Lunch at Le Bernardin features flecks of gold leaf in a sublime seafood geleé.
I live 3 hours from one of the great restaurants of the world, so there was no excuse for not trying it at least once. My Yelp friend Louise G facilitated the reservations for lunch at Le Bernardin, which must be made on the first day of the month for a date in the month following. She got a 2 pm slot on a Friday and we were on our way, though not without a few planning sessions in which we perused and discussed the online menu.
This is a restaurant with a dress code for men: gentlemen must wear a button down shirt; of course jeans and sandals are out. Before the pandemic, I understand, a sports coat was required. No such restriction for women who are assumed to be better behaved. Also, if you don’t show up for your meal there is a $150 penalty. That got my attention.
The menu for lunch at Le Bernardin rarely changes which is why we were able to plan our meals in advance. As we ate we debated whether this is a good or a bad thing. Louise felt it must be dispiriting to prepare the same dish over and over again, day in and day out. I likened it to a carpenter putting together a dovetail joint: though the process is the same each piece of wood (or seafood) has its own personality so no two results are exactly the same.
Oyster-Uni at Le Bernardin.
I started with “Oyster-Uni”. This was preceded with an unannounced smoked salmon spread with baguette toasts, and accompanied by various breads that were refreshed throughout the meal. In a masterpiece of understatement, the dish is described as “Sea Urchin-Oyster Medley; Nori Cracker Seaweed Gelée” without mentioning the gelee included flecks of gold leaf. It was formally, beautifully composed yet the taste was everything I love about seafood—seaweed, oysters, sea urchin and the fish used to make the fumé—in a single bite.
Hiramasa at Le Bernardin.
My main was “Hiramasa” which turns out to be a type of yellowtail which is popular in Japan. “Grilled Hiramasa; Roasted Maitake Bone Marrow-Red Wine Bordelaise” describes the experience. I happen to be a big fan of bone marrow and red wine served with fish; the marrow was a little skimpy (it was not anything so obvious as the usual split marrow bone, but rather a scoop of marrow mixed with the mushrooms) but overall the dish did not disappoint. I have read that Eric Ripert likes to serve a generous ladling of sauces so guests can spoon it or sop it up with bread, which is exactly what I did.
Dessert at Le Bernardin.
The dessert menu is not online but as I recall I had a “baba” soaked in whiskey infused with exotic spices and coated in a buttercream, accompanied by a scoop of an intense chocolate ice cream. There were also three perfect digestifs: a mini-macaron, a tiny raspberry biscuit and a wee chocolate tart.
The service was unobtrusive but omnipresent. I was seated facing a curtain wall, and at one point I turned my head to survey the dining room; immediately a server appeared to ask if she could help me. When ordering, Louise said she was considering two apps and the server declined to make a recommendation, but when she told him her entrée choice he volunteered that one of the apps was most frequently chosen by diners ordering that entrée. When she commented to another server that she admired the pattern of the silverware, the server said “I like it too.” In short, the servers facilitate and support the dining experience, but never guide it. Oh, and this: I was gauche enough to spill a drop of my demiglace on the white tablecloth, and a server carefully covered the spot with an unfolded white napkin and pressed it in place before serving dessert.
This menu at lunchtime was $127, which is certainly a fair price considering that the price for not eating would have been $150. The $395 evening tasting menu was also on offer, and many nearby tables were ordering it. There is also a slightly different menu at $95 with a donation to a local food kitchen. If you consider 33% to be an appropriate food cost, I expect the ingredients on my plate easily exceeded that amount and you are also paying for multiple servers and many changes of tableware. For my budget this is a very occasional treat, but if I could afford it I might eat here weekly.
Loise quoted a food writer, who I thought was contemporary but may have been Escoffier: when you enjoy your food, you say “that was a good meal”. When you have had a great meal, you say “that meal made me happy”. Lunch at Le Bernardin made me happy, and the pleasure lingers in remembering it.
