To follow up, the restaurant was owned and operated by Gilbert and Maguy LeCoze with Gilbert the Executive Chef and with Eric Ripert, Chef de Cuisine. Gilbert passed away in 1994 and at that time Ripert became Executive Chef.
I thought Bernardin was outstanding when I first visited in 1998. However, a recent visit this year I was not as impressed.
Originally Posted by number_6
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).