Walking in, the restaurant felt much less formal and chic than I had expected. It was subdued with soft brown woods and leather, while seascape paintings of Brittany added a touch of color on the walls. While the décor had a warm feel, it also felt a bit outdated, especially in contrast to the sleek and modern table settings.
I found the menu to be a bit overwhelming. There were 2 different tasting menus, and a 4 course ala cart menu. We decided to go for the ala carte so we could have more variety and taste each others’ dishes (there were 4 of us). However, with over 10 different seafood options for each course, there was a little too much to choose from. I do applaud their style of focusing on a main ingredient and not overworking the food – the menu was broken into Almost Raw, Barely Touched, and Lightly Cooked, and Dessert sections. And the presentation of the food was clean and graceful.
Amuse Bouche – fluke sashimi with citrus vinaigrette. Light and refreshing. Good way to whet our palates for the procession to come.
Tuna - thinly pounded yellowfin tuna over a fine layer of foie gras and toasted baguette with shaved chives and extra virgin olive oil. Absolutely sublime. The foie gras was light enough that it didn’t overpower the tuna, but added a rich lusciousness that made me want to close my eyes as I ate it…it was like eating toro (fatty tuna) and ankimo (monkfish liver) in one bite. All that decadence was then balanced by the delicate crunch of the wafer-thin toast. This dish was magnificent! 
Octopus - charred octopus with fermented black bean-pear sauce vierge, ink-miso vinaigrette, and purple basil. Our waiter had recommended this dish to me, and I’m so glad he did. The octopus was beautifully cooked…so soft and tender with a gentle char, while the fermented black beans delivered a sharp, salty punch of flavor. 
Sea Urchin Pasta topped with Organically Grown Farm-Raised Osetra Caviar - I had been dreaming of this special “off-the-menu” dish ever since I saw it featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations: Food Porn episode. I could practically taste the sea urchin coated pasta sliver down my throat and the caviar bursting in my mouth. I’m sorry to say that this dish did not live up to the dream. It was definitely good, but the pasta was didn’t quite encapsulate the amazing flavors of the sea urchin. It lacked complexity, and surprisingly, didn’t taste very different than a standard cream sauce. The pasta also didn’t do the beautiful beads of osetra caviar justice. This was especially disappointing since this dish cost an additional $120 on top of the set menu price. 
Pear - cinnamon caramel parfait, liquid pear, smoked sea salt, fromage blanc sorbet. Deliciously sophisticated…I thoroughly enjoyed the many layers of flavors and textures in this dessert, especially the capsules of liquid pear.
Because we love to share, I was also able to try a number of other dishes from my dining companions…
Sea Urchin – sea urchin roe on a bed of jalapeno–wasabi jam, seaweed salt, and wakame-orange scented broth. Mmmmm…there are few things better in this world than fresh sea urchin roe. Although jalapeno and wasabi usually have very strong flavors, they were mastered in a way so that just their essence was captured and enhanced the creamy, delicate sea urchin.
Hamachi – Vietnamese style marinated hamachi with nuoc mam vinaigrette. I love the sweet, sour, and pungent flavors of nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), but its dominance made it difficult to taste the buttery flavor of the hamachi.
Langoustine – seared langoustine, mache, wild mushroom salad, shaved foie gras, and white balsamic vinaigrette. Oh, this was soooo good. The combination of langoustine, foie gras and wild mushrooms was phenomenal. Rich, buttery, earthy, salty…all in one bite!
Sea Urchin – sea urchin risotto with toasted nori and urchin-citrus emulsion. Like my sea urchin pasta, this dish was good but tasted one-dimensional (especially since it didn’t have caviar piled on top).
Hiramasa – seared yellowtail kingfish, chestnut-bacon jam, baby brussels sprouts and rich chardonnay-chestnut veloute. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the taste of this dish. I only vaguely remember thinking the fish seemed a tad overcooked and didn’t have a strong flavor profile.
Surf and Turf – escolar and seared Kobe beef, sea bean salad and eggplant fries, Mr. Kaufman’s pesto and anchovy sauce. Not sure who Mr. Kaufman is, but his sauce wasn’t very distinctive. The Kobe beef was probably the least impressive that I’ve had at any high-end restaurant (good thing that Le Bernardin’s specialty is seafood). What I did like about this dish was the plump, meaty escolar and the light, tasty eggplant fries.
Lobster – baked lobster on bed of foie gras stuffing with brandy-red wine sauce. I had major food envy when I tasted N’s lobster entrée. It was so succulent and flavorful, I wanted more. I highly recommend getting this dish – I know I will be if/when I come back!
Yuzu – yuzu parfait, meringue, green tea biscuit and ice cream. I didn't take any photos of the others’ dessert, but had to mention this yuzu dessert because it was the best dessert of the night. It was bright, slightly sweet, and surprisingly multi-faceted. The green tea ice cream was AMAZING! I’ve had many green tea desserts before, but I’ve never had one as elegant and complex as this.
All in all, I thought Le Bernardin was great but not as extraordinary as I thought it’d be. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to be swept off my feet and fall in love this place...but that didn't happen. Believe me, I had to struggle to keep my admiration of Chef Ripert from biasing my opinion. Speaking of Ripert, I saw him as I was literally walking out of the restaurant. I didn’t know he was there that night, and am so bummed about not getting to meet him!! Argh! Oh well, maybe I’ll get a chance to next time…yes, there will be a next time.
BITE METER: Le Bernardin – 4.2 bites (out of 5)
Petit Fours - pistachio cherry tart, mini beignet, chocolate caramel, orange gelee. Dainty morsels of sweetness. The creme inside the tiny beignet was a nice surprise.
Because we love to share, I was also able to try a number of other dishes from my dining companions…
Sea Urchin – sea urchin roe on a bed of jalapeno–wasabi jam, seaweed salt, and wakame-orange scented broth. Mmmmm…there are few things better in this world than fresh sea urchin roe. Although jalapeno and wasabi usually have very strong flavors, they were mastered in a way so that just their essence was captured and enhanced the creamy, delicate sea urchin.
Hamachi – Vietnamese style marinated hamachi with nuoc mam vinaigrette. I love the sweet, sour, and pungent flavors of nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), but its dominance made it difficult to taste the buttery flavor of the hamachi.
Langoustine – seared langoustine, mache, wild mushroom salad, shaved foie gras, and white balsamic vinaigrette. Oh, this was soooo good. The combination of langoustine, foie gras and wild mushrooms was phenomenal. Rich, buttery, earthy, salty…all in one bite!
Sea Urchin – sea urchin risotto with toasted nori and urchin-citrus emulsion. Like my sea urchin pasta, this dish was good but tasted one-dimensional (especially since it didn’t have caviar piled on top).
Hiramasa – seared yellowtail kingfish, chestnut-bacon jam, baby brussels sprouts and rich chardonnay-chestnut veloute. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the taste of this dish. I only vaguely remember thinking the fish seemed a tad overcooked and didn’t have a strong flavor profile.
Surf and Turf – escolar and seared Kobe beef, sea bean salad and eggplant fries, Mr. Kaufman’s pesto and anchovy sauce. Not sure who Mr. Kaufman is, but his sauce wasn’t very distinctive. The Kobe beef was probably the least impressive that I’ve had at any high-end restaurant (good thing that Le Bernardin’s specialty is seafood). What I did like about this dish was the plump, meaty escolar and the light, tasty eggplant fries.
Lobster – baked lobster on bed of foie gras stuffing with brandy-red wine sauce. I had major food envy when I tasted N’s lobster entrée. It was so succulent and flavorful, I wanted more. I highly recommend getting this dish – I know I will be if/when I come back!
Yuzu – yuzu parfait, meringue, green tea biscuit and ice cream. I didn't take any photos of the others’ dessert, but had to mention this yuzu dessert because it was the best dessert of the night. It was bright, slightly sweet, and surprisingly multi-faceted. The green tea ice cream was AMAZING! I’ve had many green tea desserts before, but I’ve never had one as elegant and complex as this.
All in all, I thought Le Bernardin was great but not as extraordinary as I thought it’d be. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to be swept off my feet and fall in love this place...but that didn't happen. Believe me, I had to struggle to keep my admiration of Chef Ripert from biasing my opinion. Speaking of Ripert, I saw him as I was literally walking out of the restaurant. I didn’t know he was there that night, and am so bummed about not getting to meet him!! Argh! Oh well, maybe I’ll get a chance to next time…yes, there will be a next time.
BITE METER: Le Bernardin – 4.2 bites (out of 5)
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