In celebration of my dining partner’s cancer remission, we dined at Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin, the continually honored restaurant. Pete Wells (New York Times) again gave Le Bernardin their coveted 4-star review, previously bestowed on the restaurant by past Times reviewers.

The Midtown Manhattan seafood restaurant has held that New York Times rating since it opened in 1986 when Bryan Miller gave the restaurant four stars, Ruch Reichl in 1995, Frank Bruni in 2005 and Pete Wells previously in 2012.

We indulged in the 4-course Prix fixe menu for $198 and shared a white burgundy from a woman winemaker recommended by the Sommelier. We started with three tiny cups of heaven — their amuse bouche — fluke tartar with smoked roe, Maine poached lobster with a coconut emulsion and carrot ginger soup with miso foam.

 


The bread man stopped by, offering six varieties of freshly baked bread. My dining partner chose two. Glutton that I am, I asked for one of each. — enjoying the different textures and ingredients in each.

For our first course, my dining partner started with thinly pounded layers of yellowfin tune over fois gras on a toasted baguette sprinkled with chives. I tried one bite. Ethereal. Orgasmic. A must-try dish. My charred octopus with smoked salsify mousseline sat in a delicate sauce verge.

The sautéed langoustine came with a salad and a wild mushroom truffled mousseline topped with julienned black truffles. The Peekytoe and Dungeness crab salad is topped with a crispy fennel pollen tuile.

We both indulged in the poached lobster tail with a patty made from fois gras and mushrooms for our final course. I wanted more.

Desserts were as heavenly. We had the sticky toffee pudding topped with coffee ice cream and another tuile with a vanilla citrus creme. Warm dark Peruvian chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream.

The food and service at Le Bernardin are exquisite, as you’d imagine it had to be, keeping its four stars since 1986.
A must-try!

Le Bernardin
Midtown West
155 W 51st St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 554-1515