Le Bernardin

Description
Although this midtown restaurant is perhaps the most celebrated seafood destination in Manhattan, the painted seascapes in the hushed, carpeted dining room feel very disconnected from this upper crusty setting. Items from Eric Ripert’s menu (which includes Almost Raw, Barely Touched and Lightly Cooked sections) are good, but not great. An appetizer of paper-thin yellow fin tuna draped over a slice of toast with foie gras is delicate but bland. Calamari stuffed with wood ear mushrooms and prawns offers an interesting if unspectacular take on surf and turf. And while the fragrant ginger-and-cardamom-infused tomato broth that bathes a black bass is stunning, the fish itself can be slightly overcooked. A place with a reputation this great should have better food.