Originally Posted by obscure2k
I ate at Le Bernardin in the very early eighties when it was still in Paris. It was the first place I had ever tasted sea urchins(which I did not love). IIRC, a couple of years later, they shuttered the Paris location and moved to NYC. I remember preferring the seafood more at Taillevent (still, do).
The story behind Le Bernardin is fairly famous as it was so remarkable. It was a successful and well established Paris restaurant with 2 Michelin stars. The owners decided to open in NY (actually made an offer that they could not refuse, very lavish premises with the best kitchen that a restaurant could have -- more square footage than the dining room; all funded by the developer of an office building located a block the wrong way on 7th Ave. which was Siberia in those days, and desperate for a flagship restaurant to attract the right people). Thus Le Bernardin came to be in NYC, and it was far better and more successful than the Paris location. Thus a famous Paris restaurant closes in order to do business in NY. It would easily have been Michelin 3 star rated during its glory days (but I think now it is somewhere between 1 and 2 star). Lots of interesting sidelights to Le Bernardin and how it changed the restaurant scene in the US. Probably established the market for skate and sea urchin single-handedly (and yes sea urchin is an acquired taste, also a good indicator of the quality of a restaurant).