Le Bernardin in New York, NY | I just want 2 eat

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Le Bernardin in New York, NY

image of Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Before stating that you definitely do not like fish, go to Le Bernardin, the three Michelin starred restaurant of Chef Eric Ripert and Maguy Coze, located in Midtown Manhattan. This place, opened in 1986 is the pinnacle of seafood in America and kept a solid reputation all these years. There is no doubt Chef Ripert is talented, crafting an elegant and tasteful menu that even the most skeptical will rave about, but, behind the scenes is one man, an incredible fish butcher by the name of Justo Thomas, who takes care of more than 1,000 pounds of fish per day, requiring three people to replace him when he is on vacation! Thanks to his craftsmanship, you will not find one bone or fish part that you cannot eat, filleting fishes to perfection and ensuring you have the best quality on your plate, making the whole experience there unforgettable (I just drooled by the way just thinking about it).
image of Le Bernardin in New York, NY

We went there for our wedding anniversary, for a first celebration (yes, we had two!). I do not really remember the decor, three years ago, when we went for dinner, right before their renovations, adding a lounge to the restaurant, where I believe you can just walk in and have a more casual experience than in the dining room (Gentlemen, jacket is required). The decor is classy, modern and warm, with a beautiful painting in the back from Brooklyn artist Ran Ortner representing the sea, dominating the entire dining room.

As we were still deciding what to pick from the menu, they brought us an amuse bouche.
image of amuse bouche at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

It was composed of:

Goat cheese and beet in phyllo:
image of goat cheese and beet in phyllo at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Oyster from Washington State with sea beans:
image of oyster with sea bean at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Carrot and ginger soup with a tuile:

image of carrot and ginger soup at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

That was a great way to start, my preference going to the soup because I thought that it had complex flavors. Even Jodi, who does not like carrot loved it.

Then, they brought us some bread and butter.

image of butter at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

There was a large choice of bread for sure.
image of bread basket at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Jodi picked the pretzel bread
image of pretzel bread at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

And me, the sundried tomatoe and fennel (pretty good).
image of sun dried tomato and fennel bread at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

We opted for the prix fixe dinner, the tasting menu looking good, but having plenty of dishes that Jodi would not like. For $135, you get three dishes and a dessert. Pricey, but totally worth it.

The first dishes were in the section Almost raw. For Jodi, it was the striped bass:
image of striped bass at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

It was a wild striped bass tartare, Jicama salad with a champagne-mango emulsion. For most of the dishes, the sauce or emulsion was put at the end, poured slowly by the wait staff, like a ceremonial gesture.
image of striped bass at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

It was served with some toasted sourdough bread.
image of toasted bread at Le Bernardin in New York, NY


I got the yellowfin tuna that was layered over foie gras and toasted baguette, with chives and extra virgin olive oil on top:
image of yellowfin tuna and foie gras at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

This was a nice take on surf and turf, and it worked! Similar to a carpaccio, I loved the combination of fish / foie gras, with the added crispiness from the baguette.

The second dishes were from the section Barely touched. For Jodi, it was the white tuna or escolar poached in olive oil and served with niçoise olives, grilled maitake mushrooms and a citron (lemon) vinaigrette.
image of escolar poached in olive oil at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

For me, the king fish and caviar:
image of king fish and caviar at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

It was served with brioche bread.
image of brioche toast at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Similar to Jodi's first dish, the light marinière broth was added at the table.
image of king fish and caviar at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

Et voila!
image of king fish and caviar at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

This was a fantastic dish: the king fish was sliced like a sashimi and not at all overpowered by either the broth or the caviar that gave a very slight saltiness to the dish.

Then was the last dish, from the section lightly cooked. Jodi ordered the crispy black bass, served with wood ears mushrooms and water chestnuts, and bathed in a black truffle hot and sour pot au feu:
image of crispy black bass at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

She was a bit disappointed, especially after she tasted my dish...I tried it and liked it, the fish skin being deliciously crispy and the fish being perfectly cooked, but I have to agree with her that we could barely taste the truffle.

So, on my side, my last dish was spectacular! It was a surf and turf made of white tuna (escolar) and kobe beef.
image of white tuna and kobe beef at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

There were three elements to the dish:

The escolar with its soy-lemon emulsion:
image of white tuna or escolar at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

The kimchi and Asian pear:
image of kimchi and Asian pear at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

The kobe beef:
image of kobe beef at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

That was the best dish of the evening and, considering what we had so far, it is a pretty big statement! The escolar was so good, with its nice grilled taste, it was literally melting in my mouth. So was the beef that was tender and juicy (I drooled again!).

Last was dessert. Jodi ordered the S'mores (smoked Madagascan chocolate crémeux, Graham cracker sablé, Tahitian vanilla ice cream) that she inhaled:
image of S'mores at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

And I ordered the banana, a dessert composed of a roasted banana mousse cake and ice cream, Piedmont hazelnuts:
image of banana dessert at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

I loved it: it was quite light and delicate, not too sweet, perfect if you love banana!

But it was not the end. They brought us a small plate with, from left to right, a cherry chocolate (that had peanut in it), a salted caramel (my favorite), a peach pate de fruit and black currant financier:
image of sweets at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

I should of course mention the wine. I went for a glass of Meursault "Les grands charrons", a Bourgogne from 2011.
image of Meursault "Les grands charrons", a Bourgogne from 2011 at Le Bernardin in New York, NY

With its medium-bodied flavor, it was perfect with the fish.

Dining at Le Bernardin was a sublime experience: the service was outstanding and the food beautifully presented and delicious. Yes it is pricey, but this is the kind of restaurant where you will not be disappointed. So I guess there is no need to ask me if I would go back: you know the answer!

Enjoy (I surely did)!

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1 comment:

  1. Le B deserves every bit of recognition. The lounge is open to first come first served, no jacket requirement, and you can order a la carte. At lunch the lounge has a $45 city harvest lunch pre fixe ($5 goes to city harvest) which is the best deal in all of nyc, only served mon-fri.
    Ttrockwood

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