Dinner at Le Bernardin in NYC

I took Dan for a fancy pants birthday dinner at Le Bernardin.  He had to make the reservation 60 days in advance and we got a 5:45pm time :-O.  We didn't actually eat until a normal hour for us so the early seating was fine.  The meal and service were both superb.  Definitely the best meal I've had in this country.  Also the most expensive meal of my life, but a once in a lifetime kind of meal.  We did the Bernardin Tasting (7 courses) for $180 each.

Ridiculously beautiful plate

Pretzel roll and foccacia with olives.  Two of the incredible breads we tried.  I tried not to OD because there were many bread options.  My fav was actually a buckwheat roll that I forgot to take a pic of but it was perfectly crunch and soft at the same time

Trio of complimentary amuse bouches.  (L to R) fluke crudo with chimichurri suace, tuna tarte with crispy rice and avocado summer roll.  All were perfect little bites and so fresh and spring-y

We skipped the wine pairing as we are more cocktail people and probably wouldn't have appreciated the wine pairings.  (L) 51st Street Manhattan - Michter's Rye, La Quintinye Dry Vermouth, Amaro Lucano, Benedictine and Angostura Bitters (R) Pear & Riesling Spritz - Champagne, Riesling & Pear Reduction, Angostura Bitters and Star Anise.  My Spritz was super refreshing

Hamachi - Flash marinated hamachi, young radishes, amaranth crisp and yuzu vinaigrette.  So light and fresh.  Loved the crisp on top and the texture was so smooth

Seafood Truffle Pasta - scallop, shrimp, lobster, tagliatelle and black truffle emulsion.  Seriously heavenly

M.L.C. Mezcal - ilegal mezcal, lime, makrut lime leaf, agave and makrut scented salad.  Beautiful drink

Snapper - crusted red snapper, pickled persian cucumbers, green curry-goat yogurt emulsion. A work of art and so delicious!  The two sauces were great together and the fish had a crust I had never seen - almost like fried chicken skin.  The cucumber was also perfect with everything.  P.S. Check out the fancy individual butter pot in the background. Earlier I had taken maybe three tiny scrapes on my knife and they moved it and put a fresh one down.  Crazy service

Black Bass "Surf and Turf" - crispy black bass and braised veal cheek, parsnip emulsion and five-spice reduction.  This was a very close second for my fav dish.  Both the fish and veal were cooked perfectly and oddly evyerthing was perfectly harmonious.  The broth had so much flavor and everything was wonderfully complimentary.  This was also the only dish with meat and the veal made that dish, although there wasn't much in it

Calamari - crab-filled calamari a la plancha (spanish style) with bamboo shoot wood ear mushroom pot au feu - excellent dish but to small of a portion.  Seriously wanted to lick that broth!  No idea how it was so flavorful from just mushrooms

Clementine - coconut yuzu sorbet with clementine snow.  I thought this was going to be a throwaway dish but that was insane because this was incredible.  So refreshing and great combo of textures and just the right amount of sweetness.  I think it's supposed to be a palate cleanser but honestly this would be a great dessert if there was nothing else

Special for the birthday boy-  Some kind of vanilla pudding/marshmallow.  I also missed taking a shot of the amazing Peruvian chocolate cake with caramelized fig and spiced chocolate ice cream.  For anyone who likes chocolate, one of the best chocolate dishes you can have.  If you LOVE chocolate, you will die from happiness 

Finale (complimentary ) - chocolate bon bon, coffee macaron, cherry financier and strawberry margarita.  All creative and delicious