Chef Eric Ripert – Friday 11/2/07 – 10:15pm
We arrived 15 minutes early anticipating a drink before being seated. We were welcomed with both doors swinging open as we walked in, and an offer to have my coat taken right away.
They couldn’t accommodate a table but did offer us a seat while waiting. By the time we settled down and were offered some cheese breadsticks to tide us over, we were already being escorted to our table.
The room was a lovely backdrop of white lined clothed tables with persimmon colored leather chairs and a very high ceiling. We were seated towards the back nestled in cozily between guests (my only complaint of the night and of the restaurant: for such an elegant service where everything was taken into much consideration from which side to poor one’s water into the glass, our table was close enough to other areas that our chairs were constantly being knocked). For such a late reservation, I was surprised by how full the room was.
Once seated, someone promptly took our drinks order. I’ve become a champagne cocktail starter drinker – I am hooked.
A small appetizer came our way quickly – compliments of the chef: octopus salad. I thought it very considerate the server actually asked if we were ok with octopus. Safe to say – if you don’t like seafood, don’t go to Le Bernadin. And even if you like fish, unless you like all things from the sea, I would suggest you spend your money elsewhere.
The menu is a prix fixe for about $107 so we decided to splurge with the Executive Chef’s Tasting Menu at $180.00. (Wine pairing would be it up to $320.) There is also a Le Bernadin tasting for about $120 (can’t remember exact price) but we decided to see what Chef Ripert would consider “his” menu.
We had fluke, langoustine, wild salmon, turbot… Sadly, I didn’t write down what we were having after every piece, so I can’t recall each ingredient or flavor. But suffice it to say we ate every bite of every dish that was set before us.
And for dessert: butternut squash soup with cinnamon beignets and then the chocolate pot de crème.
Every bite of fish was so fresh and succulent. The one surprising element was a slight Japanese bent on the flavoring to the dishes. There was yuzu, miso and wasabi flavoring. One of the most interesting and pleasantly surprising was a sweet corn soup to “dress” the langoustine – it was like getting a mouthful of corn without eating any kernels.
The service was incredibly formal yet friendly. Everyone was efficient and explained everything with a smile. Dishes were brought out and cleared quickly. The wines were very pricey – I never had a $34 single glass before, but it did come from a sommelier’s suggestion, and was a very nice pinot noir. I also learned you can have some kinds of reds with fish, so I guess I did get something out of that $34. Ha. The final bill took a while, but we weren’t sure if it was their way of not trying to rush us out, especially since the dining room was emptying out, yet we were far from being the last couple in there.
The only major Con in this: for all its formality, the one distraction was that all the servers kept hitting the backs of our chairs. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the servers, but with as much care as they put into every detail, you would think they could move the tables apart far enough so the servers can glide effortlessly from table to table, versus knocking us each and every time.
This is definitely worth trying, and because of the prices and vibe, maybe save it for a special occasion. I don’t think our pocketbooks can handle this being a regular joint for us. (Not that you could ever call it a joint.)
It was definitely a worthwhile experience.
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