Salli Vates' Third Anniversary: Adour

For our very special occasion, my companion and I chose a very special restaurant. Fortunately, an intimate table for two on the left side was available (when I'd called, the reservationist said she couldn't guarantee it, so I guess we were lucky). It may sound strange, but one of the first things we noticed about Adour was the near absence of background music. The resulting serenity allowed us to focus all of our attention on a superb tasting menu. (We were going to order a la carte; the tasting menu listed a "strawberry composition" and I wanted the apricot souffle. But Guthrie, the elegant gentleman who took care of us for the evening, happily accommodated the substitution!)

We toasted the occasion with glasses of sauvignon blanc and merlot, spread some salted black olive butter over our green olive rolls, and awaited our amuse bouche: a teacup of gazpacho topped with a layer of watermelon foam. As we drained our cups, the tastes and textures changed; the watermelon foam was clean, sweet and light, and then there was the spicy soup with tiny watermelon dice, and a final crunch of croutons at the bottom of the cup.

Next up was the cucumber vinegar marinated hamachi - what a beautiful dish. An intricate latticework of green apple, avocado, cucumber and crouton matchsticks was surrounded by a flourish of green apple mustard. It lay next to a healthy portion of buttery yellowtail crudo, which was sprinkled with a dark green kaffir lime condiment. At first glance we thought it was crumbled nori, but it had an intense citrus flavor.

The next course, a multicolored vegetable composition, was even more visually arresting; it resembled a modern geometric painting. A background of tomato-colored liquid framed an upward-facing assortment of orange, yellow and green vegetable stalks (this was my companion's analogy: "It looks like a city of vegetables!"). Each tender stalk of potato, fennel, leek, carrot, baby artichoke, carrot, celery and zucchini maintained its own distinct taste.

A lobster "lasagna" consisted of three triangular pockets of pasta (one of which was mottled with strips of chervil, another dark with black olives), heaps of sweet lobster meat, zucchini, and an oven-dried tomato - all in a delectable brown sauce. (Now I was beginning to think I shouldn't have asked for seconds on the rolls.) The main course was a rich breast of duck with a trio of red and white radishes and a caramelized shallot, with a cup of polenta topped with the brown jus and a sliced nicoise olive. We tried to linger over the duck, but it was just too delicious, and we polished it off in short order.

Guthrie then wished us a happy anniversary and presented us with a candle-adorned strawberry composition in addition to the two desserts we'd ordered. Delicately sliced strawberries surrounded a creamy fromage blanc center, and crunchy cookie crumbs lay underneath. But I could not get my spoon out of my gorgeous apricot souffle. Golden and puffy and sugar-dusted, it had a small surprise of warm apricot brandy and ladyfingers at the bottom. I also managed a few bites of my companion's multi-textured cherry chocolate dessert with gianduja sable; layers of icy cherry granita and dark cherry gelee lay in between dark chocolate squares. Then came a plate of raspberry and coffee macarons, and another of dark and milk chocolates. What a meal and an anniversary to remember!

Adour: Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York: 2 East 55th St., (212) 710-2277.