Have I mentioned that Kyle and I are ballers? Haha. Riiiight. But we certainly tried to act the part this weekend with a dinner at Le Barnardin.
Oh hey there magic bullet chillin’ in the background. Whatever, once I stepped into my stilettos, I felt gla-gla-glamorous…
And so off we went to Eric Ripert’s three Michelin star restaurant.
The night started with some drank at the bar, along with parm/pistachio bread sticks.
Upon being seated we dove into the (extensive) wine list and chose a Pinot from Oregon.
Um, how classy is this stool for my purse/umbrella? (excuse the mood lighting)
While sipping on vino we were dazzled with a veggie amuse bouche from the chef. As you would expect from a high end restaurant, they were happy to accommodate any and every dietary preference, so Kyle and I received different bites (his was a lobster bite swimming in a cauliflower cream sauce).
Instead of a bread basket, there was a server who came around with a tray holding a variety of options. I chose a sourdough roll. It was delish. Crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. He came back several times, but not in an obnoxious way…any carb lover would have been very satisfied.
At this point I think I should explain the concept behind the menu.
Simply stated, the menu offers four courses, which progressively get more cooked starting with “almost raw,” followed by “barely touched,” then “lightly cooked,” and finally “dessert.”
For my “almost raw” course I got the Mesclun salad with the day’s market herbs and vegetables and a balsamic-shallot dressing. Can you see those gorgeous drops of dressing surrounding the greens? This was a simple yet delicious dish with the most thinly slices radishes, beets, bell peppers, and perfectly prepared asparagus and green beans. Odd as it sounds (due to its simplicity), it may have been the best dish of the night. Sad side salad? Not so much.
Kyle started with Fluke sashimi with crispy kimchi in a chilled citrus, soy, jalapeno nage.
It was sooo cool how each dish was presented and then the waiter poured the sauce over it in front of us. I felt like I was on Top Chef! Eric Ripert is big on the sauces, too, as EVERY dish had it’s own accompanying marinade to add to the dish. Fresh like whoa. It left no doubt in my mind that the food had been passed off from the chef in no more than seconds before arriving in front of us.
Moving on to the second course…
For my “barely touched” meal I got the Vegetables with cauliflower “couscous,” and a warm salad of seasonal vegetables in Argan oil vinaigrette. Again, the staff ensured that there was no chicken stock or butter used to prepare the dish, and although I wasn’t a huge fan of the cauli couscous, I thought the veggies were cooked to perfection.
Kyle got ultra rare scorched scallops, thinly sliced with a garlic-chive, Goat’s milk butter emulsion.
And then the third course came (aka the “lightly cooked” dish)…
I got the poached halibut with braised daikon, baby radish and turnips, with a sesame court bouillon.
Yes, fish. Since Eric Ripert is the king of seafood, I adopted a “when in Rome” attitude…However, I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t love it. It was through no fault of the chef, because it was prepared with amazing skill, cooked not a second over or under and uniform throughout. I just haven’t eaten fish in so long that I wasn’t ready for the texture or flavor or any of it. I had 1/3 of the filet and Kyle finished the rest. The turnips in the sesame bouillon was exceptional.
Kyle got the surf and turf with Escolar and Seared Kobe beef, sea bean salad, eggplant fries, and Mr. Kaufman’s Pesto and Anchovy Sauce. He said the Kobe beef tasted like buttah and licked his plate.
For the dessert course, I went with a coconut sorbet.
I kept calling these my huevos because all I could think of was how much the white scoops reminded me of eggs. On the side were 2 sweet cookies. I’m pretty sure this was my second favorite dish of the night.
This was Kyle’s chocolate-peanut dessert with a dark chocolate, peanut and caramel tart, Meyer lemon puree, peanut powder, and praline citrus sorbet.
While finishing off our wine we received more sweet treats from the chef.
I was very tempted to crash the kitchen just to get a sneak peak at the genius Eric Ripert…buuuuut (fortunately for Kyle) I was overcome by the classy decor and super high end ambiance and kept my proper self from doing anything rash. Plus, it’s hard to run in heels…
After dinner we came home, changed into jeans, and headed back out to meet up with a few of my friends from RN school who were in town.
At this point, my hideous bad luck set in and our bus was held up by an ambulance…I mean seriously, what are the chances that a lady faints in the middle of the exact street we are trying to cross? When I’m involved, they are pretty good.
You see, since that plane flight from hell, there have been several other situations that I haven’t mentioned on the blog, but I have been cursed with crazy bad luck in terms of others falling ill while I’m around (not at work). A man in front of me in line at the post office had a grand mal seizure (called an ambulance)…also, while on a run in the park a lady keeled over in front of my eyes (called an ambulance)…just to name a few.
So yeah, it was really no surprise when the ambulance pulled up RIGHT in front of the bus and parked it. To make a long story short, we ended up arriving at the bar after midnight…and didn’t get back to our apartment until 2:30.
You would be safe to assume that our Sunday had a late start 😉
I want to go to this restaurant! Now please. I love that you are making the most of your time left in NYC and eating everywhere good! Awesome sauce.
Love the idea of the courses getting progressively cooked too, very cool!
Was there a special occasion? I’ve been thinking about going there, but the prices usually stop me. Not forever though. I’m unstoppable 🙂
Hooray for heels and the rash things they prevent us from doing.
In grad school, some guy totally leaned over backwards in his seat and had a seizure in my lap. I raised my hand and was like, “Um— Professor? I think we need a doctor.”
What a lovely and tasty night out! You look lovely in the photo, Magic Bullet and all 😉
Interesting that the fish didn’t taste good to you…I wonder if you’ve changed your taste buds after not having it for so long! Maybe I can do that with cereal…
Your top is so pretty. Sorry the fish was not too good, but lots of the food does look very fine indeed!
You guys are totally baller! I want to go there so badly. And way to go with your “when in Rome” ‘tude! Love your flexibility, lady.
I can only imagine how many foodgasms you had during this meal!
Oh my gosh, what a fun date night! Were you guys celebrating something?? Sorry about the ambulance…
Oh my gahhh. I would have had a hard time not running into the kitchen, too.
I’m all about the “when in Rome” thang. As long as I’m not buying fish/meat/whatever on the daily, and enjoying it when it’s right (BBQ in Savannah? I’d do it), then go for it. Thank you for showing us all that it’s OK to break outside the normal eating habits.
And what the fur is going on with your karma? At least you know what to do in these situations!
What an amazing meal – I love the presentation.
Remind me never to stand in line in front of you or ride on the same bus/car/airplane ok? 🙂 Oh course, I’m not one to talk, a girl in front of me at a Rockies game got clocked in the head with a baseball….
Um.. Jealous! Jen from last season’s Top Chef was my favorite! And I’ve always been a fan of Eric Ripert. He’s kinda the shit.. 🙂 (and a drop out of the culinary institute of America!)
Haha, no shame in a little Magic Bullet love in the background!
Love the concept of this menu, from raw, to lightly touched, etc. Very creative!
I just had coconut sorbet at a fancy restaurant on Friday–I think it may be my new favorite food.
hey there miss new yawk! i love love love that you’re trying all these baller stat restaurants before you depart! i’m going to put this place on my list of places i need to eat at when i meet a rich guy.
look at you trying the fish! so brave 🙂
girl you look BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! love your long, brown hair!!
i always love your eats-i need a magic bullet ASAP
I am SO JEALOUS you got to try Le Bernadin!! I’ve already made my dad promise to take me as a graduation gift next spring 🙂 Everything looks fantastic, it’s good to know they’re so willing to cater to different diets! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hope you have an amazing week love!
awww…thanks love!!
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SWOOON! Must try Le Bernardin before I die. So glad to have read your review though, as I’d heard it wasn’t too veg friendly. Looks like you fared very well though, so I won’t hesitate at the chance to go! Just need me a date with dollars now. 🙂
Fancy dinners! I’m loving the raw crackers!
Wow crazy to see you eating fish. I can understand though, fish was the one thing that I really loved before I became vegan. Your whole meal looks amazing, love that they incorporated all of those different sauces.
when i used to work in nyc during the summers, my office was right near le bernadin. i bumped into eric ripert one time and almost died (you would have had to call an ambulance for me, too!)
I totally wanna be baller like you kids…All of those dishes look divine! I so would’ve had your halibut as well. 😉 So beautifully plated.. I’m jealous.
btw, fabulous color on you E! I think it should be dress weather all day everyday. Countdown fa sho!
p.s. love that little stool for your stuff, and the mood lighting was a bonus!
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