Eric Ripert Introduces Vegetarian Tasting Menu At Le Bernardin

Le Bernardin, chef Eric Ripert's three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant, is known primarily for its seafood, but it's about to start offering a new tasting menu, and for the first time, all eight courses on the menu will be entirely vegetarian.

According to the New York Times, Eric Ripert says Le Bernardin's customers have been asking for a vegetarian tasting menu for some time, and he sees the vegetable-centric menu as an artistic challenge.

"I often get a dozen inquiries a week for a vegetable tasting," he told the Times' Florence Fabricant. "I like the idea of a menu that pays homage to the vegetable, though it's a creative challenge."

Like the seafood-centric Le Bernardin tasting menu that was already available, the new vegetarian tasting menu will include six savory courses and two desserts. Some of the dishes on the vegetarian menu include a tagliatelle pasta with black truffles, and eggplant served with porcini mushrooms. The vegetarian tasting menu is $185 per person, not including wine pairings, which is the same price as the regular Le Bernardin tasting menu. This is the first time Le Bernardin has offered a vegetarian tasting menu, and vegetable-focused meals are one of our predictions for the biggest food trends of 2018.