Le Bernardin named top US restaurant once again by La Liste
The Michelin Guide star awards for New York City restaurants won’t be announced until Monday, but Manhattan’s superstar chefs are already celebrating their honors in the latest global survey of the world’s 1,000 best places to eat.
For the third year running, French seafood palace Le Bernardin was named the top US restaurant by La Liste — the Paris-based, algorithm-driven guide for gourmands — sharing the honor with Single Thread in Healdsburg, Calif.
Eric Ripert’s and Maguy LeCoze’s West 51st Street institution and Single Thread,
helmed by Kyle Connaughton, were among nine eateries worldwide to earn La Liste’s highest rating of 99.50, according to the survey released last week.
La Liste purports to be a comprehensive barometer of media perceptions of which critics’ reviews are only one part. The overall score is also based on all types of media coverage, guidebooks and millions of online reviews from the likes of Yelp and Tripadvisor.
While it may not yet have the clout of Michelin, La Liste has steadily grown in influence since its launch in 2015 — especially in Europe and Asia.
“They imposed themselves in Europe, China, Japan and Korea. The US market is discovering it more slowly,” Ripert, Le Bernardin’s chef/co-owner, told The Post.
“La Liste has a good effect on our business, especially from South Korean, Japanese and Chinese customers.”
Diners from those countries account for no less than 30% of Le Bernardin’s dinner clientele, Ripert added.
At a time when so many customers eat earlier than they did before the pandemic, Le Bernardin is usually turning its 80-odd tables after 10 p.m.
Dinner at Le Bernardin starts at $210 for a four-course tasting and lunch costs $130 for three courses.
Michelin, which relies on anonymous “surveyors,” has blessed Le Bernardin with three stars every year since it launched its New York edition in 2005.
That third star can boost business by 25% compared to a two-starred Michelin restaurant, chefs and owners said.
La Liste, meanwhile, had good news for Daniel Boulud’s empire, as well. The chef’s Maison Barnes — home to the famous $250 “Chobster” chicken-and-lobster hybrid — received the “Opening of the Year” honor. Maison Barnes shares its Park Avenue location with the revived Cafe Boulud.
In a statement, Boulud and Dinex Group CEO Sebastien Silvestri said, “We are proud to partner with Barnes Hospitality and [CEO] Thibault de Saint Vincent. This recognition means a lot to us and the team.”
The La Liste honors come amid a December flurry of restaurant awards.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Four Twenty Five was the sole fine-dining establishment to make Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants” roster, which was dominated by casual spots — Demo, Tolo, Penny, Naks, Sailor in Brooklyn and Hellbender in Queens.
And Mēdüzā Mediterrania in the Meatpacking District topped Yelp’s national “Best Restaurants of 2024” list.