I was surprised that the infamous sea urchin & Osetra caviar dish had recently appeared on Le Bernardin's menu online; I had a reservation in hand about five minutes later.
The current iteration of the Chef's Tasting menu ($185) is full of highlights, and the deftly chosen wine pairings are exceptional. Some favorites follow below...
The seared langoustine with shaved foie gras, mâche and wild mushroom salad, and white balsamic vinaigrette is an essay on restraint. Not unlike the season signature pounded yellowfin tuna dish, foie gras plays second fiddle to the main ingredient on the plate, adding a carefully measured accent of richness to the sweet, tender shellfish. I really liked the interplay between the Smaragd Riesling pairing and the vinaigrette.
The tagliolini with warm sea urchin sauce and a dollop of Osetra caviar is pasta done the way Italians don't. The pasta is in complete deference to the other ingredients, merely serving as a pliant vehicle for sea urchin roe, butter, and caviar. One bite: simple luxury paired perfectly with a vibrant, minerally Assyrtiko.
The poached turbot with shaved black truffle, braised turnips, and spiced squab jus could be a knockout by itself, but the wild mushroom - black truffle custard served alongside it took the fish to a different level. It didn't look that way initially, as the plating was starkly minimalist, even austere. But I was very, very happy in between bites of firm turbot flesh, delicately spiced sauce, intoxicatingly earthy custard, and sips of an accompanying Spätburgunder, also redolent of earth.
Michael Laiskonis continues to absolutely kill it, starting with a tiny yogurt panna cotta pre-dessert with candied walnuts and an apple gelée. It's gently infused with jalapeño, precisely calibrated and never strident, just teasing in the background, its subtle heat working beautifully with an off-dry Patagonia sparkler.
Laiskonis' signature "Egg" pre-dessert (milk chocolate pot de crème, caramel sauce, caramel custard foam, maple syrup, and Maldon sea salt served in a hollowed-out eggshell) was an absolute pleasure as usual, but I was expecting to be a bit bored by the Dominican chocolate cremeux that followed it. I was wrong: the texture of the cremeux was absurdly smooth and rich, and the vanilla-sweet potato sorbet and bourbon caramel added lightness to the dark, powerful chocolate flavor. The inspired choice of a lightly sweet Pineau des Charentes kept the whole dessert balanced and nimble.
If the Eric Ripert / Michael Laiskonis / Aldo Sohm trifecta stays in place, I don't see any other high-end restaurant in NYC diverting my attention in the foreseeable future.
