tope24:
no pictures?

PatrickBateman:
There are really good restaurants and there are good restaurants. I expected Le Bernadin to be really good, and it almost was, except it fell short in a few areas.

My friends and I had the three-course prix fixe lunch. The service was good. The waiters were polite and attentive and they knew the menu well. At times, it seemed they were simply reciting and delivering well-rehearsed lines about the food, which is understandeable. I don't expect to be holding an extended conversation, but I do hope the answers


would at least correspond to my questions. That did not


always happen.





Gud 4 u.

I started with the Kumamoto oysters, which I had the pleasure of tasting in Osaka many years ago. At Le Bernadin, however, they arrived looking pallid and uninteresting on a characterless bed of rock ice. The size of each oyster was lamentable, the largest being about the size of a quarter. In terms of taste, they had a well-rounded saltiness and a decent, subtle plumminess. However, because they were so small, every bite felt somewhat lacking, and there was a distinct sense that the whole dish was in fact very average. I am a firm believer in the "quality over quantity" mantra, but this was decidedly disappointing. Large, plump, juicy and succulent Kumamoto oysters can be the norm, rather than the exception. Le Bernadin - this dish is not something to be proud of.

The main course was a vast improvement. I had the seared rare king fish, which was excellent. The fish was seared evenly on the outside, leaving a warm rosey centre. The consistent progression from seared exterior to raw interior was perfect, and the result was a mellow, buttery fish that worked from start to beginning. I would have preferred a stickier and thicker wasabi sauce, perhaps poured less generously by the side. But this did not detract from the quality of the fish.

After such a majestic main course, one would expect or hope that dessert would be able to match up. Sadly, the hazelnut and gianduja failed to deliver. I admit I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and am not at all well-versed in the ways of the pastry chef. But dessert was a flat and tired bundle of sugar. This, like the Kumamoto osyters, definitely looked better on the menu than it tasted.

So all in all, this is a distinctly "good" establishment, as opposed to "really good". If every course had had the quality of the king fish, I would have no qualms eating there again. But on the basis of what I had, I would consider the many other options in NYC before stepping in here in future.