Le Bernardin

A guest review on Wine me, Dine me and a personal shout out to Patrick of L'Espalier fame, one of Le Bernardin's newest talent acquisitions.

The dining room is beautiful and understated – clean lines, lit candles, light wood. The floral arrangements set all around are seasonal and stunning. We did not have to wait a single moment for our table even though we were early. The service is cordial. No one fawns over you – they do not have to. It is a privilege to be there. The food is the star of the show, not them, and certainly not you. As long as you go into the place knowing that, you will not get offended (some people need their proverbial asses kissed at all times. We’re totally not like that.). The service was unbelievably precise. A chair was pulled away from the table the moment you wanted to use the restroom. Your plate was cleared the moment you finished your last bite. The tablecloth was crumbed, wine was poured, glasses refilled. If you needed to walk back to your table, the staff would part like the Red Sea so you could make your way through.
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The only disappointing portion of the meal (and by “disappointing” I mean “I didn’t have an orgasm when I ate it”) was dessert. Mike got a dark chocolate, caramel and peanut butter tart with praline ice cream and I got a hazelnut cream with homemade brown butter ice cream. Both were tasty but not extraordinary, but that was okay by me. By this point we were so thrilled with the food they could have given me an ice cream sandwich and I’d have been happy. We did order an after dinner drink. I had an armangnac and Mike got a cognac. That was probably a bad idea because they were expensive, but whatever, they were amazing and a perfect finish to our night of extravagance. We also got an amazing little set of petit fours at the very end of the meal which we ate with gusto despite being full. One of the main complaints about the restaurant is that the portions are too small. I say that people eat too much. The portions were perfect.

The bill was…well…it was big. Very big. Bigger than one ought to ever spend on dinner. But this wasn’t just dinner – it was an experience and one that neither of us will ever forget. We returned home broke, a little drunk, and unbelievably happy. If I were a millionaire, I’d eat there every week. As it stands, once a year will have to do. If you are ever in NYC and have some cash handy, please, go to Le Bernardin. Lunch is a bit cheaper (four courses for $68 – a steal!), so that’s a good option too. But if you love fish and you love food, you must experience Eric Ripert’s genius at least once. You won’t regret it.