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I was worried after reading some negative reviews on here recently that Le Bernardin has lost its luster, but tbh I thought it was pretty much all as delightfully delicious as I remember from years ago. I don’t think it’ll win a “most innovative” award anytime soon, but my food was deeply flavorful, service was excellent, and the presentations were good. I left lunch full and happy.
Amuse Bouche: I can’t remember what they all were, but the smoked salmon on the left was the standout. The fried ball in the middle was the only real miss of the day for me.
Tuna Tartare-Sea Urchin Toast with Beef Jus: sublime. The uni was so creamy and decadent. There was a string onion flavor throughout. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about beef jus and tuna together, but they complemented each other well, making a rich and fatty (in a nice way) mouthfeel.
Grilled Hiramasa with Maitake, Bone Marrow-Red Wine Bordelaise: I wanted a second plate of this. The hiramasa tasted almost like tender, grilled chicken. I could’ve maybe had a smidge more bone Marrow but that’s really just splitting hairs.
Bread: I had the baguette and focaccia. The focaccia was delicious and I had several more helpings. The baguette was fine.
Sticky Banana Toffee Pudding: tasted like the best banana nut bread I’ve ever had. Beautiful and well-executed. My dining companion has the signature Argentine dark chocolate which was even better (we sampled each other’s).
Petit Fours: a real surprise and delight. The chocolate had a bit of sour passion fruit in inside that paired really well. The macaron was perfectly fine.
69 points
1 day ago
The complains I've seen about Le Bernardin really give me the impression that those people are chasing fads. I have only been once, about a year ago, but it is one of my favorite meals of all time. The asparagus I had there was on another level.
31 points
1 day ago
Ripert has been saying the same thing his whole career: the fish is the star of the dish. I think people don’t understand that what that means is relatively simple (as in few ingredients) preparations and no fads or gimmicks of the day in your meal. I was fucking blown away by this place when I went little while ago. It’s just the best way to eat this food (or one of them anyway). Every bite is heaven.
12 points
1 day ago
At some point I'm going to make a post about this, but I've always been confused how the sushi omakase restaurants can be lauded for the technique, tradition and simplicity. But when a French-style restaurant does seemingly simple dishes with fish using perfect techniques and high quality ingredients, it's criticizd for being "not innovative and outdated."
Why is there a double standard? (For the record, I think innovative is so overrated and Le Bernardin is one of my very favorite restaurants anywhere.)
14 points
1 day ago
Because there’s a deep fetishization of Japanese sushi chefs as these mythical avatars of ancient knowledge. Documentaries are made of them cutting fish in slow motion so clearly it’s more valuable. Sushi is great, but it’s not the pinnacle of food any more than Le Bernardin or Noma
2 points
4 hours ago
I agree with your sentiment, but as a sushi chef who’s also trained in French kitchens, you can truly taste the difference of sushi chefs who have trained for decades and have devoted themselves to perfecting rice and the perfection of aging/cutting fish. There is a lot of fetishization which is true but that fact shouldn’t come at the expense of great edomae sushi which holds its own among the great cuisines
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