Let me clarify: I am not saying that the French Laundry is number two to the New York restaurant; I am simply saying that though the French Laundry is a gastronomical adventure—and a fabulous one at that—it is impossible to make it one’s everyday eatery. However, that isn't the case with , a truly cosmopolitan restaurant where one can eat every day…providing he or she can afford it, of course.
It was back in 1986 that the adventure began, when brother and sister Gilbert and Maguy Le Coze decided to open a Manhattan clone of their two-star restaurant in Paris. Shortly thereafter, Le Bernadin opened in the Equitable Building, located on 51st Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. The overwhelming success of their American enterprise confronted them with a choice, and the New York location prevailed over the original Parisian location.
Le Bernadin was truly a French Revolution in New York, as Gilbert Le Coze, a self-taught chef, continually distanced himself from the tradition of French restaurants in America. Le Coze was among the first chefs to use American products alongside French. Bouillons and emulsions replaced sauces, and Le Bernadin was probably the first non-Japanese restaurant in America to serve raw fish. In 1991, the young French chef Eric Ripert, more traditionally trained than Gilbert Le Coze, left the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, to become the number two chef at Le Bernardin. Then, after the tragic death of Gilbert Le Coze in 1994, Ripert took over at the helm of the kitchen.
Ever since, Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert have worked diligently to keep Le Bernadin the best restaurant in New York. In the first edition of the New York Michelin Guide, released in 2006, Le Bernadin was one of three Manhattan restaurants to receive three stars. But not all Michelin-starred restaurants are rewarded equally: Thomas Keller, from his kitchen at the French Laundry, can keep an eye on his kitchen at Per Se through a webcam and wall-mounted flat screen TV. Jean Georges has been spotted several times over the years at his eponym restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, with his eyes on only one restaurant. Eric Ripert is just short of seven days a week in the kitchen of Le Bernadin the restaurant, as it is closed on Sundays.
My last meal at Le Bernadin began badly; one of my guests, batting her lashes at me, said she would simply love to try the chef’s tasting menu. Which meant the four of us would also have to order the tasting menu. Personally, I do not like tasting menus—too many different tastes in one meal for my palate. I dryly added, “with wine pairing,” because I was getting moody and did not want to hear about one of my dinner companions loving Riesling or an even sweeter wine.
Dining Room of Le Bernardin
The sake was perfect paired with the Salmon Caviar with Smoked Salmon Carpaccio. It was followed by seared Japanese blue fin tuna, farm-raised but excellent—farm-raised because Eric Ripert has banned all endangered fish species from his menus, such as Chilean sea bass, sturgeon, or blue fin tuna.
The Sautéed Calamari with Sweet Prawns I personally could have skipped, although the 2007 Chablis served with it was perfect. The four of us praised the Baked Lobster with Sauce Gribiche. I should not have mentioned that Sauce Gribiche was usually served with Tete de Veau because the lashes stopped batting to give way to a disgusted look: ”How can anybody eat head of veal?”
I was dragging by now and did not especially like the poached White Tuna with red wine Bearnaise, as served with Nuits Saint Georges. And why not Beaujolais with Dover sole?! All fans of From Russia with Love know what I mean. The crispy Black Bass was sensational.
After the Roasted Fig; Goat Cheese Parfait; Hazelnut, Red Wine Caramel, and Bacon Ice Cream—perfectly paired with a Beaume de Venise—we all passed on the Chocolate Olive Oil. Oh, the joys and the vicissitudes of tasting menus…
Cuisine from Le Bernardin
An almost perfect meal with perfect service; and Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert know how to run a tight ship. Le Bernadin can serve up to ninety guests at a time, with forty people in the kitchen and twice as many in the teak-paneled restaurant room. Since our visit last fall, prices for the tasting menu only went up by $5 to $185 per person and $325 with wine pairing. And the sommelier is quite generous. Le Bernadin is truly a three-star destination.
By the way, for those allergic to seafood—just as there are those allergic to tasting menus—the Roasted Rack of Lamb and the Pan-Roasted Squab (a la carte) are sensational.
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