Charlie Palmer at The Joule

Last Thursday my dad and I went to have dinner with a couple friends at Charlie Palmer's restaurant located in The Joule hotel downtown on Main Street.  I have been dying to go here ever since I read a review on Fearless Critic a couple of months ago.  Our reservation was for 7 o'clock, but honestly, we didn't need one.  I was surprised that the restaurant wasn't as busy as rumors suggested.  We were seated in a centralized table, so I was able to do a lot of people watching.  I always like to notice what other people order for appetizers, entrees, desserts, wine... then I can base what I order off of their choices.  Haven't you heard we eat first with our eyes?  I suppose it is the voyeur in me.  I noticed the other patrons selecting their wine from a iPad-like tablet.  Futuristic, huh?  As I my eyes were wandering, our waitress returned with our drink orders and I remembered I needed to order appetizers!  I scanned over the small plates portion of the menu noticing items like Grilled Octopus with peas, castelvetrano olives, and house-cured prosciutto, and Ramen with pork belly and green onions knowing the others at my dinner table weren't as adventurous.  We ended up ordering the Crisp Oysters served with arugula, corn, avocado, and peppadew peppers, the Balsamic Beef Skewers with carmelized onions, shaved creminis, and mushroom soy, and the Gougères.  I also ordered the Jersey Corn Soup (I'm a soup junkie).  A few minutes after we ordered our appetizers, the amuse bouche arrived.  A little lobster corn dog sitting on dijon crème fraiche was served a clear glass plate to stimulate our palates.  Let's just say it certainly delivered.  It was crisp on the outside, yet the lobster in the center was still succulent and buttery, finishing with a spicy kick of dijon.

Just as we finished our amuse, our appetizers were presented.  Yes, presented.  The waitstaff goes through the trouble of removing the beef from the skewers for you, so you don't have to struggle with getting your meat off of the stick.  The beef skewers were tender, flavorful, and the perfect size for sharing.  They had to be filets because they were crazy melt-in-your-mouth good.  My corn soup arrived in a fairly large bowl with three or four ricotta filled agnolottis centered on my plate, and I knew they were going to pour the soup on top. I love this method of presentation. It maintains the soup's integrity and lets your mouth experience bold yet simple flavors blending together. This was the best corn soup I've ever had. It was a great salty-sweet-savory experience. The sweet, fresh corn base was silky and smooth and the agnolottis exploded with salty ricotta cheese after each bite. This was my first time having gougères, and in case you didn't know, they are delightful, light as air puff pastries baked with gruyère cheese. Charlie Palmer adds cayenne pepper for added depth of flavor, and they were irresistible dipped in my soup. The crisp oysters looked beautiful and delicious, but I had to save room for my main course.

As you will come to learn, I rarely will turn down an offer to eat anything with truffles, so naturally I ordered the Sauteèd Chicken Breast with summer truffles, patty pan squash, bing cherries and chicken jus. I also would like to mention how great and attentive the waitstaff was. Every time my drink was getting low it was refilled quietly and appropriately. If you get up to go to the bathroom, you don't get your old napkin folded and put back on the table, you get a brand new napkin, ready for your disposal. When my chicken was served I could smell the strong scent of truffles steaming off of my plate, and the bing cherries looked plump and juicy. The skin was left on to create a golden brown crisp layer on the outside, keeping the inside juicy and tender. The jus was decadently infused with paper thin slices of summer truffles, creating an amazing flavor profile for this dish.

By the end of our meal, all I could do was dream about the desserts. I read the menu and there were so many delicious sounding options, but I was already so full. That just means I am going to have to find an excuse to make it back to Charlie Palmer as soon as I can.

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