Le Bernardin

I've been eating at restaurants my whole life, probably more than the usual person simply because my mom rarely cooked.
I've eaten on many different continents, probably more than the usual person because my family lived abroad in France and Tokyo, each for a 3-year period.
But eating at Le Bernardin was one of the best dining experiences I've had in my soon-to-be 26 years of existence.
I wouldn't have eaten there had it not been for Swimster who coaxed and coaxed, and who introduced me to the world of fine dining, a world which I knew close to nothing about. Not everyone gets to experience food like this, and I guess I have him to thank...
Bernardin's chef Eric Ripert is a native of France, and his first job was at the 400-year old Michelin 3 Star restaurant Tour d'Argent in Paris, opened originally by Henri III in the 16th century. So when you eat at Bernardin, you're practically in the company of royalty, literally.
Bernardin is surprisingly in midtown, amidst the scarcity of appealing restaurants that plagues the area. If you're staying local or are planning a very special evening book your table NOW.
Swimster and I reserved a late seating at 10pm -we enjoy eating late dinners- and the place was still packed. Like Jean Georges, the service at Bernardin was impeccable. Per each item on our table there was a different person responsible for its handling : fork, knife, breadplate, wineglass, water, bread, etc...
Menu Memorables: tuna with foie gras and hamachi with ginger for our first plates or "almost raw" as on menu, for "barely touched" we tried the crab with fennel and bacalao (we needed translations for half the fish items on the menu), and for "lightly cooked" I chose lobster and Swimster chose the halibut. All were served in such a delicate and precise manner I felt wrong sticking my fork in to taste.
My favorite part of the evening was having a long conversation with one of the 2 master sommeliers on the floor. One was a middle aged man who was nice enough, when I asked him, to give us his background. The other was a younger girl, who surprisingly could have passed for someone my age. I was so impressed of the glaringly all-male staff there was a girl running the wine flow.
If Henri III were still alive, he would be visiting le Bernardin regularly.

Reserve your table here through Open Table






51st between 6th and 7th Avenues, take the 1,2,3 to 50th Street
*closed Sundays*