La Bernardin - Page 3

I've had fantastic dinners at the French Laundry and even better lunches...on repeat visits in the same week, it was impressive how completely the staff knew what we had eaten in the earlier meals...even though it was different staff. It is a bit of a parlor trick that they dust off for people on purpose, but notable nonetheless.

What is completely missing there is a sense of humor. If I compare it to a similarly overwrought restaurant, like Enoteca Pinchiorri, the latter is much more a fun carnival ride.

- B

I am a meat and potatoes man (what an opening!) and whenever I try to expand my horizons and order seafood at restaurants, I always leave disappointed. Le Bernadin is the one place where I have been satisfied by the seafood (there is another well known place in the city, some female chef, liked it also, or did I order the chicken?). Will also like to try Milos as it gets a lot of raves. I find seafood to be the hardest main course to do well, most restaurants/chefs muck it up.

No, I think they are very good. I just think that there are better restaurants within twenty minutes of the French Laundry, and within thirty seconds of Per Se. Neither compare favorably to the better meals I have had in Europe, but the level of pretense at Keller restaurants is second to none.

I've had some thought-provokingly simple and wonderful meals at Bistro Jeanty, and that's just a short walk down the street.

Getting back to Le Bernadin, what I always hoped for each time was fish like I remenber from Guy Savoy, but no dice.

- B

Guy Savoy was the first Michelin starred restaurant I ate in as an adult. It remains one of my favorites. I share your feelings about Le Bernadin, and have always been slightly disappointed. This is the best restuarant in the Napa area in my opinion. I like Bistro jeanty, and often eat lunch at his SF outpost, Jeanty at Jacks.

I am all ears

Cyrus in Healdsburg is better than the French Laundry. It has two stars to the FL's three, but the food is, on average, a bit better IMO. I also think that Masa is a bit better than Per Se.

That's one. Cannot comment as I've never been to THE most expensive restaurant in NYC and my Japanese wife has sworn we would never spend that much on sushi as long as she's alive.

Any other better restaurants? I can think of a lot of excellent restaurants around Columbus Circle (one being of course the surprisingly-never-disappointing Jean Georges) but I cannot think of one that provides a better dining experience than Per Se (although I wouldn't mind if dinner was 1 hour shorter...)

That is the only one I know of, the other of the restaurants was Cyrus. Masa is not really sushi, or certainly not just sushi. I am partial to it because we used to go to his Beverly Hills restaurant each year for our anniversary, until he up and bolted for NYC. We have tried to do the same at Masa, but have not been able to get to New York at the right time more than once.

I always try to have lunch at Jean Georges when I'm in New York, and every meal over the years has been very satisfying.

I haven't been to Per Se...almost went in its second week, but chickened out and went to Chanterelle instead, and made the error of ordering that damn seafood sausage.

I have no idea what cock tastes like, but that night, that sausage surely came close (cue Ed).

- B

I had great dining experiences at both Jean Georges and Per Se, but Chanterelle was a disappointment.

The seafood sausage at Taillevent used to be sublime. I have no idea if it is still on the menu.

Sorry to revive an old thread but I recently dined at Le Bernardin and thought I would give a short review. The service was great, as expected of a place of this caliber. The waiters were attentive and really made sure that the only labor required of you was lifting fork from plate to mouth. I enjoyed the paintings on the walls but didn't particularly care for the interior lighting. I went during lunch and would have preferred as much natural lighting as possible. The food was mostly great. I enjoyed the first courses, having had the pounded yellow fin tuna over foie gras and tasting my wife's the peekytoe crab. I thought the sauces of the crab dish did much to accentuate the natural flavors of the crab itself. The tuna over foie gras was a great combination of crunchy bottom layer, creamy foie gras middle layer and a raw tuna "skin". The second courses for us were the skate and the turbot. The skate I enjoyed more, as the broth was a wonderful complement and the meat was cooked just right. The turbot I didn't like as much. The broth was just off and was reminiscent of Chinese fish broths, which while good for sea bass and the like, didn't really work for me with the turbot. I liked Jean George's broth for the turbot much more. The meat was perfect, again, cooked just right. The third and final course was dessert. I enjoyed the passion fruit course and the chocolate hickory course and could not really find any faults with them. It was a shame though that they were so tiny. Indeed, as someone said, there's really only seafood. So go in there expecting only that and maybe look up other reviews to see which dishes to really order, since there might be something more to your taste.