Le Bernadin

July 22nd-

After contemplating a few months ago, whether or not to continue living in Manhattan, I went down a mental list of all the places I needed to visit before we embarked upon such a feat, and all I came up with was Eric Ripert's Le Bernadin. Surprisingly, we have been to a lot of places, and I didn't feel as if I would die, if I wasn't given the time to go everywhere.....that is except Le Bernadin. No one was getting me out of Manhattan without this one! I've seen Chef Ripert on numerous shows..... Top Chef, Martha Stewart, etc. We've cooked one of his recipes at home, and frankly, I just think he is a god. Do the Greeks have a god of food? Surely, they must....note to self...need to investigate this. Now that we've opted to stay in the city, we decided to schedule this visit to Le Bernadin for lunch on our three year wedding anniversary.

This is one of those restaurants that feel spa like. Nathan was commenting on how noisy the street is, and how the opposite is true inside the restaurant, when upon entering this sanctuary, all you hear are quiet soothing sounds......sounds like, "May I get you some wine?", and "Here is some beautiful smoked salmon spread for you while you peruse the menu." These are sounds I am quite fond of. The whole place is very understated and elegant, with huge, fabulous paintings on the walls, and a simple but spectacular arrangement of pink flowers in the middle. In fact, I think these are some of the exact same words I would use to describe the menu....elegant and spectacular.

I have to admit, choosing what to eat was difficult. There were just so many wonderful options! We actually spent a few minutes online going over everything before we arrived, just to give us a bit of a head start in the decision making process. We take dining out very seriously. There is nothing I hate more than ordering the wrong thing, and I take pride in the fact that this rarely happens to me. (I do actually hate soggy bacon more, but that is beside the point.)

The lunch menu is a prix fixe, which allows you to choose an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. To start, I chose the curried crab and zucchini panna cotta in a vadouvan spiced broth. Two little zucchini rolls stuffed with crab in a light, tasty broth came out- very good! I mostly tasted crab, and it was presented very creatively. Nathan ordered the marinated himachi Vietnamese style with a nuoc mam vinaigrette. It looked like a little spring roll in a citrus juice. The fish was very light, and the dish was very refreshing and summery. For my entree, I chose the bread crusted red snapper with a zucchini, mint and coriander compote in a rich citrus broth. I almost didn't order this when I saw the word "bread" in the description, because I just never feel breading is ever done crispy or light enough. This time, I was not disappointed. There was a very light, crispy top on the fish, but not encasing it- the perfect amount of breading. The citrus broth was tomato, and that, coupled with the breading on top, gave the dish a comfort food feel to it, while still possessing its light, fresh, pure, upscale flavors. Nathan ordered the crispy black bass with braised celery in an Iberico ham and green peppercorn sauce accompanied by a parsnip custard. Ok.....I might have liked his better. The sauce was amazing. It was the kind of sauce you dip your bread in to try to scoop up every last drop. Honestly, all of the sauces were like this, but this one was just my favorite. And.....the parsnip custard was to die for! I think I ate half of it. It was kind of sweet, yet still savory. It just teeter tottered between the two, and made my mouth go crazy with joy! This was so good that if they would have given us a tub of it, I would have finished it, I swear! Last, for dessert, I requested the yuzu parfait, meringue and green tea biscuit and ice cream. As one who is not a big fan of sweets, this was great. It wasn't overly sickeningly sweet, or heavy. I did not feel the sugar burst into my veins the moment I took a bite. It was light and palate cleansing. I loved it-especially the green tea ice cream. Nathan loves sweets, so he had the gianduja ice cream with Oregon hazelnuts, honey, banana and brown butter ice cream. This was good. I mostly liked the bananas, but overall, too sweet for me.

Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had....in Manhattan, or anywhere. The food was rich, yet light; simple, yet complex......and everything tasted very fresh, pure and clean. It excited, revived, and inspired me. Praise be to Chef Ripert, god of food!