Today, some friends and I had an incredible experience at one of the most revered restaurants in New York - Le Bernardin. This restaurant was originally named after an order of monks devoted to good food and wine. The owner, Maguy Le Coze, was born in a small fishing village in France and her grandfather was a fisherman. We went to Le Bernardin to finish celebrating a special occasion - we started over the week-end - and the fact that we were all together in New York. One may celebrate in a beach with sandwiches and a bottle of wine but the experience at Le Bernardin took the art of cooking to a new level. This is a restaurant that has received countless industry awards and a high degree of recognition from its very happy customers for several years.
It was an extremely relaxing lunch, the ambiance was subdued, the service staff was excellent and understated. The calm and quiet environment allowed us to talk, drink and eat at leisure. There were beautiful 19th and 20th Century paintings on the walls, including a large painting of a port in the Normandy coastline in the front dining room (see photo). The themes of all the paintings were mostly of ports, fish, fish dishes, and fishermen...There was a lot of dark caramel wood on the walls and ceilings throughout the restaurant and beautiful and large flower arrangements. I believe some of the flower arrangements included cherry blossoms. The decor was very tasteful and warm.
I have been to some of the best restaurants in New York. Daniel, Jean Georges, Bouley, Nobu, and now Le Bernardin. They are all very different and all very good. It's hard to say which one is the better restaurant as Le Bernardin is a seafood restaurant and the other four restaurants offer a broader selection of dishes. I started lunch with a very light, thinly pounded, Tuna appetizer (amazing!) followed by Hiramasa, a delicate white fish with a black truffle emulsion and risotto which was a very subtle and delicious dish. I tasted all my friends' dishes and they were all unbelievably great. We had champagne and then a light white Burgundy, Vaillons Thierry Laffay which was a perfect pairing for all our incredible seafood dishes. I had been having visions of a bouillabaisse all morning before lunch but that is not in the menu right now. Dessert was chocolate with chicory ice cream. Everything was perfectly seasoned. It was very simple yet complex food. Aside from the exquisite food, what impressed me about Le Bernardin was the service. It was impeccable and unobtrusive, the mark of excellent service. I also liked that the portions were reasonable. I usually find that at most New York restaurants, the portions are unnecessarily large.
Eric Rippert, Le Bernardin's renowned chef and part-owner, walked around the restaurant two or three times, greeting some of the guests he knew. He looked focused and relaxed at the same time. After all, this is his home turf. He's been doing what he does consistently very well for years now.
At least a couple of members of my family are serious gourmets. There is more than a commitment to good food and wine, there is also a commitment to support local and sustainable ingredients and wherever possible, organic food. One of these family gourmets was at lunch today and he relished every second, taking in every aspect of what was a wonderful and memorable experience. He was beaming which made me very happy.
Thanks to my friends and family for a truly amazing experience! And, of course, to Chef Rippert and his team!
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