Cafe des Architectes (now under Chef Greg Biggers)

Not sure if a new thread was necessary, but as Ronnie pointed out, Chef Noguier is no longer at Cafe Des Architectes

Having not been to Cafe des Architectes during the Noguier era, I am not able to comment on whether or not the food is just as good. What I CAN comment on, is that I had a very good (though not perfect) meal last week.

I was a bit surprised at just how beautiful Cafe des Architectes actually is - beautiful open space, clean, and luxurious. I actually had the desire to see what a room liked like inside of the Sofitel hotel





Amuse was a
Foie Gras and Poached Matsu Apple



Though I did not find it so, my dining companion found this a bit too acidic.

Fluke Sashimi yuzu-espellette aioli, Green Acres beets, brown butter kohlrabi






Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras apple-celery root puree, Klug cider beignets, La Quercia Speck



A bit on the too-seared side, but still very enjoyable.

Walleye Pike smoked Green Acres baby potatoes, jumbo lump crab meat, truffle vinaigrette, red wine jus



Delicious all around - seared yet flaky fish, every component worked. My favorite of the night.

Prime New York Strip Maitake mushrooms, Nichol’s Farm butternut squash puree, cocoa nibs salt, garlic jus





"The Chef's Specialty" is how our (fantastic) waiter described the dish. Chef Biggers himself brought this out, and though I would love to give praise, this was entirely too salty. Mushrooms and all other components were fantastic, but the steak itself was almost inedible.

Chocolate Bar Coffee cream, burnt caramel ice cream





i'm sure most of you know that Patrick Fahy has joined the team at Cafe des Architectes, and I believe this dessert proves he's pretty much right at home. My friend could not stop talking about this dish and I would agree with everything she said. Rich, crunchy, and very elegant. This alone was worth the visit.

If the NY Strip was properly seasoned, I would sum this up as a perfect meal. I came away very impressed with our meal and will gladly be back.

Incite-

We used to have a company deal for rooms at the Sofitel. I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Great pics of your meal. I might have to figure out a reason to stop in for a bite. My office is a block away...

Seeing that dessert pic gives me mixed emotions: as much as I want to experience a different Fahy vision, he was really doing phenomenal stuff at Blackbird last year--art, almost. It's a little unfortunate he's now doing more straight-forward "hotel" desserts, you know?

chezbrad wrote:Seeing that dessert pic gives me mixed emotions: as much as I want to experience a different Fahy vision, he was really doing phenomenal stuff at Blackbird last year--art, almost. It's a little unfortunate he's now doing more straight-forward "hotel" desserts, you know?

chezbrad, I'm not exacly sure how you came to that conclusion. Granted I have only been to Blackbird the one time, I think Fahy's CAD dessert bore a striking resemblance to the one I had in April

chocolate ganache
tahitian vanilla gastrique, candied cocoa nibs and parsnip ice cream

And though it has been months since Blackbird, I believe I actually enjoyed the Chocolate Bar more. Fahy has not changed his style and conformed.

I'm not sure what makes a 1-2 punch, but I recently had a meal at Big & Little's, and walked to Cafe Des Architectes for their dessert tasting menu.

I want to preface this by saying that CDA's pastry chef, Leigh Omilinsky, is a personal friend of mine from high school.

Tomme

After a recent visit to Zingerman's to learn the craft, Cafe Des Architectes is now making their own cheese in house. Aged 6 weeks, this cheese was nutty and delicious. This was sent out to try, and not yet on their menu.

Amuse Bouche


Strawberry Mousse oatmeal brioche, aloe sorbet, almonds

My dining companion's favorite dish. Quite refreshing on a beautiful night.

Black Cherry Roulade pecans, peach cobbler ice cream, schnapps

One of my favorites of the night.

Valrhona Chocolate Sphere caramel mousse, Kahlua, café dolce ice cream

My favorite. Cracking that sphere was quite satisfying, and exposed a very tasty kahlua-flavored center.

Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding Tahitian vanilla, passion fruit sorbet, sugar tuile

Not a fan of passion fruit, so I missed out on the sorbet. As I've said many times before, I can't do really decadent chocolate, so this wasn't my favorite. Dining companion absolutely loved it.

Though I'm friends with pastry chef Omilinsky, my friendship played no role in my review of Cafe Des Architectes. I have long been a fan of this restaurant (and their desserts when Patrick Fahy was at the helm), and have nothing but great things to say. I wish more folks would give this place a try.

incite wrote:I'm not sure what makes a 1-2 punch, but I recently had a meal at Big & Little's and walked to Cafe Des Architectes for their dessert tasting menu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh0-vJ3ISAc

Welp, that made me laugh a bit too much. I'm not quite sure what to say here. Not sure if I have to defend myself, but dinner at Big & Little's cost about 40 dollars for 2 of us. Dessert tasting menu at Cafe Des Architectes was 25pp for 3 courses. I can (and have) spent more dining at other 1-2 punches.

incite wrote:Welp, that made me laugh a bit too much. I'm not quite sure what to say here. Not sure if I have to defend myself, but dinner at Big & Little's cost about 40 dollars for 2 of us. Dessert tasting menu at Cafe Des Architectes was 25pp for 3 courses. I can (and have) spent more dining at other 1-2 punches.

i'm just being a hater, sounds awesome