Fish – gourmettrips

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

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)

Tag: Fish

Le Bernadin New York

Le Bernadin New York