Le Bernadin New York

Visited in August 2025
Lunch
Rating: Three Michelin Macarons

With a late afternoon flight back to Europe, this time we tried a walk-in to the lounge at exactly noon. We were offered a place in the dining room, which had become available shortly before due to a cancellation, but we decided to stay with our original plan to go to the lounge. However, we were offered the dining room menu. After five lunches or dinners in New York, we wanted to take it a little easier. Since the city harvest menu had a selection that was attractive to us, we had this.

From the fantastic bread basket, I had the brioche and the rosemary/olive bread.

**Tuna**
Tuna Tartare; Sweet Potato Crisps Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette

A well-prepared tatar including capers, drops of the vinaigrette with a high content of red peppers, frisee lettuce and sweet potato chips on top.

**Shrimp**
Sautéed Shrimp; Baby Greens White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Three sautéed shrimps on a bed of lamb’s lettuce, oyster mushrooms, and thinly shaved button mushrooms.

**Skate**
Poached Skate; Endive Salad, Potato Foam Brown Butter Sauce

This is the second time that I have eaten skate at Le Bernadin. This time it was completely different. To the perfectly prepared wing with endive stripes and leaves, a brown butter sauce was added at the table. In a side bowl, potato foam that exhibited some acidity was served. This, I found a little strange. I had preferred a standard Joel Robuchon-style potato preparation.

**Salmon**
Barely Cooked Salmon; English Pea-Wasabi Purée Yuzu Beurre Blanc

My dinner companion had the always fantastic salmon. Every time, the side and the liquid preparation are a little different. The beurre blanc was quite acidic.

**Pistachio**
Pistachio Praliné, Grand Marnier Bavarois

The first time that I ate a dessert the second time at Le Bernadin. But it is so good that it is worthwhile.

**Peruvian Dark Chocolate**
Warm Peruvian Chocolate Tarte Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream

This dessert was a choice from the separate dinner menu and not listed on the City Harvest menu. My dinner companion liked it very much.

And we even got a third dessert that was not listed on any of the menus. This was a very nice treat from my favorite waiter and the kitchen.

Summary

This time I saw the very first time Eric Ripert in the restaurant, who had a chat in French with a friend in the corner of the lounge. Also, the head sommelier Aldo Sohm was present. If one is looking for high-quality fish and seafood in New York, Le Bernadin is always a first choice.

Website of the restaurant: Le Bernardin by Eric Ripert | Home

Le Bernadin New York

Visited in September 2024
Lunch
Rating: Three Michelin Macarons

An early arrival at JFK airport and relatively speedy completion of immigration procedures opened the possibility of going to Le Bernadin for lunch. I arrived at the restaurant just in time at 2:30 pm. I did not have a reservation, but walk-ins are accepted for the lounge. And there was room for me.
Since they already knew me here, I was also offered the lunch menu from the dining room. However, I had something else in mind: some of the dishes served in the lounge are different from those in the dining room, such as the luxurious Croque Monsieur or the Lobster Roll. I opted for the City Harvest menu, a 3-course meal, part of the price of which is donated to the City Harvest Initiative. This includes a choice of starters such as the Seafood Causa, which is also not offered in the Dining Room.
In addition to mineral water, I ordered a glass of Grüner Veltliner 2022 Federspiel from Rudi Pichler Wachau Austria.
It started with a selection of bread.

Fantastic brioche and rosemary olive focaccia with salted butter

This was constructed in layers: Above an avocado cream was a kind of crustacean hollandaise and on top potato mousseline. In between, one could find lobster, crab, shrimp, and aji amarillo pepper. Lime was used as a condiment. The pairing of the components was very good and all cooked to perfection. It is quite a small portion. I liked it very much.

Barely Cooked Organic Salmon; Sweet and Sour Hon Shimeji, Mushrooms and Lotus Root, Maitake Broth was the description of the main course. It was the alternative to “Black Bass à la Nage” and a different preparation than offered in the dining room: “Barely Cooked Salmon; Root Vegetables Parisienne, Leek-Truffle Marinière”. I doubt the description was correct because I see Pak Choi and capers on the plate instead of “Sweet and Sour Hon Shimeji, Mushrooms and Lotus Root”. However, this does not play a role: The sensational soft and tender barely cooked salmon in Le Bernadin is always astonishing. I still do not understand how they prevent it from becoming lighter in color all over. I could eat this salmon again and again and was very happy with this main course.

Raspberry “Madeleine”
Elderflower Crème Mousseline, Caramelized Honey Ice Cream

I love desserts with spheres and an appearance that promises something different as it really is. Given that, this choice was the right decision, because the false Madeleine was a kind of sphere filled with a creamy mousse, raspberry confit, and an almond preparation that reminded of marzipan. On the left side were elderflower crème mousseline, raspberries and a honeycomb tuile, to the left the caramelized honey ice cream. Taste, composition and finish of this dessert were simply great and I was very satisfied.

Soft pistachio financier, spiced coconut macaron (with cinnamon?), cherry chocolate ganache with a liquid core
All three were good. This time, even the macaron was convincing.

Summary
I am very happy that I could make it again to Le Bernadin restaurant. I like the reduced way of cooking initiated by Eric Ripert and the perfection how fish and seafood is prepared here. At the end of the visit, I bought the chef’s book “Seafood Simple” issued 2023. Let’s see if I can prepare some of the food shown in the book. The salmon rillette served as amuse at lunch in the dining room, I can prepare almost perfectly in the meantime. A New York visit without lunch or dinner in Le Bernadin would not be complete for me.

Website: Le Bernardin by Eric Ripert | Home (le-bernardin.com)

Gucci Osteria Florence

Lunch
Visited July 2021
Awards: One Michelin Macaron

After our visit last year, my family agreed to visit Gucci Osteria again. The fact that you are not forced to eat a whole menu makes it very attractive for a not too long lunch. The venue, the beautiful Gucci plates and the friendly staff brought us to another reservation.

Due to the high temperature outside lunch is currently served inside only and not at the terrace which is located outside in front of Gucci Garden store.

The menu fits on one A4 page and lists some of the courses in very flowery language, which needs explanation during ordering process. It is quite static in comparison to last year with only some exchanged courses.

I had a glass of white wine: GiovinRe 2018 from Viognier grapes of winery Michele Satta in Bolgheri, Toscany

At the beginning hors d’oevres are served.

Escabeche is the name of dishes in mainly Spanish language, consisting of marinated main compound e.g. fish or meat, cooked in an acidic sauce normally using vinegar, with paprika for the color, citron or lime juice and additional spices.

Especially the pappa pomodoro beignet was very good. Pappa pomodoro is the typical tomato bread soup from Toscany, which is more a cream or a paste than a soup. We had a very good one just the day before in Greve in Chianti at the famous Macelleria Falorni.

Emilia Burger – Cotechino, Parmigiano Reggiano, salsa verde and balsamic mayonnaise.

Vongo – La! – Risotto, scapece and clams.

Scapece is the Italian counterpart of Escabeche originating from Neapolitan cuisine.

Gadus is the Latin name for cod, Atlantic cod is also known as Gadus morhua. Here, a high quality piece of perfectly cooked cod, just a touch away from raw in the core, comes with a very crispy crust, which reminds me on tapioca chips, several herbs and edible flowers. It sits on an eggplant purée. I unfortunately did not note down the kind of broth added at the table but I think it was chicken broth.

Desserts

Panna cotta with cherry sorbet and cherry sauce. The cherry taste was so intense that the panna cotta had no chance against it.

Chocolate profiterole filled with Dulce de Leche cream topped with hazelnut spread. A part in a bowl came chocolate sorbet topped with chocolate olive oil jelly cubes. The chocolate taste was very intense and not too sweet. Very good!

As I did last time instead of a dessert I took another “normal” course.

The Birth of Venus – Scallops, tarragon and daikon.

On the photo there is not much to see but daikon radish. Underneath there are mid-sized scallop slices which have pockets filled with a delicate white filling. The broth added at the table is a vegetable broth, which added a touch of acidity to it.

Petit patisserie: Choco coffee Dulce de Leche sphere, Sambuco jelly, salted caramel cake

Summary

If one is anyway in Florence, one should take the opportunity to go here and if it is only for eating two, three courses.

Website of the restaurant: https://www.gucciosteria.com/en/florence