Le Bernardin – Tasting Menu, NYC
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Le Bernardin Tasting Menu
$138 per person, $185 with added Pastured Poached Egg and Osetra Caviar à la carte
AMUSE BOUCHE
Winter Bourne Oyster With Mushrooms And Truffle Foam
The oyster in truffle foam was an amazing amuse bouche, and tickled our taste buds to get us excited for the courses to come. I personally took the “winter bourne” part too literally, and expecting the shell bedding to be shaved ice or daikon, I scarfed an entire spoonful, only to realize too late that it was salt. Embarrassed and unsure about proper etiquette, I decided to forgo manners and immediately expectorated the salt into my napkin and proceeded to rinse my mouth with water and wine. My apologies to the restaurant.
TUNA
Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna; Toasted Baguette; Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I adore tuna, so I was predisposed to like this dish, and it did not disappoint. The tuna paired so well with the crunchy toasted baguette underneath and the shaved chives added a little kick of flavor.
OCTOPUS
Charred Octopus; Fermented Black Bean – Pear Sauce Vierge; Ink – Miso Vinaigrette; Purple Basil
I’ve become a huge fan of octopus after our trip to Croatia, and this take on the octopod was delicious: perfectly charred on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside.
LOBSTER
Warm Lobster Carpaccio; Hearts of Palm, Orange Vinaigrette
The course was served on a hot plate, so that the temperature of the dish would warm up and slightly cook the otherwise raw lobster. Very interesting preparation, and the soft fleshy lobster meat was well complemented by the crunchy hearts of palm.
STRIPED BASS
Baked Wild Striped Bass; Corn “Cannelloni”; Light Perigord Sauce
Fresh, flaky fish — yummy!
SURF AND TURF
Escolar and Seared Nebraska Wagyu Beef; Sea Bean Salad and Eggplant Fries; Mr. Kaufman’s Pesto and Red Wine Sauce
All of us at the table debated what exactly was entailed by Wagyu beef, especially versus Kobe. Essentially both are high quality cows that are especially adept at marbling. This course had maybe the best slice of cow I had ever had. The escolar was absolutely delicious as well, but the beef stole the spotlight. The eggplant fries, tater tot-esque, were very tasty, but were overshadowed by the beef and fish.
TOMATO BLACKBERRY
Basil Ice Cream, Peach Broth
Basil ice cream — refreshing and tangy paired so well with the sweetness of the peach broth and berries.
PISTACHIO
Pistachio Mousse, Roasted White Chocolate, Lemon, Cherry
Loved the pistachio mousse — it was nice and light after our very satisfying meal.
We were served the same mignardises as I had the first time, and my rave reviews of the spice tea pretty much sold it to everyone at the table.
