Le Bernardin & George Bang Bang - Leah's 40th Birthday

It's been eight months since our daughter Lilia was born. With parenthood comes some obvious limitations on the time and resources required to undertake a special dinner outing. Nonetheless, I was determined to celebrate Leah's 40th birthday in style, and, with a little luck and a lot of help from my parents, we were able to make it happen. 

It had been fifteen years since my first and only time dining at Le Bernardin. I had always been curious to return and, having recently watched a video of the restaurant on the excellent Alexander The Guest YouTube channel, decided it would make a great candidate for a surprise night out with Leah, especially as Le Bernardin is situated only a half block from my office.

Le Bernardin
155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Leah drove in and met me at my office. Traffic was bad so we were a tiny bit late. I feigned frustration as we walked and when Leah asked, "How much further do you think it will be?" I responded, "About ten feet." 

As I mentioned, it was many years since my last visit, so despite the most recent renovation occurring in 2011, it was all new to me. I enjoyed the look, though it felt very shadowy.

Here I should note that we were somewhat disappointed with the service. The staff was professional but lacked the feeling of warmth and hospitality we've come to expect in a post-Will Guidara fine dining world. I feel like I'm not supposed to say this out loud, but all of our servers had very thick accents (Spanish or French), and as such we had a very difficult time understanding them, especially when they were describing the food. Our main server explained the menu in what felt like a patronizing fashion, as if we had never been to a restaurant before. He sternly reiterated several times that the tasting menu was only for all guests at the table, like he was preemptively reprimanding us lest we make a mistake in ordering. This all made it difficult to strike up a rapport with anyone, and made us feel like a pair of tourists going through a revolving door. 

We set to work ordering a few drinks to start. Knowing that we were visiting a bar after dinner, we chose to limit ourselves to a cocktail and glass of wine each.

We were visited by our sommelier, who suggested a wine for me - it was the first selection off the full pairing, a crisp 2021 Austrian Zierfandler. Leah ordered hers later, and received a nice unoaked Chardonnay. I was mulling over the idea of a red with some of the later fish courses, but I took my time sipping what was a very generous pour. The sommelier never came back to check in with us anyway, so I decided to save further alcohol consumption for after dinner. 

Cocktails

L'Ambassadeur

Branchwater Gin, Pomegranate, Za'atar, Pastis

Cap Chevalier

Avua Cachaça, Amburana, Giffard Pineapple, Clement Mahina Coco Rhum

Both of these were delicious, Leah's being light and refreshing, with a bit of herbal punch from the Pastis, while mine was warm and delicately tropical. 

Amuse-Bouche

Crab Croquette

Salmon Rillette

Lobster-Corn Soup

A delicious start, though it felt a bit uninspired and generic. The salmon rillette was very tasty, and in retrospect was one of our favorite bites of the evening. 

Bread Service

Baguette, Raisin Bread, Olive Focaccia, Brioche

We thoroughly enjoyed the bread service. The brioche and focaccia were especially good, though the former was more like a croissant than what I think of as traditional brioche.

One thing we greatly appreciated was that the bread service did not end with one offering. They continuously came back throughout the meal to offer us more and to replace the butter. This is something many other high-end restaurants don't do - the bread is served as basically its own course and that's it. 

Hamachi (Japanese Amberjack)

Hamachi Sashimi, Pickled Mushroom & Watermelon Radish, Citrus Dashi

A nice light start. The subtly sour dashi was very complementary to the fish. While the mushroom and radish looked pretty and added a textural element, they didn't have much flavor. 

Japanese Madai (Sea Bream)

Baked Madai, Fennel, Olive, Onion, Artichoke, Sauce Barigoule

A tender, savory dish with delicate sea bream. The flavors were great, but the onion cups felt outdated presentation-wise. The artichoke chips were excellent and added needed contrast, but I would have liked a few more. 

Montauk Shrimp

Seared Shrimp, Fennel Mousseline, Sauce Bouillabaisse

This course was delicious, but I thought it suffered a bit from being fancified. Bouillabaisse is a hearty dish and this more delicate version felt a little tone deaf to me, especially the tiny, barely noticeable cracker with pea-sized dot of aioli. 

Salmon-Caviar

Slowly Baked Salmon, Beets, Leek, Royal Osetra Caviar, Horseradish Emulsion

The undisputed best plate of the evening. Everything about this was absolutely perfect - the rich, tender salmon, salty caviar, crunchy beets, and tangy horseradish sauce. Fantastic!

Halibut

Steamed Halibut, Baby Vegetables, Jus de Viande

This dish was a miss for me. Nothing was wrong with it on paper (it was executed perfectly), but by this point the service style of a piece of fish with garnishes and a poured sauce became monotonous. 

Hiramasa (Yellowtail Amberjack)

Grilled Hiramasa, Roasted Maitake, Bone Marrow-Red Wine Bordelaise

The star here was the mushroom, which was far more interesting than the fish. The sauce was rich and delicious, with an unctuous gloss and viscosity. 

Apricot

Roasted Bella Jewel Apricot, Yogurt Sorbet

A nice balanced palette cleanser which refreshed us before the very indulgent final course. 

Peruvian Dark Chocolate

Warm Peruvian Chocolate Tart, Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream

Another contender for best dish of the night, probably a close second to the salmon. Chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream isn't that exciting in theory, but everything about this was perfect. It was rich, warm, melty, crispy, and creamy. What a dessert. 

Cupcake

Blueberry, Chantilly Cream

I had noted in the reservation that it was Leah's 40th birthday. I said that she had been working very hard and doing a great job as a first-time mom, and I really wanted to do something special for her. I asked if there was a possibility that they could offer their smoked salmon in some form, since that's Leah's favorite food of all time. I can certainly understand if they were not able to fulfill the request (which they didn't), but I didn't even receive any acknowledgement. I would have appreciated somebody contacting me and saying "Unfortunately we won't be able to do this - is there anything else we can do to make your evening special?" I would have gladly talked through any other possibilities and if there were none, I'd at least have felt ok knowing that they responded and we tried. 

As a sort of consolation prize, they did serve us what I imagine is their standard birthday dessert, a blueberry cupcake. It tasted nice, and the cupcake "paper" was edible. 

Petit-Fours

Counter-clockwise from bottom:

Mint-Chocolate Macaron

Orange Cream Bonbon

Blueberry "Muffin"

Chocolate-Rum Truffle

These were all quite delicious and a solid finish. 

Overall, I was disappointed. I can't say the problem was necessarily all on the restaurant's shoulders - it's not like they advertise themselves as being an avant-garde modern dining establishment. They perfectly cook fish in the classic French style, nothing more and nothing less. But in my opinion, at this price point, there are too many other outstanding experiences to be had that are at least equally well-executed and much more unique. There's so much more that can be done with fish while still treating it right. I would want to see more creativity and variety, but I suppose then it would be a different restaurant.  Food aside, the impersonal conveyor-belt service did not help the experience. 

Ultimately, Le Bernardin feels like a restaurant in the past - whether it's stuck there and in need of updating or rightfully carrying the torch of a fading tradition is up to the individual diner to decide. 


After dinner, we took the train down to George Bang Bang, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar that I had wanted to try, especially once I saw that they accept reservations, a rarity for any bar. After losing 25 minutes on the subway to a disgruntled passenger and subsequent change of train, we arrived quite late. Nevertheless, they were kind enough to honor our reservation and sat us right away. 

George Bang Bang

13 East 30th St, New York, NY 10016

The interior is very dark, very cramped, and very loud. There's an energetic vibe, like you're at a party in somebody's basement, which could be fun for many people, however the close quarters and dense smoke in the air from all the smoked cocktails made me feel claustrophobic. 

Cocktails - Round 1

Hocus Pocus

Michter's Bourbon, Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Timut Pepper, Lemon, Delicate Ginger Ale, Ginger Candy

500 Days of Summer

Caravedo Pisco, Truffle Honey, Burdock, Gentian Root, Cinchona Bark, Black Cardamom, Quinine, Lemon, Aperol, Pear Cider, Thyme

This first round of drinks was very tasty, however I struggled to identify more than two or three of the ingredients in each. I love creative cocktails, but the ingredients need to be in service of something. While good, I felt like for all the work and ingredients that went into these, the resulting flavors were pretty simple.  

Cocktails - Round 2

Don "Michael" Corleone

Bacon Fat Washed Woodinville Bourbon, Dubonet, Maple Syrup, Angostura Bitters, Rosemary Smoke, Homemade Bacon Dark Chocolate

Seed

Michter's Bourbon, Korean Red Ginseng 6yr, St. Germain, Roasted Rice, Roasted Pine Nuts, Ginger, Lemon, Clarified Milk, Angostura Bitters

After an unfortunate ordering mishap (I said we wanted to order "another round", and our waitress took that to mean two more of the same drinks), we received our correct second set of cocktails, which I enjoyed a lot more than the first. Here, the complexity of the ingredients was more notable and the flavors reflected everything written on the menu. 

Though not everything was as perfect as I hoped, Leah and I still had a fantastic time. It was wonderful to get out for a more formal night alone, and I'm grateful we were able to pull it off. 

Kono w/ Al

With the upcoming birth of my first child, Al and I decided to take our annual dinner together a bit early this year. Kono, an upscale yakitori restaurant with 1 Michelin star, has been celebrated as one of NYC's best (relatively) new restaurants in many publications. I was first introduced to it via a wonderful video on Eater's "Smoke Point" series on YouTube, and had been dreaming about visiting ever since.

Kono opens their books on Resy at midnight two weeks to the day in advance of seating. I first attempted to make a reservation earlier this year with Leah, though by midnight plus a few seconds, all reservations for the night had immediately been snatched up. Later, when I tried again to go with Al, the availability was completely open. 

It was a memorable and unique experience, filled with fantastic food and fun service. Apparently, about a third of the staff were all playing Baldur's Gate 3 in their free time, which immediately become a recurring talking point throughout the night. The chicken was outrageous and it was fun to enjoy the different cuts and preparations, though we were slightly disappointed that the famous ovary shown in many reviews and videos was not present the evening we dined. That aside, if you're looking for a novel dining event in a beautiful, intimate setting, I can't recommend Kono enough. 

Kono
46 Bowery, New York, NY 10013

The entrance to Kono can be found down a simple yet elegant public alleyway. The space invites you in to an intimate setting removed from the bustle of the city street just steps away. Very Japanese. 

We were the first seating to arrive, and were able to enjoy a fleeting quiet view of the restaurant before the activity of the evening began. Kono is a "kappo-style" restaurant, meaning the food is mostly prepared in front of the guests rather than in a separate kitchen. 

A lovely table setting presentation that resembled a minimalist Japanese still life as much as a dining setting. Included was a beautifully written note from Chef Kono discussing the autumn season and how it both influences and is reflected by the current menu. 

Chicken Consommé

Green Onion

Our first offering was a warm bowl of rich, clear chicken soup with just a few baby green onions for added texture and bite. This was a comforting and simple way to start a meal focused on chicken. 

Mushroom
Ginko Nut

These charred mushrooms had a pleasantly earthy flavor and juicy texture, though they were also a bit dry / papery on the outside and felt one-note. 

Cocktails

Beautifully presented and competently prepared, these cocktails - a riff on a negroni and a seasonal highball - were a fantastic start to our drinks for the meal. 

Kabocha Squash

A rich, velvety squash soup was next. It was warming and buttery, with tofu, mochi, yuba, and more hiding just beneath the surface. 

Chicken Liver Pâté

Rice Cracker, Black Truffle

Kono's signature appetizer, which is as good a use of chicken and truffle as I've ever enjoyed. The idea is to make a sandwich of the items, pressing the top cracker down on the bottom contents. We were offered a supplement of swapping the black truffle for white, but didn't feel this was necessary, especially as Al can't really taste truffle. 

With the appetizers concluded, our server placed down these two wooden boxes and instructed us on the use of the different seasonings that we would optionally use for the yakitori. One had a light, lemony flavor with a bit of numbing (as with Szechuan peppercorns) while the other was darker and richer. 

Also provided was a small bowl of seasoned grated daikon, to be used as a palette cleanser between rounds. 

A shot of Chef Kono and his staff. The gentleman just behind him was managing the floor throughout the evening, and was one of the guys who excitedly told us about his Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough. He had rolled a Paladin / Necromancer for his first run and was already working on his second!

Sake

I enjoy sake quite a bit, but ultimately consider myself a novice, so Al and I chose to enlist the advice of the staff in choosing a bottle. We thoroughly enjoyed this offering, which had a complex earthiness and minerality, with hints of mushroom. It perfectly complemented the rich chicken meal, though I unfortunately didn't make note of its name. 

Tail

The succulent fattiness of the famed bonjiri (chicken tail) was our first bite and it did not disappoint. I first learned of this cut from food blogger and fellow Marvel-ite CB Cebulski over at his excellent blog, Eataku, where CB has repeatedly described it as his favorite part of the chicken. I now see why, though I personally still enjoy the oyster just a bit more. 

Inner Thigh

This was a more straightforward piece of meat that reminded us of "chicken". The light glazing of sauce and subtle char made for a delicious bite. 

Knee

A more adventurous skewer, at least for westerners like ourselves, the knee joint here was deboned but left the cartilage intact, making for a simultaneously meaty and crunchy experience. 

Peppers

I can't recall the name of these peppers (they were not shishitos), but they added a welcome vegetal hit partway through the rich chicken courses. 

Belly Skin

Another favorite of mine, this skin from the belly (described as "chicken bacon") was charred on the outside but the various folds remained tender with plenty of fat.

Supplements

Midway through the meal, our server brought out a box containing supplemental options that could be added on to our meal a la carte. We appreciated that the choices here ranged from extremely humble (chicken feet, shishito peppers, gizzards, etc.) to extremely luxurious (A5 Wagyu beef, Iberico pork, etc.), meaning that diners can add on some unusual items for a reasonable price, or splurge and get the really high-end stuff. 

Ultimately, we chose to add the gizzards, neck, and Iberico pork to our meal. 

Belly

Shiso

The piece of belly meat that the previous skin course was taken from was served next, topped with a generous heap of shredded shiso, which added a pleasantly grassy note to the juicy chicken. 

Oyster

Yuzu

My all-time favorite meat on the chicken (coming from just two small pockets on the lower back) was, predictably, also my favorite bite of the meal. The tender oyster arrived wrapped in the surrounding meat from the lower back and topped with a delicate smear of yuzu paste. Outrageous. 

Fig

White Miso

An unexpected and welcome palette cleanser came next in the form of this lightly charred fig perched atop a dollop of sesame-like white miso. 

KFC (Kono Fried Chicken)

Apple, Chives

I don't recall which part of the chicken this was, but it was a nice addition to the all the other grilled courses. The panko coating was delicate and crunchy and the sweet grated apple topping imbued the bite with a beautiful autumn sensibility. 

Wing

Bones still intact, we enjoyed gnawing on these crisp, succulent wings as the penultimate main course offering. 

Tsukune

Greens, Tomato, Special Sauce, Pickles

Last but certainly not least was Chef Kono's take on tsukune (chicken meatball), here transformed into an fantastically tasty little slider with homemade pickles. 

Neck (Supplement)

After completing the main menu, our supplements began to arrive. First up was this bit of neck meat, which was a real hit. 

Shochu

We paused to discuss another drink option and took our server's suggestion of trying a shochu. While I have at least some experience with sake, shochu is a total mystery, one which I hope to unravel further, if this bottle is any indication of what to expect. It drank like a fine scotch, with complex peat and mineral notes. 

Iberico Pork (Supplement)

Yuzu, Chives

Iberico pork is a rare treat, and the perfect grill cookery here made for a luxurious experience worth the extra cost. 

Gizzard (Supplement)

I love fried gizzards, which I almost always used to order at the legendary NY izakaya, Sake Bar Hagi. Though this grilled version was enjoyable, we felt it was a miss to serve it last, rather than ending with the pork. 

Udon

Our final savory dish took us back to the beginning of the meal, with another bowl of clear chicken soup, this time with the addition of chewy udon noodles. Wonderful!

Black Sugar Crème Brûlée

Kono's signature dessert stands out just as much as their chicken. The Japanese black sugar lent a pleasantly bitter flavor that tempered the otherwise sweet custard. I loved this.