What would you do if you knew you were never going to taste anything ever again? If you’re like this man then you’d go to all your favorite New York City restaurants one last time. What, then, would you do about securing a reservation at uber-trendy Le Bernardin? It seems you’d be taken care of by head chef Eric Ripert who is cooking a multi-course meal for the desperate foodie before his impending operation. Check out the personalized “Doomsday” menu:

Fluke
White-Soy-Yuzu-Marinated Fluke; Seaweed and Spiced “Rice Crispies”
Riesling, Château Bela, Slovakia 2003

Lobster
Warm Poached Lobster; Sweet-Pea-Verbena Mousseline; Chilled Grapefruit Broth
Mas de Daumas Gassac, Vin de Pays de L’Hérault 2006

Calamari
Sautéed Calamari Filled With Sweet Prawns and Wood-Ear Mushroom; Calamari Consommé
Grüner Veltliner Federspiel, Emmerich Knoll, Austria 2005

Wild Salmon
Barely Cooked Wild Alaskan Salmon; Daikon, Snow Peas, and Enoki Salad; Sweet-Pea-Wasabi Sauce
Muscat Grand Cru Speigel, Jean Pierre Dirler, Alsace 2003

Turbot
Wild Turbot; Shiso-Maitake Salad; Lemon-Miso Broth
Puligny Montrachet le Trézin, Marc Colin 2004

Escolar
White Tuna Poached in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; Sea Beans and Potato Crisps; Light Red Wine Béarnaise
Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, Daniel Rion 2001

Apricot
Roasted Apricots, Black-Sesame Panna Cotta, Cherry Granité, Soy Caramel
Tokaij Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Disznoko, Hungary 1999

“Egg”
Milk Chocolate Pot de Crème, Caramel Foam, Maple Syrup, Maldon Sea Salt

What a lucky guy. Ripert seems like a class act too, it’s really great of him to offer this. The question now would be, is it worth potentially losing your sense of taste forever if it means you get a special meal cooked by Ripert?

If Ripert looks or sounds familiar it might be his dual appearances on Top Chef this season. He was guest judge on last week’s Aspen show and he didn’t care too much for Bryan’s choice to let the diner choose the cheese.

--
Justin Dickinson

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