Le Bernardin

Le Bernardin
The Equitable Building
155 W 51st St
New York, NY 10019

My experience at Le Bernardin was almost everything I could ask for: the meal was, for the most part, precisely executed, the service was dutiful but not doting; the sommelier's knowledge was thorough and concise. But in the realm of 3 Michelin-star restaurants, comparisons unfortunately reside in the realm of superlatives. My experience was outstanding, but not amazing. And Le Bernardin was one of the considerably better meals I've had, but not among the best.

Everyone highlights Eric Ripert as the grand architect of the Le Bernardin experience, but the dessert courses overseen by their pastry chef Michael Laiskonis were by far the highlights of my meal. These dishes were visual and cerebral, philosophically and masterfully executed in the way that I had expected of the Le Bernardin experience

I had the Le Bernardin Tasting menu with Mr. Top Line, a foodie finance friend whose zest for fine dining is only exceeded by his love of a) money and b) women. A true Tom Wolfe "Bonfire of the Vanities" character (and I say this with all due respect, because he is truly a nice guy despite the occasional outbursts of douchebaggery).

We started with a crisp Chablis, because you might as well start a special meal at a fancy French restaurant with an all-star Chardonnay from the northern part of Burgundy. The only minor trifle was the bread selections that started the meal: the Parker roll tasted old and chalky, and the olive mini-baguette had a hard, dense crust that resulted from being in service for too long.

The amuse bouche was a gorgeous tureen of slightly over-cooked rock shrimp in a mushroom-truffle foam. The foam was like breathing in the sea salt from the Atlantic Ocean from which the shrimp came, but instead of saline notes were earthy notes of mushrooms and forest floor.

Before starting on the tasting menu, Le Bernardin is my only exception to taking photos of one's food in restaurant. Perhaps it is a point of personal preference, but viewing your food through the narrow lens of a Canon Digital SLR camera seems disruptive and counterproductive to the entire dining experience. The elegance of eating at a fine dining restaurant is not just what's on the table: it's the synchronized harmony of the restaurant setting, front-of-house staff, and cooks in the kitchen working together to create a food experience that exceeds the customer's expectations. The dishes that were served for the tasting menu were so artfully stunning that if someone wanted to have a photographic keepsake of their Le Bernardin meal, I would find it difficult to fault them.

Savory courses:

Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio on Toasted Baguette and Foie Gras: Almost looking like smoked salmon, the dish looked like a sunburst on the plate. The delicate, fatty flavor of the tuna melded nicely with creamy texture of the Hudson Valley foie gras and herbaceousness of fresh chives and extra virgin olive oil.

Braised and Charred Octopus with Fermented Black Bean, Pear Sauce, Miso Vinaigrette Ink: The genius of this dish was not the preparation of the pliant, mouth-tender octopus but the marraige of slightly charred seafood with fermented black bean paste. The sweetness of the of the paste matched that of the pear sauce, while its earthiness complemented the smokiness of the octopus.

Lobster Carpaccio with Hearts of Palm and Fennel: Lobster and chardonnay seemed like such a cliche pairing, so I opted for a full-bodied Arbois from the Jura to complement the citrus and fennel to the dish. Under the definition of succulent, you would a picture of this lobster dish, with a delicate sweetness exuding from the tender, meaty morsels of crustacean. The hearts of palm and shaved fennel provided a nice contrast in texture, and the light butter sauce that was poured over the plate rounded the components of the dish nicely.

Seared Hiromasa with Truffle Risotto and Emulsion: This is why you pay to go the Le Bernardin: perfectly cooked fish, with a slight, brown sear on the outside. Mr. Top Line and I proceeded to re-enact Detective Bunk and McNulty's famous crime scene from The Wire while savoring this dish.

TL (bites into hiromasa): F**k.

JM: (breathes whiff of truffle emulsion): F**k.

TL (breathes in truffle risotto): F**king A.

JM: (plows truffle risotto in mouth): Motherf***er.

Black Bass with Mini Bean Sprouts and Chinese Sausage and Mini-Steamed Buns: This was the only dish that I didn't like. The crispy skin on the black bass was perfect, but the filet had been cooked for slightly too long. The mini bean sprouts and chinese sausage provided a nice contrast in flavor and texture, but the spongy, little mini seemed extraneous.

Dessert Courses:

Parsnip, Roasted Hazelnut, Browned Milk Solids: After considering the sheer audacity of serving a vegetable as a dessert, TL and I looked at each other reflexively and asked "What the f**k is a parsnip?" As any Chappelle Show fan will tell you, it is a root vegetable, but I have never seen this lowly vegetable as a small, caramelized, tumescent cylinder. Caramel, earthiness, nuttiness all in one dish. Phenomenal.

Milk Chocolate Ganache with "Liquid"Pear and Ginger Tuile: Pear puree was encased in a gelatinous ball over a mound of semi-sweet ganache. Upon exploding in the mouth, a wave of elderflower and sweet pear rushed over the palate. The semisweet chocolate ganache paired perfectly.