One Final Fancy Meal: Le Bernardin 2023
During my hectic final days in New York as I prepared to pack up everything and move it on over to Columbus I made a reservation at Le Bernardin in the hopes that I’d have everything well enough in order to take an evening off to send myself off with a final Big Fancy New York City Dinner. In a blizzard of days I packed hard and ironed out logistics and found myself with the room to indulge myself with a final foray into tip top Manhattan fine dining.
Why did I choose Le Bernardin for my send off meal? Easy answer: It’s one of the four Three Michelin Star restaurants in New York—Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Masa and itself. I’d eaten at Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, so why not keep chipping away at the list? As a dinner at Masa starts at $950 a person before tax or tip, Le Bernardin seemed like the more sensible choice. Though I would like to eat at Masa someday, even if I can’t make it there before it starts charging $1500.
My impression of Le Bernardin heading into the dinner was: It’s the “IYKYK” of the fanciest New York restaurants, the one that’s actually got the most delicious food. Not as buzzy as any of its peers, it’s just been getting the job done in Midtown for decades now. I had also heard that David Letterman would have lunch delivered from there every day while he had his show. He even kept his own Le Bernardin place settings so everything would be just right and they didn’t have to bring plates over with every meal. That seems a pretty awesome endorsement.
So on a sweaty Wednesday night, three days out from my permanent New York City departure, I dressed myself up a bit and head down to Le Bernardin all solo. I arrived, told them my name, and was seated immediately. The restaurant was ready to get down to business and presented me with a menu immediately. The only choice I had was between the Chef’s Tasting and the shorter “Dinner.” I hemmed and hawed over this a lot, mainly because there were a thing or two I wanted to try on the “Dinner” that weren’t on the Chef’s Tasting. But I searched my heart and knew I was there to go big while I could still go home. So Chef’s Tasting it was for me (but only now do I consider that perhaps I could have requested additional dishes? Oh well. Only thought of that a year later.)
Thyme Spritz
I got upsold into a mocktail! I was celebrating, going a little crazy. Took my time with this thing. Thymey and gingery, if I remember right.
Amuse Buches
These weren’t on the menu so, uh oh, who knows what they were? An oyster thing, a raw fish thing, a little salmon thing. Tasty kick offs.
Taragai—Thinly Sliced Targai; Saffron Gelee, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
So this Japanese giant clam, served in its own shell topped with a saffron gelee and olive oil was actually my least favorite thing I’ve eaten at a fine dining establishment. The clam was very firm and, well, unpleasant to chew. It gave me a very “we are not off to a great start here” feeling. Oh well.
Scallop-Caviar—Warm Scallop “Tartare”; Osetra Caviar, Sauce Mariniere
But this got us right back on track, the raw scallop, the salty caviar, the sauce. Oh the sauce! Le Bernardin could be just a sauce restaurant and I’d go like crazy. Like they keep bringing out the sauces and you’ve got bread to just wipe it up with?
Bread
Which, come to think of it, is almost what the restaurant already is because one of the most noteworthy things about my experience there was the bread service—servers are coming around CONSTANTLY between courses offering you bread. I ate SO much more bread than is seen here. This photo is just a representation of the variety they offered.
Lobster—Warm Lobster “Carpaccio”; Squash-Herb Salad, Thai Curry-Lemongrass Bouillion
I love it when they (restaurants) serve me lobster! And in such a lovely little thai broth (sauce).
Langoustine—Sauteed Langoustine; Petite Mache Salad, Wild Mushroom Truffled Mousseline, Aged Balsamic Vinairgrette
And I love it wehn they serve me that other shellfish that’s a lot like a lobster! And in a decadent foamy little mushroom sauce. That’s my kind of food.
Fluke—Pan Seared Fluke; Twice Baked Mini Potatoes, Urchin-Boullabaisse Emulsion
In consulting the menu ahead of time (it’s true! We consulted the menu ahead of time) the “Twice Baked Mini Potatoes” caught eyes and questions came up as to what these would be. And, well, as you can see here at 11 o’clock: It was a very mini twice baked potatoes! And tasty! This was like the most “normal” thing I was served.
Halibut—Steamed Halibut, Truffled Sunchoke Puree, Baby Root Vegetables, Sauce Bourguignonne
Steamed white fish? Silky but, eh, not a thing that’s going to blow my mind. BUT the bourguignonne sauce? Yeah, that’s something that’s going to blow my mind! And love those little bitty baby root vegetables.
Bathroom
Just like Eleven Madison Park, the bathroom was a looooong walk from the dining room.
Cherry—Preserved Sour Cherries, Chartreuse-Buttermilk Sorbet
I think counting the palate cleanser as a course is baloney. But that dark chocolate leaf was yummy.
How often do serious food writers use the word “yummy”?
Citrus “Madeleine”—Vanilla Genoise Sponge, Lemon Mousseline, Summer Berries
Ok, if you’ve been reading closely up go here you may have found my reactions to the food so far to be a bit pleased yet measured. HOWEVER, let me just tell you these Le Bernardin desserts were AWESOME. (How often do serious food writers use all caps?). This tricky dessert it looks like a madeleine perched upon fruit and such but it turns out it’s a madeleine-shaped citrus shell around a delicious spongy cake. This was a very “oh heck yeah” plate for me, and then…
Surprise Bonus Chocolate Cupcake
Liz had called the restaurant ahead of my visit to tell them I was celebrating a milestone that night so they blessed me with a bonus dessert course, an absolutely bonkers chocolate-filled chocolate cupcake. Coming from a Hostess Cupcake household, I’m a lover of a stuffed cupcake and as an enjoyer of tunnel of fudge bundt cakes I’m an extra enjoyer of a chocolate filling so this little treat was a TREAT. Wow.
Petit Fours
Yummy little guys, perfect for signing a check to. And fun that there were four of them.
The big difference for me between Le Bernardin and the other Three Star restaurants I have been to (Per Se, Alinea, Eleven Madison Park) is that Le Bernardin was like a place that gave me a very nice dinner and a very looked after experience while those other places lean more heavily into the experience as well as the very nice dinner part. Le Bernardin is shooting to give you a great dinner, the other places want to leave you with a night you’ll never forget. And the feel in the room among the customers matches—a Per Se, Alinea, Eleven Madison Park you’re going to see wide eyed diners who are very “Can you believe it? We’re finally here!” oohing over each course, delighting in conversations with the staff and tickled when the manager comes over to check on them. They’re thrilled to be invited to see the kitchen! At Le Bernardin I saw a lot of people eating. I didn’t see anyone shining. There was a table full of summer associates eating nearby. I was not the only solo diner. No one sat up straight when chef Eric Ripert walked through the room and he didn’t pose for photos with anyone, either. Everyone was just having a very civilized, very well taken care of time. No bells and whistles or flair, fanfare, or fawning. And I don’t think either experience is necessarily better than the other. It’s fun to be with a friend or friends going “oooh, what’s going to be next? Can you believe this place?” but it’s also fun to be with a friend or friends (or alone) going “Wow! Nice fish. What a cupcake!”
I’ve got to add that certainly eating alone took some of the shine off the experience, one is definitely missing out on something when they can’t bounce the dinner off of someone seated across from them. I’ve eaten alone a lot at all sorts of restaurants and it’s something I don’t mind doing but fine dining alone turns out to be just about the edge of what I’m willing to do.
And I’d also like to add that, amongst the 3 Stars I’ve listed, Le Bernardin is the one I’d call an institution. While they’ve all been around for a bit now, Le Bernardin is the only one in the greater than or equal to 30 years club. It’s dining room is nice, but the least Wow of the bunch, in fact, you’ll find articles calling it dated. Inspect the plates and silverware and you’ll see marks and scratches, this lovely stuff has been in use for a while. That’s ok. The message is clear: We’ve been around for a while and we’re not going anywhere. Now let us take care of you.
All this said, of all the 3 Stars I’ve been to, Le Bernardin is the one I’d most like to return to. I’d like to eat at their bar, order their famous tuna and fois gras dish that wasn’t on the chef’s tasting and see what desserts they might be willing to serve me. Tuna, dessert, and a lot of bread. I would like to do that sometime.
