Le Bernardin Restaurant

Today, we are back in the USA. in New York. It’s a big day. Because we are going to Le Bernardin. It opened in Paris in 1972 by brother and sister Gilbert and Maguy Le Coze. It was a seafood restaurant with a clear concept fresh, simple and prepared with respect. Everybody loved it. They received their first Michelin star in 1976 and two more in 1980. In 1985, they got an offer on a prime piece of real estate in Midtown Manhattan. Next to Times Square and the Rockefeller Center. They risked everything and took the plunge. Le Bernardin as we know it opened in 1986.

 it received a 4-star review from The New York Times and quickly became the place to see and be seen. But the tides of life would quickly turn. In 1994, Gilbert was exercising at a health club when he took a heart attack. He passed away shortly after at just 49 years old. Maguy was shattered. Her brother meant everything to her. One by one, she picked up the pieces. At Le Bernardin, she needed a chef to fill her brother’s shoes. Again, she took a chance. And promoted 29-year-old Eric Ripert. Eric was born in France in 1965. 

After chef school, Chef Ripert moved to Paris. He worked at the famous La Tour L’Argent but left for the opportunity to work for culinary heavyweight Joel Robuchon who was also a mentor to Gordon Ramsay. Big things were happening for Ripert, but his dreams were bigger. He moved to the Washington DC in 1989 and then to the Big Apple in 1991 He took over the kitchen at Le Bernardin in 1994 and maintained the 4 out 4 star rating from the New York Times ever since. More awards came soon after from all over the world. 

Then in 2005, the Michelin guide made it’s debut in the US. They honored Chef Ripert, Maguy and Le Bernardin with three stars. When he’s not there, he is busy being the Vice Chairman of City Harvest, a non-profit that rescues 75 million pounds of food per year and delivers it to hungry New Yorkers. For almost 30 years, Chef Ripert has run the kitchen at Le Bernardin. He is a master of the fundamentals of French cuisine. My wife, my daughter and I make our way to Midtown. It’s Saint Patrick’s day, and a lot of streets are closed off. We find our way thanks to a random good samaritan named Carlos. He gets us where we need to go. Thank you Carlos! We arrive at the restaurant. 

As this is a famous French restaurant, I am expecting the design to be similar to Le Cinq or Le Louis. but it’s not. We find a huge space with minimalist design, minus the huge blue painting. It’s nice, but it’s due for a facelift. The wine cart arrives and we start to look through it. At the same time, the sommelier tries to draw our attention to the menus. There is some confusion and it’s not the best way to begin our experience. Finally, we choose two bottles from the wine cart. This place is popular for lunch. You can order 3 courses for 120 dollars or 108 euro Good value in my opinion. I mean, this is one of the most decorated restaurants in the world. No wonder they put over a hundred people through for lunch every day. They also have two tasting menus. One is a vegetarian menu for 230 dollars. and the other is a chef’s tasting menu for 298.

 It’s per table, which means everybody has to choose the same thing. We choose the chef’s tasting menu. The wine list is huge. They have 15,000 bottles on-site. Then we discover there is an optional wine pairing for 170 dollars. This is where things get confusing again. We want the wine pairing, but we have already ordered two bottles. The sommelier tells us this is why he wanted to give us the menu in the first place. He mentioned this confusion happens quite often. Maybe it's my mistake, but it isn't the best start. Our waiter really helps lighten the mood. 

He is delightful and serves the welcome snack. It’s poached and smoked salmon in a light mayonnaise with chives and lemon. On the side is a toasted sourdough bread. The creaminess and deliciousness are undeniable. Our first course is a tuna tartare with sea urchin in a beef consumme. The consomme is bursting with flavor. The fish is super fresh, and delivers a good amount of salt. I have an excellent feeling about this tasting menu. It’s paired with a 2021 godello from Spain This wine is crisp and brings out the flavors in this dish. Beef consumme and tuna tatar next is scallops and caviar in a mariniere sauce. It’s made with a wonderful combination of white wine, shallots, cream, brandy and flavored

with mussels, butter, chives and lemon. The sauce is light and takes the fish to completely new places. This one is remarkable. I really liked it. The pairing was a Bollinger Grand Annee champagne from 2014. Champagne and caviar. I’m always in the mood for both Next is poached lobster, grape-fennel salad in a sabayon sauce. The sliced grapes seemed a bit basic until I tasted this dish. The lobster was outstanding and the sauce!

 The sauce! ! I was blown away. It was so fresh and creamy. Brilliant It’s paired with a Petershof riesling from 2021. This is a German wine from the Mosel region. The finish is dry and crisp. Exactly what is needed for this dish. You may have noticed the guys with the shiny medallions around their necks. They are the sommeliers. The shiny thing is called a ‘tastevin’ It’s a special cup designed for the low light of the wine cellar. Back in the day, everything was lit with candles.

 The shape and design of the cup gave the sommelier a better look at the color and clarity of the wine. These days, wine cellars aren’t lit with candles anymore, but the tastevan is still proudly worn as the symbol of a trained sommelier. Speaking of sommeliers, it seems we have smoothed things over with our guy from earlier. He has warmed up to us and is much nicer than before. We had a good chat about wine, that always helps. Our next course is langoustine with salad topped with black truffle foam. The langoustine is really fresh and cooked just right. Although it’s not my favorite of the day, it’s still really good.

 It’s paired with a 2020 altesse from Savoie, France. It’s a nice aromatic wine. Next is Dover Sole. It’s pan roasted with green olives, toasted almonds in a sherry wine emulsion. Robust flavors and the sauce is incredible. I love everything about it. The pairing is a 2021 white made with palomino fino grapes. It’s an organic wine from Spain This complex and savory wine that has an almost salty taste. It’s interesting and goes well with the fish. Our final savory dish is steamed halibut, truffled sunchoke puree and baby root vegetables, in a bourguignon sauce. The dish is excellent and again the fish is top top quality and cooked to absolute perfection.

 This was paired with a 2020 pinot noir from France We don’t normally see red wine paired with fish, but here it works because of the sauce. Bourguigon sauce is made from red wine, and we often see dishes with this sauce go with a nice Burgundy. Just like the one in this pairing. We are on to the sweet courses now. Starting with a pallet cleanser. Poached rhubarb and coconut yogurt sorbet This is something wonderful. It has a bit of coconut, a bit of strawberry. I like how they tame the rhubarb here. There isn’t even a hint of bitterness. It comes with a pear cider from French producer Eric Bordelet.

 It’s a really cool drink and goes with the sorbet without overpowering it. Our dessert is a pistachio ice cream with grand marnier custard. This was incredibly fantastic. The presentation was gorgeous with meticulous tweezer work and presented beautifully with nice utensils. It was paired with a dessert wine from Sauternes France. This is a bordeaux blend from 2016. Very good. Then something really cool. A secret menu item. This was not part of the chef’s tasting menu but something we ordered extra. It’s called the Egg.

 It’s an actual organic egg shell with a milk chocolate base, caramel foam, maple syrup and a grain of salt. You can watch it being made on Riperts twitter page. You can find the link in the description. This dessert looks simple but if you like chocolate and caramel, you’re gonna love it. The last thing is the petit fours. Dark chocolate rum, lychee marshmallow and almond cake. Fantastic finish. Now, my final thoughts on Le Bernardin. Shaky start with the sommelier. 

We had communication issues early on, but we got everything straightened out in the end. The decor and tableware are good quality, but both are starting to age and could use updating. And finally the food. The food was out of this world. What Maguy and Chef Ripert are doing here is something special. Put it on the list the next time you visit the city. With their amazing ingredients and fabulous sauces, Le Bernadin is my favorite 3 star in New York.