Le B - Phony experience reaching for a Michelin star
EDIT: LE B, NOTTTTTT Le Bernardin
I know there is one thread on here about this restaurant but all the comments were mostly from 1-2 years ago, so I went this past week hoping it would be different from what was said here.
It wasn’t.
I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, when you book they let you know there’s a $250pp cancellation fee if cancelled within 48 hours of your reservation. I get wanting to recoup the cost of hard-to-source ingredients but $250 is a bit extreme to me, even for NYC “fine dining.”
We sat down and were only given a drink menu. They took our drink order 15 minutes after we sat down, and the drinks took another 15 minutes to come to the table. It’s a small place, there’s 1 bartender so I understand it might take a while. I worked in the service industry for 10 years. I truly get wanting thing to be perfect (especially considering the price). We get our drinks, and after 10 minutes we are finally given food menus. So nearly 45 minutes after we are sat, we are finally given food menus. I do not understand the reasoning behind that in the slightest. Sure you want people to relax and take their time and enjoy…but don’t you want to turn your tables? While we didn’t feel rushed, the whole dinner felt like a forced waiting game. As if to give the illusion that everything was so carefully crafted that you must wait patiently for it to be perfect.
We were able to order our food nearly one hour after we sat down. We opted for à la carte since the tasting menus didn’t interest us. The famous semi-well-known burger isn’t even listed on the menu - apparently it’s a IYKYK thing and have to call ahead to reserve in advance. Sure, fine, whatever - a NYC exclusivity thing. We’ll live.
Our first course comes after 20 minutes & it’s incomplete/wrong. We think because of how long they take that what’s missing will come as the next course. Nope. Our entrees eventually come out and we ask about the missing dish which is then brought out in about 3 minutes. Which then makes us wonder why everything else takes so long if this can come out in 3 minutes. We didn’t order dessert.
The food was fine-ish, at best. Service was also fine. We were charged for the server’s mishap on the first course. The vibe was just bizarre in there. There was max 18 people and while I don’t think everyone was ordering the table side Duck a L’orange, they certainly kept making a show of it as if to entice others to order. Maybe that many people were ordering it…unsure, just a feeling. I imagine the place is aiming for a a Michelin star, which I cannot imagine they will ever get. Maybe Bib Gourmand but I’d even say that’s a stretch. The prices are a bit much. There’s no picture of the food menu on Google as I imagine the owner doesn’t want people seeing the prices before they come (and probably requests that google remove any that are uploaded) and notes online that prices will be on the menu given to you when you dine. It all just seems like a big, phony force for the chef to get a Michelin star. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see it close in 2027.
EDIT: it feels important to mention that the banquet seats are made with a very cheap feeling velvet.