Le Bernardin

[Stone]

Shaw -- Did Millson ever take you to LeB? I went once with him and a team -- we called ahead to see if they would let me in with jeans and a sport coat -- they would. Millson said, "make sure they know how ugly you are" (I had just shaved my goatee, to his dismay), and he still insisted that I wait outside until he reached the table (upstairs in the private room). He was, of course, wonderfully loose with the money, and the meal was exellent. I can't remember it though because, as usual, I drank too much.

I always thought that lunch at LeB was the best part of working for a large NY law firm. It's where I first had and learned to love skate. Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay for mayself.

[chopjwu12]

Ok here we go. Veronica and i were joined by a third party at a dinner at le bernardin last night and here is how our experience was.

We had early reservations at 5:45 because veronica had to get up early for work. the three of us walked in and were greeted very nicely. I was impressed by the room. I thought the tables were well spaced and in our opinion the room was business like but very comfortable. We were a bit intimidated at first but i think the room helped us relax a bit. So we recieved our menu along with the wine list and after a caonversation between the three of us we all decided taht we wanted to go big and get the chefs tasting menu. We are all a fan of tasting menus for our first visits at restaurants.

It all statrted kind of wierdbecause i think they jumped the gun a bit or maybe thats how they do it there but we were presented with an amuse while still looking at our menus. They didn't know what we were gettign yet but our food was allready on the table. i thought that was kind of strange. But any way we ordered and dug into a very nicely presented curry crab napolian. Im not sure what the tuille part of the dish was made of but it was very crispy and a great texture to go along with the well made crab sallad. A early but very good start to our meal.

On a side note note we got wine pairing with each course but i dont remember them all that well. I forgot my notebook.

Our second amuse was fried calamari with a remoulade sauce. I thought it kind of strange taht we were at le bernardin and eating fried calamari. But i have no complaints because it was cooked perfectly and the remoulade was one of the better ones that i have ever tasted. A very good amuse

Our next course was the tuna and hamachi with a miso and yuzu vinaigrette. This was probably my favorite course of the evening. The yellow fin and yellow tail were great served in a patchwork presentation. the miso vinaigrette was excellent. And it had chives sprinkled all over it. it was also served with white toast. Everyone thought this dish was great.

Our next course was the croque monsieur. This was veronicas favorite course and my second. Basically its a mini sandwich made from brioche toast, iranian sevruga i beleive, Scotish smaoked salmon, and gruyere cheese. I am not a salmon fan and i dont particulary like smoked salmom but i loved this dish. It was presented very simply and at the top of the plate were one small square of each cucumber, tomato, and apple. With a little baby watercress. Like i said the dish was very very good and everyone liked it.

Our next course was shrimp ravioli. I had some dissapointments with this dish. The dish was argentinean shrimp with black trumpets and a foie and truffle sauce. Veronica felt the shrimp were a little over and tough. I didnt really disagree but i didnt mind it all that much. We both agreed that the sauce that was served needed help and alot of it. basically there shooting for a rossini(sp) sauce which is a demi based sauce thats mounted with foie butter and truffles. Well i dont expect fresh truffles to be used in this sauce because for the amount of truffles that were on my plate the bill would have been even higher. I do expect to taste the foie and truffle in my sauce none of which we did. The truffles were canned wich again i expect but do to the fact that most canned truffles taste like shit i would expect truffle oile to be mounted in there for that flavor boost. The foie flavor was totally nonexistent. A simple foie butter can be made and used to finish the sauce with the truffle oil and the dish would have been taken up a whole other level. I used to make this same sauce in washington for a salmon dish and it was alot better. So i was fairly dissapointed by this dish. It wasn't a huge bomb but it was ok. It was my least favorite course.

Our next course was a steamed halibut in an orange ginger dashi broth. It had maitake and oyster mushrooms on top. It was all drizzled with a soy sherry vinaigrette. The broth had a smokey quality to it and i later found out it was also made with smoked tuna. The dashi broth was very very good and very well made. I did feel however that the halibut was a little overcooked and dry. I guess they try to make up for it with the dashi broth but a dry fish is a dry fish no mater what. So the fish was ok but the dashi broth was excellent.

Our next course was the surf and turf. Seared monkfish and braised oxtail stuffed in cabbage and served with a silky mashed potato. This dish was great. The monkfish was cooked perfectly and the cabbage was tender enough and the oxtail was flavorfull. the mashed were very good and the redwine sauce was great. I did get a bone in my oxtail though. But i understand how easy taht can happen so easily forgiven.

There was no predessert which i thought was kind of wierd. Most places give one and i was dissapointed i didn't get one. MAybe they dont do it or maybe they forgot. Anybody know?

The dessert was a yuzu lemon tart and ginger parfait topped with thin caramel tuile. I thought it was wierd to see yuzu on the menu again this time as a main ingredient not as a side peice. I wouldn't expect an ingredient to repeat but its ok if it does i just thought it wouldn't. This dessert had alot of potential to me but fell short when i tasted it. If yuzu is the main ingredient as advertised then that waht i want to taste and the other flavors should be supporting actors. the ginger smacked you in the face with its pungentness and spicyness. I wouldn't say it was to much for a dessert advertised for its ginger but as a yuzu dessert it fell short. The sauce tasted like yuzu and that helped but i wanted to taste it more in the dessert. so although good a bit dissapointing on that aspect. We also recieved a very good chocolate tart. Very well made rich but not heavy. It was great.

On a couple of side notes:

Service was very good in the beggining and kind of slacked of towards the end. I think they may have been a little busier then they expected so our service kind of suffered. Take for instance our last two wine courses were kind of delayed. Our last one especially we didn't get our wine untill have our dessert was eaten. The glasses should have been put down before we even got the desserts. The other thing was we werent offered cheese and we had the chefs tastign menu. I was shocked and i would have gotten cheese. But i wasn't about to ask for it. If you dont want my money so be it. I dont want to put the service down to much though. Besides for that it was excellent some of the best service ive ever had. So please dont get the wrong idea.

Another thing was chef eric game into the dining room from the kicthen. We were the only table in house and i was sure he would come say hi since we were the only table and we were all cooks. I would have expected that but he didn't. I was a little surprised but whatever you cant expect everythign. But if i were a chef and i saw a only table in the dining room i would hae taken two minutes to say hi.

My last thing i will say is about the price. Your paying 130 bucks for the chefs tasting menu. I inderstand its le bernarden and your payign for that. I did think it was a bit over priced. The items on the menu aren't expensive. Shrimp, tuna. halibut, monk fish, oxtail aren't breakign anyones bank thats for sure. So for the food you get i dont think the chefs tasting is worth it. I understand your paying for service and labor and all that but i still dont think its a 130 dollar menu. But maybe thats just me.

All and all i would liek to finish up on a posative note. My overall experience was very good. It had some flaws and maybe i dwell on them to much. But hey thats me. I really did enjoy me experience there and wouldn't hesitate to go back as soon as my wallet comes back to life. I wouldn't do the tasting menu again i think it would eb more of an a la carte place for my ext experince. I wouldn't give it 4 stars as a reviewer i would have given it 3 but then again i am just a simple cook.

[macrosan]

That's a terrific review, full of detail, and with sufficient comment to make it interesting and thought-provoking while maintaining what certainly sounds like a reasonable and fair position.

My only visit to Le Bernardin was very enjoyable. I found all the food excellent, and I loved the room. I must say I found the service a bit on the starchy side for my own preference, but very correct. I'l be interested to hear others' views on your notes about those few service failures.

I agree with your assessment of the price. I didn't have the tasting menu, but I remember thinking the place was expensive -- not unacceptably, but my overall reaction was not that I had got really good value.

Thanks again for that review, Chop. Good material there

[Suzanne F]

Yes, thanks for a great review. I haven't been there is a few years, so it's nice to know what they're up to. Do you happen to know if the monkfish was cooked on slate?

Just a note: I did my externship there in 1996, and to this day I have trouble eating anybody else's fried calamari. I must have cleaned and diced thousands of those guys. The key is simple freshness: calamari comes in in the morning, gets cleaned; at night, a dip in milk, a dip in flour, into the clean fryer, and out onto the plate. Nothing fancy, just fresh.

[chopjwu12]

You know what they say fresh is best! People try to get to crazy with things like calamari instead of letting the ingredient be itself sometimes. Dont get me wrong of love both craziness and simplicity. But sometimes its good to let an ingredient be itself. As far as the monkfish is concerned it seemed to me that the monkfish was seared in pan but i could be wrong. Nothing was mentioned about it and i have never experieneced a fish being seared on slate to be able to tell the difference. A little more detail on the slate thing would be apreciated.

Suzanne, macrosan thanks for the compliments it sound slike i came across the way i wanted to in this post.

[ngatti]

Nicely deetailed review Dave. keep it up.

re the price. Just from my recent experiences, it seems that if the 130 dollars included the wine pairings, then the price is about par. I'm also surprised that there was no cheese course, but some people are funny about offering cheese with fish. Who knows? [shrug]

Nick

[chopjwu12]

My friend nick i would agree that at 130 dollars and wine was included i wouldn't have a problem. However the 130 dollars was for the food alone.

They had a cheese cart and everything just never offered.

[ngatti]

However the 130 dollars was for the food alone.

Whoa!

Sheesh, and you had wine also!! I would've comped ya the damn cheese.

Nick

[coquille]

Is it true you can still get the exact same menu is served at lunch as at dinner, but for a heckuva lot less $?

[Bux]

Is it true you can still get the exact same menu is served at lunch as at dinner, but for a heckuva lot less $?

There is, or was, a lunch menu that I thought was an exceptionally good buy, but I don't recall it as offering the ultimate le Bernardin experience. It was not a tasting menu and I seem to recall that choices were limited. Nonetheless it was a good value and an excellent introduction to the food as well as a chance to sample it again without reaching deepling into your wallet.

[Michael Laiskonis]

I've been hearing more and more hit-or-miss stories with Le Bernardin lately...

If memory serves, my one and only lunch there in '98 was a $50 or so prix fixe with choices, from the entire regular menu, of first course, main, and dessert. I thought it was a decent value.

I must say that the most memorable dish I've ever eaten, in my short but rich dining career, came from that lunch at Le B:

Skate Sautéed in Goose Fat, Porcini Mushrooms, Confit of Fennel, with a Squab Jus

I recently confessed to Eric the significance of that dish for me, and it was nice to see his eyes light up a bit... obviously a favorite of his, too.

Isn't the Ripert/Ruhlman book due out soon?

Chop, your experience with the late wine is a huge peeve of mine! At recent meal in NYC (tasting menu, "beverage" pairing) at least half of the pours came several bites into the respective course. Annoying, at best!

[chopjwu12]

i know isn't that annoying your not sure if you should wait or eat. I thought maybe we weren't getting a wine with our dessert but sure enough it finally came.

Where might i ask did you see chef eric?

[Michael Laiskonis]

We hosted a group of New York chefs earlier this year at our restaurant for a September 11th related benefit. Ripert was among them... Super nice guy, which is why hearing of others' disappointing experience is especially sad...

[harold]

It is unfortunate that you feel this way about your expirience at le bernardin. but remember there is alot of pressure working in a four star restaurant. a buss boy that may be new can easily fire your amuse to early. or a new or tireded cook can easily over cook halibut one of the most easily over cooked fish. if you were truley dissapointed with the quality of your expirence at the restaurant, may I suggest writing them a letter. I'm sure they would appreciate it.

[chopjwu12]

Harold

I dont want to say i was truly dissapointed in the restaurant because for the most part the food was good. A couple small misses in some dishes but the dishes themselves weren't nasty or anything. Trust me i know all about the preasure of working in a restaurant so i dont hold that as an excuse. If you cant take the preasure theres the doork!!!!!!!

But really i enjoyed mt meal i just didn't think it was worth the price.

[awbrig]

Here it is:

Sunday August 20, 2000

13th Anniversary w Charlie Trotter and Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin

Canapes

-Champagne 1er Cru Aubrey de Humbert Brut 1990

Le Bernardin - Smoked Salmon & Caviar Croque Monsieur & Baby Watercress Salad

-Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett Biffar, Pfalz 1998

Trotter's - Chilled Heirloom Tomato & Shellfish Soup w Curried Artichoke

-Kammmerner Heilgenstein Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben Hirsch, Kamptal 1997

Le Bernardin - Seared- Rare Yellow Tail, Arugula & Basil Tapenade Pasta Salad. Aged Parmesan & Pinenut Sauce Vierge

-Ruster Grauburgunder Heidi Schrock, Neusuedlersee 1998

Trotter's - Slow-Roasted Salmon w Pigs Feet, Chanterelle Mushrooms & leek Confit w Cumin-Infused Mushroom Puree & meat Juices

-Chateauneuf-du-Pape "La Truffiere" Comaine Saint Benoit 1997

Le Bernardin - Steamed Striped Bass w Sauteed White Grapes, Truffles, Tarragon & Verjus-Red Wine Sauce

Trotter's - Casco Bay Monkfish Tail w Organic Veal Shank, Red-Wine Braised Endive & Foie Gras Emulsion

-Gallo "Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma 1996

Trotter's - Fig & Apricot Terrine w Carmel Goat Cheese Ice Cream & Thyme

-Kaesler Kehrnagel Riesling Auslese Patheiger, Mosel 1998

Le Bernardin - Warm Chocolate tarte w Melting Whipped Cream & Dark Chocolate Sauce

Mignardises

[cabrales]

We took the $84 prix fixe which offered three courses and dessert or cheese.  The first courses listed were generally light, cold fish dishes (several came with caviar and hefty supplements), and the following courses were progessively more substantial.

Wilfrid -- The restaurant appears to have added a pre-dessert course, relative to the indicative menu below (which has two types of apps, but not two courses of pre-main-course items).

http://www.le-bernardin.com/menu_dinner.html

It's been a while since I last visited. Do you remember whether there were decent 1/2 bottles?

Edited January 17, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[cabrales]

I had a good-plus meal at Le Bernardin recently. One dish (the uni and caviar composition) was very good; certain others were less good. If the uni and caviar composition were removed from the equation, I would only have rated the meal good. Note I continue to favor taking in fish dishes at Blue Hill over LeB.

The meal began with a glass of Laurent Perrer Rose ($18). (Taittinger Comtes de Champagne was also available by the glass.) Nibbles taken at the bar, waiting for my table (9:30 reservation), were (a) "twisted" cheese straws and (b) salmon rillettes (more like diced salmon) with little bread slices.

Chef's Tasting Menu ($130/person; $225 with wine pairings)

The meal began with an amuse of Maine shrimp, with a garlic and tomato foam. The shrimp was presented with its head intacdt, and was passable. I have long believed that amuses is an area in which LeB could make improvement.

(1) TUNA-HAMACHI

Patchwork of Tuna and Hamachi Sashimi Lightly Brushed with Yuzu Vinaigrette, with Riesling Domaine Paul Blanck 2001

Little rectangles of slices of salmon and yellowtail were presented side-by-side to form the patchwork. There was only one row of these rectangles. The yuzu saucing was in a thickish layer on top of the raw salmon and yellowtail, and included little onion dices (for crunchiness), a bit of lemon jus and chives. The acidity of the yuzu was suppressed by connotations of ginger (?). Overall, this dish was not impressive because the taste of salmon with the yuzu saucing was not harmonious with that of yellowtail with the same saucing. The sum was less than parts of this dish. The Riesling was average.

(2) CAVIAR-SEA URCHIN

Warm Sea Urchin and Iranian Osetra Caviar Nestled in Sea Urchin Linguine, with Chassagne-Montrachet Ramonet 2000

A very good dish. The linguini-like pasta was nicely curled in a little heap, and cooked to be softened to more than al dente (appropriate for this dish, so the pasta does not dominate). Nice sentiments of the seat from the osetra and the sea urchin. Also, nice display of the saltiness of the osetra against the buttery sensations of the pasta. The pasta was a bit coated with a butter with sea urchin sensations (different from the whole pieces on top of the pasta). Appealing pairing with Chassagne-Montrachet -- I like Ramonet, but here the 2000 vintage could perhaps wait a bit.

(This dish has a $50 supplement when taken as part of the regular prix fixe menu, whose base price is $84)

(3) SALMON

Barely cooked Salmon on a Bed of Red Wine Braised Leeks; Black Truffle "Butter Vinaigrette", with Kistler "Les Noisetiers" (Chardonnay) 2999

The salmon had been slowly poached in bouillon, and lacked the luciousness of poaching in goose fat or olive oil. The bouillon for the cooking of the salmon apparently included dashi, seaweed infusion, smoked tuna, shitake and maitake mushrooms and scallion (?). The saucing did not add the necessary sensations of slinkiness. The dish was still appropriate, and the sweetness of the leeks helped slightly.

(4) HALIBUT

Steamed Halibut in an Orange-Ginger Scented Dashi Broth; Maitake and Oyster Mushroom Medley, with Condrieu "Cuvee de Breze" Domaine Cheze 2000

A poor dish. The dashi was extremely salty, and the halibut itslef was only average. The wine pairing could also be readjusted.

(5) LOBSTER

Roasted Maine Lobster with Asparagus and Baby Leeks; Black Pepper- Brandy Butter Sauce, with Volnay 1er Cru "Les Taillepieds" Domaine Hubert de Montille 1997

A nice dish, although the serving size was very small (2 small "body" pieces and one small claw). An intense sauce, but nothing particularly special. A nice example of the pairing of a red wine with seafood.

(6) YUZU

Yuzu Lemon Tart and Ginger Parfait topped with a Thin Caramel Tuile, with Chateau Rieussec 1996

(7) Comp'd second dessert of chocolate -- Not meaningfully sampled.

Wine pours were on the meager side. Portion size for dishes was also small. With the champagne, bottled water and coffee, $278 after tax and before tips.

Service was very good. Not unexpectedly, a number of dining room team members spoke French.

[scamhi]

Nice sentiments of the seat from the osetra and the sea urchin.

I like my seafood to taste of the sea.

How do you remember all of the details?

Do you make notes while dining?

[alicia]

Am headed to NYC in a couple of weeks, and will be celebrating an anniversary at Le Bernardin one evening. I have no idea what would be considered acceptable attire for a woman there. I have lived "out west", where relatively casual clothes reign, for so long, that I only own one "nice" dress, and it's sleeveless, so it isn't going to do me much good in NYC in January. Khakis and "business casual" clothing is generally acceptable at even the best restaurants out here, and bright colors are common.

I know this isn't exactly a food question, but I want to be able to concentrate on the food while at Le Bernardin, and not spend the entire meal feeling (and possibly being treated) like some poor tourist slob who doesn't know enough to even dress appropriately. I'd much rather just blend in.

And does my husband really need to wear a tie??? After reading a couple of other threads here, I'm afraid that if we aren't careful about how we dress, we might get hissed right out of the restaurant!!!

Any help would be much appreciated!!

[adegiulio]

As a man, I wouldn't wear anything less than jacket and tie. For you, I would not suggest wearing khakis and a sweater, nor business casual. Some people will tell you to wear what you want, and its about the food, not what you wear. I think thats bull. Dress up. If you worry about being perceived as a tourist, being underdressed will definately allow you to stand out...

As for the food and service, it is absolutely perfect.

[bourdain]

Think black.

[Suzanne F]

Think whatever you look best in, whatever gives you that confident air. Think clean and neat, not "fashionably" distressed.

You're not there to get the other diners to like you; you're there to have a great meal. It's an occasion. Dress up comfortably (not necessarily an oxymoron).

[tanabutler]

Think black.

He's right.

And enjoy the specialness of being "forced" to dress up. I have been in California for over half my life, and I think the casual aspect is far overrated. Won't it be fun to get glammed up and be part of that whole scene in New York?

Happy anniversary, Alicia!

[Bux]

No one should tell you what to wear, although le Bernardin appears to be one of those places that expects male diners to wear a coat and tie. It's one of a handful of restaurants in NY where I would wear a tie myself. I suspect some younger fashionista could easily devise an outfit without a tie that would please the staff as much as any tie and jacket I wore. As Bourdain suggests, it would likely be all black. Black is certainly the safe color for women. My guess is that my wife would choose balck pants and a black top or a black pants suit if we were dining there. She's also been known to wear a dress, but not that often. I would strongly urge her to wear a pink or other bright top. Sometimes that suggestion is considered.

The suggestion to wear what you want is not one I'd make in answer to your post. By all means wear what makes you feel comfortable, but you've already expressed a preference to blend in and casual clothing is not going to work to that end. Neither, by the way, will some extroadinarily theatrically formal and dressy gown. While I think khakis are too casual, I might well wear corduroys with a blazer and tie should I feel like going casual.

There are fewer and fewer restaurants that require diners to wear a tie. Le Bernardin does not insist on a tie. From their web page (actually opentable.com's page for the restaurant Dress Code: Jacket Required. It's unlikely you'll be refused entry or service in khakis and sweater. Will you feel comfortable? I don't know. Even in NY, there are those who advocate less formal clothes.