Two stars doesn’t cut it for one of New York’s most expensive restaurants.
Per Se proprieter Thomas Keller responded Thursday to Pete Wells’ New York Times review in which he compared the formerly four-star restaurant’s flavors to “bong water” and reported a less than favorable experience about the service.
The chef posted a public letter on his website, apologizing for Per Se’s downfall and voicing his “great disappointment.”
Spoiler: No mention of Señor Frog’s.
Here’s the open letter:
“To our guests:
At all of our restaurants, in our kitchens and dining rooms, we make every effort to provide you with the best possible experience. We consider it our professional responsibility to ensure that every one of you feels special and cared for. To us, it is imperative that we improve and evolve every day. We constantly examine ourselves, our menu, our service and our standards.
Regretfully, there are times when we do not meet those standards. The fact that The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells’ dining experiences at Per Se did not live up to his expectations and to ours is greatly disappointing to me and to my team. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards, but we make mistakes along the way. We are sorry we let you down.
We are not content resting on what we did yesterday. We believe we can do better for ourselves, our profession and most importantly our guests. We have the opportunity, the tools, the self-motivation and the dedication to do so.
When we fall short, we work even harder. We are confident that the next time you visit Per Se or any of our other restaurants, our team will deliver a most memorable experience.”
Keller also owns and operates New York’s Bouchon Bakery, along with a slew of acclaimed restaurants in California.
Maybe the next time the servers will lead the dining room in the Macarena.
