Le Bernardin (*) – NYC

We got the chef’s tasting menu for 2 for a birthday dinner. The service was perfect and not too intrusive and chatty (which we prefer, in contrast to somewhere like Atomix where they ask you details of your life and share the details between the waiters). But this is very much a personal preference.

We greatly enjoyed the meal and I didn’t find it underwhelming in the slightest. For the most part the entire meal was perfectly executed, but I was blown away by a few things. The fennel and saffron bouillabaisse reduction served with the shrimp was incredible, and I can’t wait to make bouillabaisse at home. My partner didn’t want the yuzu-avocado mousse (she doesn’t like avocados) so they gave her a black sesame sorbet with what appeared to be cherry granite instead (in the photos, not normally on the tasting menu unless you ask). I was actually jealous because it was better than mine!

I did think a couple of the sauces and reductions didn’t match the meat. The worst of the courses was the halibut with a beef and chicken consommé. They tasted great individually but together I thought the consomme overwhelmed the halibut. The other pairings were spot on though.
The bread service is unfairly shittalked here I think. Everything was great but I was blown away by the olive focaccia. The focaccia especially was the softest bread I think I’ve ever had. The brioche I think could have been served a bit warmer, maybe kept separately from the other breads, so that its texture would be more pleasant.
We spent $430pp after tax and a couple of non-alcoholic drinks. I will say that I think the chef’s tasting menu is overpriced for what it is. For the same price at Atomix last year, we got uni and A5 wagyu in addition to caviar. I think they could’ve at least included something with a lot of uni—especially considering this is a seafood restaurant. But this is a really pleasant experience and a nice way to experience perfectly executed food (especially seafood) in NYC.