For patrons who frequent Manhattan’s best restaurants, five-star cuisine is now available on private yacht charter at a comparable price. With resumes that rival many of the best chefs, Robert Stecker and Jorge Feliciano of Long Island, New York-based Culinary Visions Catering are serving an expanding clientele on the water that includes celebrities, Fortune 500 executives, politicians. and heads of state. Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Donald Trump and Steven Spielberg have tested their fare.

Mr. Stecker and Mr. Feliciano began their exploration of non-traditional foods aboard the Lexington yacht in midtown Manhattan during the post-9/11 commercial recovery. They now offer French / American cuisine on over 30 luxury yachts available through Prestige Yacht Charters. Boats depart from marinas and clubs throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Creative gourmet selections are influenced by the seasons as each ingredient is hand-selected by chefs. They prefer components such as venison, pomegranate and black truffle in winter; sea ​​bass, cherries and morels in spring; lobster, peaches and watercress in summer; and game birds, squash and white truffles in the fall. Chefs often personally present their preparations on beautifully arranged plates.

The following specialties are highly recommended: Maine lobster poached in butter with roasted mushrooms, gnocchi and cucumber flowers; honey glazed duck with fig, daikon radish and black currant; and Japanese Kobe steak with seared foie gras, spinach and Pinot Noir sauce.
The recipe for one of their flagship dishes, “Crispy Sea Bass Paupiette with Braised Leeks”, is included below.

After eating their fill, and perhaps enjoying table-side dessert presentations such as crème brulee or cherry jubilee, diners can leave their meal wandering the decks, enjoy the panoramic views, or simply relax under the stars listening to the water by gently tapping the hull. . The duration of the entire experience is the same as in the best restaurants, about three hours.

Prestige Yacht Charters owner David Hackert allows diners to choose from a wide variety of “host” boats by viewing the interior and exterior profiles on his company website. All yachts are climate controlled with enclosed dining areas in bad weather.

Crispy sea bass paupiette with braised leeks and Pinot Noir reduction

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

For the sea bass paupiette:
or 4 sea bass fillets, 7 ounces each, skinless, with bones reserved for sauce
o Salt and freshly ground black pepper
or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme: 1 sprig chopped and 2 sprigs cut in half for garnish
or 2 very large baking potatoes, peeled
or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the leeks:
or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
or 2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
o Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
or 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
or 1/2 cup shallots, peeled and chopped
or 1/2 cup sliced ​​white mushrooms, caps only
or 1/2 sprig of fresh thyme
or 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
or 1 bottle (750 ml) of Pinot Noir or similarly cooked red wine
or 1 tablespoon heavy cream
or 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
or a pinch of sugar
o Salt and freshly ground black pepper
or 1 tablespoon chopped chives

Preparation

For the sea bass paupiette:
Make each steak as rectangular as possible (about 5 inches by 2 inches) by trimming the ragged edges with a sharp knife. Season the fillets and sprinkle them with a teaspoon of chopped thyme.

Using a knife, shape each potato lengthwise by cutting the rounded outer flesh to make 4 rectangular slices (do not cut the tips of the potatoes). Using a vegetable slicer or mandolin, cut each potato lengthwise into very thin, long slices. Each potato should produce about 16 slices (8 slices are needed to wrap 1 fish fillet). Do not rinse the potato slices as its starch will help the wrapped slices stick together. Mix the potato slices in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and add a pinch of salt.

Lay a 10-inch square piece of parchment paper on the counter. Choose 8 potato slices of roughly the same length. Lay a fish fillet horizontally on top of the parchment paper so you can match the length of the potato wrap to the length of the fish. Lay the first potato slice perpendicular to the fish, starting from the left side. Place a second slice on top of the first one about 3/8 inch from the left edge. Continue overlapping the potato slices until you have covered an area equal to the length of the fish fillet.

Center the fish horizontally in the middle of the potato wrap and fold the edges of the potatoes over the fish to enclose it completely. Repeat the same process for the remaining fillets and refrigerate.

For the leeks:
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sweat until soft, about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stay warm aside.

For the sauce:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the canned sea bass bones, shallots, mushrooms, and thyme sprigs, and grill for 8 to 10 minutes while stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook until completely reduced.

Add the Pinot Noir, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Remove and discard the fish bones with a mesh slotted spoon. Reduce the sauce to 2 tablespoons. Add the heavy cream, stir, and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and keep warm on the side. (If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it out.)

To cook the sea bass paupiette, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the sea bass paupiettes and sauté until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. If the fish is too thick, finish cooking in the oven for 4-5 minutes.

Presentation
Place a bed of leeks in the middle of 4 hot serving plates and pour the sauce around the leeks (about 2 tablespoons per plate). Place a sea bass paupiette on top of the leeks and garnish with 1/2 sprig of thyme. Sprinkle the plate with the chopped chives.