BEST OF NEW YORK


Food

Best Fusion Restaurant
Le Bernardin
155 West 51st Street
212-489-1515


Forget those restaurants that coyly claim to be Thai-Norwegian or Chilean-Korean with a touch of Guam. Self-consciously crossing borders rarely creates something fresh and delicious. And these days, no chef worth his or her fleur de sel will hesitate to use any spice, any marinade, any preparation that will enhance his or her artistry. One of the most exhilarating snappers we’ve ever ravished was bathed in coconut milk. It was created by chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin, a restaurant founded on the skills and tastes Maguy and Gilbert LeCoze acquired growing up in Brittany. You won’t find much coconut milk in Brittany. Nor a lot of the other ingredients the limitlessly talented Ripert employs. So what? His idea of fusion keeps exploding into something wonderful.