Le Bernardin***

New York City, NY

Somewhere between watching No Reservations, Avec Eric and Top Chef, Eric Ripert has been painted as a culinary god in our eyes. Being on the West Coast, there seemed to be no restaurant that rivaled the famed Le Bernardin in Manhattan.  Sure we have two three Michelin starred establishments (TFL and Meadowood) and Michael Cimarusti is a lauded seafood chef at Providence in LA, but it wasn't Eric Ripert. So for our first trip to New York in six years, the first reservation I tried to get was at Le Bernardin. Problem was, there weren’t any dinner res available. No worries, I heard their lunch service was just as spectacular and a steal at $70 for three courses (as opposed to a $225 tasting) with the exact same menu as the dinner menu.

Our Table

So we walked about ten minutes from 5^th Ave where we were staying, for a luxe Friday lunch. I was beaming with anticipation, and Chu-Toro wanted me to enjoy myself, so we opted not to bring the behemoth SLR. But I did sneak in my point and shoot for a couple pics. The overall feeling in the restaurant itself is stuffy, almost dated. I think that’s just the classic approach/feel of French fine dining. We were seated in the corner per our requests and started off with menus, crostini and salmon spread. We munched on the tasty but not mind blowing salmon spread, and were offered bread from a basket before our first course arrived. Chu-Toro went with the brioche and I the rosemary and olive breadstick. Both were good, but I wished they were warmer.

Salmon Spread

For our appetizers both opted for items from the simply raw section as appetizers. I selected the tuna, thinly pounded layers of yellow fin tuna, foie gras, toasted baugette, shaved chives and extra virgin oilve oil, Chu-Toro went with Kampachi tartar with marinated Japanese cucumbers, and aged citrus vinegar. Upon arrival of our first course, Chu-Toro’s kampachi was visually appealing and mine was the wrong dish. There are two tuna appetizer options, and they gave me the wrong one. So as Chu-Toro had to agonize with a beautiful tartar sitting in front of her, we waited for my tuna. It did arrive about 5-10 minutes later, a minor hiccup, but an irritating one.

tuna, thinly pounded layers of yellow fin tuna, foie gras, toasted baugette,
shaved chives and extra virgin oilve oil

The famed pounded tuna course with foie has been something I have been dying to try for years. The first bite was extremely underwhelming. I only tasted olive oil. It was good olive oil, but the fish did not explode with flavor as expected. However, as I got to the foie, savored the flavors, and allow the ingredients to melt in my mouth, it ended up being a very good dish. I still contest that there’s too much oil used on it, but it was a really bold combination of sushi quality tuna and just the right amount of smooth, rich, delicate foie.

Kampachi tartar with marinated Japanese cucumbers, and aged citrus vinegar

Where my dish was bold, rich and creamy, Chu-Toro’s was much the opposite; light, citrusy, and fresh, the perfect start she was looking for in her kampachi tartar. The use of cucumbers and a little kick from the spices made it a very appealling way to start her meal.

Poached Turbot; Wild Mushroom, Black Truffle Custard,  Spice Squab Jus

We were really hoping these entrées would add on to the very good but first course. To our surprise, both of our items were drenched in heavy sauces. I went with the turbot, mainly because it was on the tasting menu, it seems to be a hot fish found on many menus nowadays, and the sound of a squab jus sounded delicious. It was a solid, tasty dish. The jus served as a broth, really packing the flavors of Chinese five spice. And the fillet itself was surprisingly very large. But the turbot I had at Providence was cooked better, had a more unique flavor profile and was just more delicate. Part of the reason I was disappointed was that I did not feel I was receiving a three Michelin star dish and it didn’t make me change the way I appreciate fish entrees (although another offering at Momofuku Ko did). I will very rarely order fish off a menu unless it comes highly recommended and even then, it’s simply good. I guess I just prefer my fish unadulterated and raw in most cases from a sushi chef. I was just hoping Eric Ripert’s fish could change the way I think of goat (Meadowood), beef (Benu), or vegetables (Manresa).

Seared Yellowtail King Fish, Truffle risotto, spring vegetables, black truffle emulsion

Chu-Toro’s Hiramasa, king yellowtail, came prepared in thick, short, slices with a small side of risotto, then drenched in a black truffle emulsion.  I thought her fish was much better without the sauce, and it allowed the natural flavors of the fish to shine. However, the blending of flavors as a whole on her dish did work well, trying to provide sweetness of the fish standing through the heavy truffle.  Again, it was a good dish, but nothing mind blowing or out of the ordinary that you would hope to get at one of the best restaurants in the world.

Laiskonis Egg

I will credit Le Bernardin that I was pretty darn full at this point. But the show continued, starting with our pre-dessert, the Laiskonis egg. Some people say this is the best bite they experience at Le Bernadin. Executive pastry chef Michael Laiskonis is highly lauded in his own right. The egg presentation is not new to us as an amuse bouche or appetizer, but was a first from a dessert perspective. The egg was a mini milk chocolate pot de creme with a caramel foam, maple syrup and Maldon sea salt. Beautifully layered, it was chocolaty, rich, creamy, sweet with a small saltiness, overall a perfect pre-dessert.

Gianduja Cream, Orange Hazelnuts, Honey, Bananas, Brown Butter Ice Cream

For our final course, Chu-Toro decided to go with the hazelnut dessert (above)  and I the citrus (below). Both desserts were good, but did not stand up to the depth of flavors of the egg. 

Lime Parfait, Meringue, Avocado Puree, Mint, Grapefruit-Tequila Sorbet

We were also given a small basket of fresh warm almond and pistachio cookies with our desserts. I liked the almond one, but didn't care too much for the pistachio. 

Fresh Almond and Pistachio cookies

I’m really glad we've cross Le Bernardin off our list, and have no love lost for Eric Ripert, but have come to realize that maybe our style and our generation has moved away from attentive, stuffy decor and service and classic French prep and has moved on to the more whimsical, playful, creativity found at places such as Commonwealth and wd-50 that drive food forward. Even Benu has taken a different minimalistic approach to the fine dining scene that I enjoy. Overall, we had fun, enjoyed the experience and who knows may be compelled to come back for a full tasting one day.

Rating 7/10

March 4, 2011