and champagne vinegar dressing:  The shrimps were warm and covered with a nice cream sauce (it reminded us of a nice chowder) while the salad was tangy.

Pan Roasted Snapper with goldbar squash, tomato compote, fresh herbs, and olive oil:  We loved the crispy skin on the snapper with the warm tomato ragu.

Cinnamon Pot de Creme with roasted apples and cider sorbet:  There seemed to be other spices (nutmeg?) besides cinnamon that made the Pot de Creme taste so homey.  The dish was rich with all of our favorite local farmers' market finds of the season.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:  How can anyone not like a warm molten chocolate cake?  We could smell it before it even hit the table!  Inside was warm, gooey, melted chocolate, while the cake itself was fluffy and light.  The vanilla bean ice cream was rich - and we liked the crumbs that kept it in place.

Nougatine at Jean Georges is located at 1 Central Park West inside the Trump International Hotel.