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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Flatiron23rd St-Park Ave S (6)
23rd St-Broadway (R, W)
23rd St-6th Ave (F, V)
"Whether you are here for lunch or dinner, this place is always a winner. (haha) Because I work down the street, I frequent this place a few…" read more »
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8 stars for food 4 star portion size ( I want more every time!!)
Date Rating: 9
Pick up Scale : 2
Strong Suggestion: Two apps one entree one dessert per person
People thought this was:
Dear Daniel,
I am writing to apologize for my behavior a few weeks back. It was very ungentlemanly of me to burst into the kitchen - *your* kitchen - uninvited, and then to donkey punch you with the raw filet mignon while shouting, "What's the matter, San Francisco not good enough for ya...?" (I've left out most of the expletives, but you probably recall the event...yes, yes of course you do.) Anyways, my humble apologies.
Less offensive, but still worth coming clean about, was the scene I made in your restaurant. It was unfortunate and inconsiderate of me to wail like a bereaved parent after tasting your SUCKLING PIG. It started as a controllable whimper, but when I tasted the first mouthful of the sous vide belly with its crispy, crackling crust, I lost it.
In many ways, I was the suckling pig that night, and I nursed at your corpulent breast.
Wait, that came out all wrong. Let me start over.
Mr. Humm,
I am very, very sorry. Please allow me to explain myself, and perhaps you might find it in yourself to forgive me (forgetting might be pushing it). I am a great admirer of your fantastical French haute cuisine. When I heard that you would be moving to New York to take over at 11 Mad Park, I thought, "you're too good for that place," and I was right, but you've done something unimaginable: you elevated it to one of the finest restaurants on the east coast.
The service was close to impeccable and extremely accommodating. They smiled cordially at me as they replaced our tablecloth, and you wouldn't think for a second that they were holding a grudge against me for using it in the way that I did. You see, our napkins were otherwise filled with your gorgeous GOUGERES that we had asked to be refilled not once, not twice, not even thrice, but four times that night. So, after sobbing uncontrollably at your honey lavender-glazed Muscovy DUCK (its flavors a revelation of biblical proportions), needless to say, my pants were a bit...sticky.
Damn it, I'm having a hard time putting this to words, Mr. Humm. I'll try again.
To the Venerable Daniel Humm,
I hold you and your trade with the greatest respect and admiration, and I humbly request your forgiveness. Your slow-poached FARM EGG with Matsutake mushrooms and frogs' legs was flawless; your SEA URCHIN mousse with cauliflower foam and roe was a work of art, no...a masterpiece; and the LOBSTER NAVARIN with the infusion of tarragon was...
Wait, you know all this already, so why do I even bother? I suppose you also know that your friggin' CHOCOLATE TART with caramel and Maldon salt was sheer genius - no wonder you named it a Symphony. Christ, could you even make a bad dish? If you tried, maybe, but seriously, are you even surprised that people lose their sh*t in your opulent temple?
Whatever.
Danny,
You f*ing bastard, I'M the victim here! YOU should be apologizing to ME and all of San Francisco for switching coasts. I HATE you, you turncoat!! How could you? HOW COULD YOU?!?
. . .
I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. I was just kidding. I will always love you the most, and San Francisco isn't the same since you've left. I hope you're happy (not really).
Kisses,
- Your Biggest Fan (Still)
XOXOX
People thought this was:
Can I add 5 more stars to Eleven Madison? Daniel Humm has created dishes worthy of Frank Bruni's four star review The first time we went, pre-Humm days was good but nothing eventful, this time around it was exquisite We chose the three course pre-fixe ($88)- two savory dishes, one sweet and additional two amuse bouche. We chose the Di Paolo Ricotta(gnocchi with Violet Artichokes, Taggiasca Olives and Bottarga); Organic Milk-fed chicken for two, desserts- I had the mint chocolate torte and my fiancee had the peanut butter chocolate torte. Each of the dish was heavenly: the gnocchi was heavenly; the chicken perfectly cooked with the table presentation; the desserts were decadent.
The most important aspect of NYC dining scene I truly appreciate, here it was amazing. The next time I dine here I will definitely try the chef's menu to truly appreciate the Chef Humm's vision in his cooking. Too bad he left SF but it gives us more reason to go back to NY.
I had one of the best dinners when I last visited NYC and it was at Eleven Madison Park (which is… Read more »
Flawless experience: came for business lunch. Loved the airy art deco space with high ceilings and green landscape shading the windows, the friendly service, the beet salad that could have been a museum exhibit, the tender moist perfectly seasoned pink snapper, the affordable prix fixe ($28 for appetizer and entree)...more details to come when I have time.
I was expecting a sublime experience with the finest quality of restaurant food in NYC, after reading Bruni's glowing review awhile back in the Times. I went with my father, a lifelong cook with a great sense of taste. We both had identical reactions -- surprised and disappointed by the lack of flavor. Everything else was terrific -- the place, the staff, the feeling of being cared for generously -- but real flavor was missing amid all the visual presentations. Even the little butters, cow and goat, were bland. The venison, the crab cake, even the amuse bouche left me scratching my head. Maybe it was an off night in the kitchen? Hard to believe with such a well-oiled machine. All I can say is that I wish I had stayed home and cooked a little plain pasta or thrown some chicken in the oven instead of all that rich (and expensive) colorful little food.
Have you ever food-gasmed just listening to the description of food? No? Well, I nearly did. And I could not have picked a better (non-Gramercy Tavern) restaurant to patronize for my husband's birthday.
There's not much for me to add to all these great reviews, but if you go during winter '09, you must get the hare and the Dover sole (part of the two seasonal tasting menus). You'll have to ask for them special if you're not getting those tasting menus, but I promise the reward on your tongue and in your belly will be worth any embarrassment.
We had only been here once, long ago, and I said then that I didn't feel loved. Well, I felt the love this time. We spent 5 hours being lavished with food and attention. My husband actually said, "If you ever happen to meet Danny Meyer again, you tell him we love him and his restaurants."
As a final note, before dessert, while the table was being cleared, we joked with one of the servers about how we wanted our leftover goat's milk butter to go. Imagine our surprise as we left to find that we had a bag with, in fact, a new serving of butter wrapped up for us with information about the purveyor.
Wow.
People thought this was:
I...Huh. You really liked the food? Yes. The service was good? Yes. Was that the best mint… Read more »
I wanted to love Eleven Madison Park. I honestly did. Sadly, it fell frustratingly short of "marvelous". That's not to say that I hated the experience, nor does it mean that I am writing the establishment off forever. (I won't address the ambiance or the food because, well, everything that needs to be said has already been said in prior reviews.)
I'd like to assume the waiter was well-meaning and didn't want to be overbearing. Truthfully, though, there was something a bit off about the way the service was kept to a bare minimum - enough so that it actually felt intensely uncomfortable at times (and I'm no stranger to dining alone). There was no explanation of the menu, no volunteering of any information, and no checking in to see if I liked my choices. The pacing was also rather off. The appetizer came out before I was even halfway done with the amuse bouche, and then I had to wait for a while before the main was plopped down in front of me. I would have appreciated it if the waiter offered an explanation or at least made some apologetic noise about the significant delay, but alas. I even tossed him a "I guess the kitchen is rather busy?" type of comment, which got no response. The only time he cracked even half a smile was when I asked for the check.
Maybe my expectations were a bit unreasonable. Or maybe it's because the service really was slightly less than great. I'm willing to give EMP another try, though, mostly because I figure everyone has an off day and I'm willing to give the restaurant a benefit of doubt. (And I'm a sucker who doesn't know better and really just wants to love EMP. Sigh.)
Something has happened to me recently when it comes to ultra high-end New York City restaurants - I simply don't frequent them as much as I used to. I probably blame this on the fact that I spend so much time on the road, which often entails countless hours of business dinners at the best restaurants that I can find. I admit that I am a very lucky person from this aspect. But when I come home, I tend to take comfort in the places that have served me such good meals over the years - The Momofukus, Supper, 'inoteca, Frank and a handful of other neighborhood joints that are my staples. Sometimes, it's just good to be home.
But with Eleven Madison Park, I waited out the four stages of NYC restaurant buzz: initial buzz, it-got-very-very-popular-buzz, just-received-a-superb-NY-Times-review buzz and post-NY-Times-review-buzz. Throughout this lifecycle, people continued to insist that Eleven' still had not fizzled. And when it was adorned a 4th star by Frank Bruni - an upgrade, nonetheless - just before he exited his role as reviewer, I had to give in.
It had been a while since I actually woke up excited about dinner, but this Friday was very different. A 9:00 reservation is usually my preference and, with the help of our friends at American Express, we were able to score a table on quite short notice. Arriving promptly, they took our rainy gear and sat us at my choice of best table in the house - on the elevated level, front and center, overlooking the massive windows above the entrance. The view for people watching was great, and the position helped suck in every inch of the marvelous, art deco, "old-bank"-style surroundings. What an amazing space.
We went with the Autumn Tasting Menu, which I figured would give me enough of the variety that I was looking for. Hawaiian Prawns wrapped in avocado were executed more like a prawn salad that had a tremendous mix of salty, sweet and sour. Dover sole was prepared medium/medium-rare - quite unusual, I must say - but amazingly tender and accompanied by a rich sauce that didn't get in the way of the fish. The Suckling Pig was the best that I've ever tasted and is a dish by which my companion samples religiously at the best restaurants in the world, as it was a staple where he grew up in Portugal. It was the best he'd ever had as well. The venison was also the best I had ever tasted - take everything you knew about venison and throw it away, this is the best that there is. Think of the most flavorful filet mignon without a hint of gaminess. The chocolate dessert, while simple, was just perfect for the end of the 5 courses. Whatever you envision in your mind for each of these dishes is, often, strikingly the opposite and the result is magnificent.
But it's the little things that really make the experience. Unsalted French butter AND salted goats milk butter accompany the fresh bread. Five different "courses" of amuse bouches are every bit as complex and flavorful as the main dishes: a sea urchin bisque with peekytoe crab soup; a selection of "canapes" ranging from a crispy/soft tuna tar-tar to a "beet marshmallow"; homemade mini macaroons in six flavors that are some of the best you could ever find. A bottle of after dinner liqueur was left on the table and we were told to help ourselves...
Service was precisely what I enjoy in a restaurant like this: attentive, knowledgeable, unobtrusive and conversational. The sommelier was a pleasure to engage with and helped navigate their telephone-book-thick wine "list" to a bottle that was just perfect. The "cheese girl" knew every aspect about every cheese they had, including the number of goats present on the certain Vermont farm that produced our favorite.
All of this doesn't come cheap. Two people at the $125 tasting menu, four cocktails, one bottle of $125 wine, two cheese courses (not included with the tasting menu), taxes and 20% gratuity: $585.OK, so you're not going to do THAT every day. But there are cheaper entry tickets, however. The three-course $88 menu comes with all the fixins' and the menu selection is varied - it is not a compromise. Lunch, at an even cheaper price, is an option as well.
It's difficult for me to find flaws in anything from that evening. I might request the Dover sole to be cooked just a tad bit more and I get the feeling that it might be a bit underdone for some others' palates, as well. But, then again, I wouldn't order the Dover sole if I went back since the tableside-carved roasted duck looked to die for.
Also, be aware that this is a long meal - and rightfully so. Don' think you're going to hop in at 6:00, chow down and then make the evening curtain at The Lion King.
Just sit back and enjoy your dinner...
People thought this was:
This place is really elegant with good service and wonderful food. The 2-course lunch pre-fix is a great deal. Note that dessert costs extra.
Everything was well-presented, perfectly executed, flavorful but not overly heavy. I particularly enjoyed my pan-seared skate entree. For dessert - we were given a choice of a variety of cakes and tarts from a dessert cart. The waiter would slice it up in front of the table before serving it. I really enjoyed that. We tried the raspberry tart and one of the cakes - both were delicious.
People thought this was:
So last time I had lunch at Jean Georges I decided I would someday become a 'lady who lunches'. Must be in the cards for me because a group of 'ladies who lunch' sat at the table next to us.
For now I can settle with being a 'girl who lunches' every once in a blue moon. But really $28 for two courses is a great deal.
They start out by presenting you with a delicious amuse bouche- cucumber with creme fraiche & smoked salmon and a type of radish with salt and butter perhaps? They were both super tasty with wonderful summer flavors and bright colors.
They give you these cheese puff pastries that are impossible not to devour whole one after the other. The olive bread was also absolutely deliciously warm and tasty.
1. Sweet Corn Chowder with Nova Scotia Lobster and Bacon
2. Lamb Sausage with Arugula, Tomato Confit and Potato Mousseline
The corn chowder was a beautiful yellow color with perfectly cooked pieces of lobster that were bursting with brightness and flavor. Absolutely a wonderful beginning. Mr. Humm really takes advantage of what the summer has to offer in his menu. Every bite was like enjoying a warm summer day.
The lamb sausage dish was filled with deep smoky flavors of all kinds with a tomato confit that tasted so sweet and balanced the spicy smoky sausage so well. The potato was also a wonderful component to the dish. This felt like extremely refined comfort food.
My companion's snapper ala bouillabaisse was absolutely fantastic and perfectly done as well. Her appetizer was a sort of terrine that had pickled vegetables that were so delicious.
For desert they bring out the desert cart and it is so difficult to choose and impossible to turn away from. I wish we could have had all of them.
1. Blueberry & Brown Sugar Crumble
2. Lemon Meringue tart
Once again Eleven Madison Park was able to achieve an extremely refined version of a classic comfort dish. The blueberry crumble was light and yet showcased the strong delicious flavors that a blueberry has. Absolutely delectable and as satisfying as any chocolate desert would be. The lemon meringue tart was also light and delicious with a soft meringue as an accompaniment.
Small yet beautiful space, efficient service, fantastic food and at a wonderful price. What more could you ask for on a beautiful summer day?
People thought this was:
This place makes me miss my days of client meetings and expense accounts. Back then, I was a regular. Most recently, I went as a "tourist" for a dinner party upstairs in one of their private rooms with a prix fixe menu, all of which was delicious. The dining space is gorgeous, the service is white glove, and the food is delicious.
In the main dining room, my favourite dish is the Nova Scotia Lobster. If you love lobster, you cannot miss this. The lobster is so sweet and flavourful, and the verbena is a delicious combination! Other than this particular callout, everything else is good that you can't go wrong... it really depends on your preference.
Highly recommended for a nice dinner out.
People thought this was:
I decided to go the EMP for my birthday dinner, mostly because while I was west-coasting it for the summer I read of its acclaim in the Times. There is nothing like some well-deserved praise - what a remarkable meal. I may just have to say this was the best I've had in New York.
We opted for the three course prix fixe after learning from Bruni that they will amuse bouche your belly to satiation. He was not joking. Before our food arrived we had: Gougeres, a crazy good mini morsel of sweetbreads, a plate of eight canapes and a tiny bowl of corn soup. Not too mention the two tiny baguettes with choice of butter (the goat's milk butter was the best I've ever had - put it on the olive baguette).
I started my meal with the gnocchi. SO decadent and a serious portion to boot. I had to put a few on my man's plate. Then I moved onto the lobster poached in lemon verbena heaven. It was the best lobster I've ever had, and I grew up summering on Cape Cod. The lemon verbena idea is simply genius, it complements the richness of the lobster perfectly.
The staff here is excellent, never missed a beat, and they even caught on that it was my birthday while overhearing our somewhat alcohol induced conversation with the table next door (it was her birthday too). They brought me a candle and even gave my husband a gratis dessert when he couldn't decide between a cheese course and dessert. He ended up with both the lucky bastard.
I look forward to returning here and seeing what the chef does with the changing seasons. A + +
People thought this was:
Delicious. Had the Taste of Autumn (5 courses) with the wine pairings. All were unbelievable. Hawaiian prawns were a great start. The crusted dover was fantastic. I have to say, far and away, the best dish was the pig though. Goodness, I'll be honest, I almost killed my date so I could have her plate. True story. Perfect service as well. Not sure if it's possible but I'd suggest the 5 or even 11 course tasting...just ask for all 5 or 11 courses to be the pig.
People thought this was:
4 stars for food.
5 for service.
4.5 average!
Service really does enhance a restaurant experience because when you've got great servers, you know that if you're unhappy with your meal they'll do what's possible to make it right.
For once, in a 5-star restaurant, I was no ashamed to say that I am a pescatarian and no, I am sorry, I will not be participating in your sausage plate. The server was very sensitive to my dietary needs, and they brought us great amuse-bouches as well as a free dessert tray of french macaroons (my favorite cookies!)
The ravioli blew me away, the salmon-- not so much. I'm not a fan of dishes with foam. I think the skate would probably have been the smarter choice. My boyfriend adored his sausage, and mopped up the sauce with all of our bread. That all being said, it definitely was above average, nearing excellent, food.
The service, though-- Jeff, our waiter, poured a perfect martini at the table and brought a million little trays of garnishes to top it off with. He recommended perfect wine, and his associate (a lady) walked me to the restroom when I asked where it was! At first, you feel like you don't deserve to be treated so well but you know what? Eleven Madison Park is mad expensive. You do deserve it. OWN IT.
My husband and I went to Eleven Madison Park on Friday night and I have to say it was one of the most wonderful dining experiences we've had ever. The service was amazing - the best I've ever encountered in NYC. Whenever you walk by any of the staff, they always smile and stop to let you pass by. When I went to the ladies room, someone practically followed me back to the table to pull my chair out.
The food was incredible and they bring you a number of complimentary treats throughout the meal. Whether it was their delicious gougeres to start or the wonderful amuse-bouche of celery root and scallop soup, every course was absolutely brilliant! Because we had a later reservation and were there quite late, toward the end our dinner, the chef came out to personally talk to ever single table. He was incredibly kind and friendly!
I cannot wait to go back to Eleven Madison Park and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a five star dining experience!
I go to EMP often for lunch and more rarely for dinner. It is a first-class restaurant in every way. The service is exemplary, attentive but not too pushy. The space is very elegant, quite impressive during the day with the large windows, although it can be a little dull at night. the food is consistently excellent, rich but not too much, and the wine list is solid and has a good amount of choices below $85.
The prix fixe during lunch at around $25 is amazing value and highly, highly recommended. With that amount you get an appetizer and main course, amuse bouche and their excellent bread and cheese puffs. They even have walk-ins most days at lunch if you go a little late
People thought this was:
I'm writing this review based on memory, but what I can say is generally positive. The food was well-presented and well-executed, but didn't leave a strong impression with me. The service was good, but the atmosphere was a little too corporate and square for my liking. That said, it was exquisite for as far as American cuisine can go. Unfortunately I would go with Gotham or Gramercy over Eleven Madison Park if you had to pick one.
Love the bright open dining space, as well as the yellow-green roses at the entrance and in the main room. Liked that they had a $28 wine menu to go along with their $28 lunch menu.
Octopus Salad with Mizuna, Avocado and Radishes wasn't earth-shattering, but the octopus was well cooked and the salad was superbly dressed.
Tete de Cochon with Pickled Baby Vegetables was higher quality than my friend expected and the assortment of vegetables paired well with the meat.
Poached Snapper with Fennel, Shellfish and Sauce Bouillabaisse had fantastic sauce and the snapper was high quality.
The star of the lunch was my Lobster with Lemon Verbena and Flavors of Ratatouille. Huge, succulent lobster tail and claws, cooked to perfection.
Service was excellent, and our waiter gave us an additional complementary desert (Chocolate Peanut Butter Palette, Carmel Popcorn and Popcorn Ice Cream) in addition to the Blueberry & Brown Sugar Crumble and Macarons we ordered.
Please don't get me wrong with the three star review. The food at Eleven Madison Park is amazing and my deepest complements and respect go out to the chef. We enjoyed the three course tasting menu and loved every bite. My husband ordered the Foie Gras (amazing) and lamb (also lucious). I had the gnocchi and pork which I cannot rave about enough. It was divine with tender braised suckling pig draped in perfectly crisped skin. Flawless is the only word that suits.
Unfortunately though, the entire experience was undone by the service. Our waiter hovered intrusively when he was not needed and disappeared when he was. Our food was dropped at our table without ceremony or description and we were left to our own devices to decipher what we were served. Our requests to the waiter to explain the preparation and ingredients were met with vague answers in a condescending tone. (before he scurried away) We were not offered wine beyond the very start of our meal, before we even had menus, and had to chase the waiter to request wine after our courses, all of them, were dropped and cooling on the table.
All in all, given the reputation of Eleven Madison, we were quite disappointed.
In short, do go for the food. Don't count on being made welcome.
Wife and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary a week early by having the Gourmand at EMP on Tuesday night.
Everything was simply perfect from the food to the service to the decor to the company.
I didn't write anything down so this is off the top of my head....
Hors doeuvres. Approximately six items. Standouts were the lobster/creme fraiche on small cucumber and the one with foie gras.
Caviar (served in its tin) over panna cotta, sturgeon eggs and lobster gel. My wife has shellfish allergy so they put the caviar over a creamy avocado something or other. She said the combo was excellent.
Tomato and mozzarella ala molecular gastronomy served on two white spoons. See picture above.
Dueling tomatoes...served three ways. One was tomatoes under a tomato foam another was sorbet-like and the third was tartare.
Sea urchin cappuccino with crab and cauliflower soup.
Foie gras course.
Halibut with freeze dried corn.
Lobster tail poached with lemon verbena and flavors of ratatouille.
Eggshell filled with sabayon, frogs legs and truffle. AWESOME!
Elysian Fields Farms lamb with goat cheese pie, chick peas, green peas and a very fun picholine olive bubble (molecular gastronomy) served from a jar. This was develeped in honor of Ferran Adrià's recent visit.
Cheese course. Three different varieties for each of us depending on our own personal preferences.
Strawberry/champagne foam dessert #1
Raspberry/chocolate dessert #2
Six varieties of macaroons.
People thought this was:
i had a client dinner here that i wasn't looking forward to. after a long week of lavish meals elsewhere around the city, i just wanted to go home and sleep. boy would i have been a numbskull if i'd passed up this dinner.
eleven madison park made selecting my food simple. the menu caters to a delicious array of flavors and textures. my insatiable palate was able to experience several flavor combinations it tends to crave often.
1st- hawaiian prawns roulade with avocado, lime and yogurt
this satiated my love for lime and fresh seafood, plus i love avocado.
2nd- dry and aged black angus beef bone marrow crusted with greenmarket beans, savory sauce bordelaise.
this satiated my beef and succulent sauce craving. and bone marrow is my bitch.
3rd- chocolate tart with caramel and maldon sea salt
chocolate? caramel? sea salt?
:::head explodes:::
i cannot wait to return, and have considered getting the dessert to go almost every night since i ate here.
c'est magnifique!
People thought this was:
The distinction of being named part of the Relais-Chateaux says it all. Every detail for a perfect meal last night was executed with the similar precision of a Marine formation special ceremony without being super rigid. The staff was amazingly friendly and attentive from the first instance of walking through the door until you leave. The very lovely sommelier was kind enough to do a glass pairing with our food last evening. And on top of it, gave us recommendations for our Trip to France in a few months. And just prior to dessert the Chef, Daniel Humm came around to every table to check on how our meal was that evening. Only rave reviews came from us.
The food even topped the service. We opted for the 2 savory 1 sweet option on the menu (3 course), but you get all the extras of an amuse bouche, bread, hours d'oeuvres (which were awesome little bites of foie gras, salmon on cucumber, fried sweetbreads, etc.) macaroons at the end. You wind up getting way more than just 2 savory and 1 sweet.
1st Course:
We opted for the Tomato Salad at the delight of waiter once we mentioned it, there was no turning back. (Paired with a glass of Rose) And
We also got the FLUKE with uni cream (Paired with a glass of SAKE)
2nd Course:
The 4 story farms suckling pig (Piece of loin and shoulder with crispy skin) FAVORITE (Paired with a delicious burgundy
The Halibut with fresh and dried corn and some mushrooms was light and moist. (Paired with a delicious white burgundy)
Cheese and Dessert
The cheeses were awesome, but the stand out was the Triple Creme Goat cheese they have made for them. WOW!
The chocolate symphony 2 with caramel and sea salt pretty much (To break it down a notch) was the best slice of pie I have had in a long time. (The fact that I even called it pie is an atrocity, but I didn't know what to call this little sliver of heaven.)
EMP...see you again real soon. This meal was EXCELLENT and looking forward to many many more.
People thought this was:
My hubs and I went last night and had the Gourmand meal.
Honestly, we weren't "foodies" enough to enjoy this stuff, and I really regret not getting the 5-course tasting menu or just the 3-course menu. The Gourmand meal was really rich, and just about every "hard to find, adventurous" thing you can think of was thrown at us -- sweetbreads in 2 courses, pate, foie gras, sea urchin, etc.
The annoying post-grad couple next to us (who talked loudly about money for 3 hours before switching to a serious discussion of their pastor's best sermons) made the whole experience that much worse.
I will say that the smoked pork belly was amazing, and possibly one of the best things I've ever eaten. But otherwise, I totally regret the $500+ we spent on dinner last night between the two of us.
Just thinking of my meal at Eleven Madison Park right now makes me want to go back asap. Last year, we celebrated my mom's birthday at Le Bernardin, but our experience at EMP this year was just THAT much better. What the NYTimes says about Eleven Madison Park getting better and better with the years is spot on. This is now my favorite fine dining restaurant in NYC.
The five of us decided to get the three course prix fixe for $88/p. However, what you get is a lot more than three courses. What you get is also a number of amuse-bouches like gougeres (small, savory, puffy pastries with cheese), sweetbread (that even i enjoyed), small cup of corn and bacon soup (mouth watering), and an assortment of 4 different canapes per person. We also received complimentary miniature macaroons (they let you choose from a variety of flavors ranging from rose & pistachio to toasted sesame) and my mother and I received a box of jelly candies to go.
I decided to order the ricotta di capra gnocchi for an appetizer. I am not a huge fan of goat's milk, so I thought the taste was a bit too strong, but for anybody who enjoys that, they would love it. Instead, I ended up eating half my dad's plate of Hawaiian prawns with avocado, lime, & yogurt... perfect balance of sweetness and zest. For the main entree, I ordered the Atlantic halibut which practically melted in my mouth. My brother and Charles ordered the muscovy duck with blueberries, sweet corn, and a lavender honey glaze. They carved the whole duck right in front of our table. Smelling it was almost just as good as tasting it. And my mother ordered the suckling pig. It was a tiny piece, but well worth it. I don't think I have ever had such a succulent piece of pork before. As if everything wasn't already amazing, the desserts blew us all away. Most popular at the table was the Tahitian vanilla souffle with a passion fruit dressing... heaven.
Beyond the food was spectacular service. The sommelier was able to recommend two bottles of wine for us that paired very well with our variety of dishes. They also put the wine in a decanter for us. When we asked him about the history of the building, he was able to give us a thorough explanation. Furthermore, our waiter saw me take my camera out and voluntarily asked if we would like him to take a group picture for us. Also, he joked around very comfortably with my dad who likes to make fun, but sometimes silly comments. It is the service and ambience of the restaurant that really completed the meal. Unlike many other top restaurants, EMP is not stuffy at all, but very welcoming and relaxed.
People thought this was:
My husband and I just celebrated our first anniversary at Eleven Madison Park. Without a doubt, this is the best restaurant experience we have ever had, hands down. The level of service left me speechless, and at one point the level of detail and thoughtfulness actually nearly brought me to tears.
As soon as we entered the restaurant they gave us the impression that they had been looking forward to our arrival, despite being a few minutes early for our reservation. We had let them know that it was our anniversary and they pulled out all the stops to make sure that we had a memorable experience.
The food was amazing and we found ourselves blown away by each course. Every bite was thoughtful, beautifully presented, and delicious, it is also worth noting that the dishes were delicate, but filling.
I wish I could give the restaurant a sixth star for the service. They really made a special effort to meet our every need and provided extras that we could not have even imagined.
I agree with other reviewers, the price definitely reflects the experience, so I may reserve this for a special occasion. This was the most we had ever paid for a dinner for two, but we were happy to give a very good tip because we felt the experience was worth every penny.
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One of the best dining experiences ever! I was invited here at the last minute and so was "that person" wearing jeans and sneakers. Yet the service was impeccable. I seriously felt like a queen, converse and all. Our waitress was lovely and explained every single dish in vivid detail. The servers brought out our food in perfect unison; it could only be described as choreography (see: http://www.youtube.com...).
The food here is a treat for the eyes and the mouth. We each ordered the $88/person three-course prix fixe, which actually comes with several tantalizing extras. I don't think you could go wrong with anything on the menu but we had (and loved): the Hawaiian prawn roulade and heirloom beets to start; loup de mer and halibut; and the summer melon dessert. And this is just stuff that was on the menu. I'm not even going to bother describing the extras because the element of surprise was partly what made this meal so fantastic. If you were at Eleven Madison last week and heard periodic squeals of joy, that was probably our table.
After dessert, we were presented with a huge tray of mini macaroons and were told that we could go to town with it. To top it all off, we each got a box of jellies to take home by which to remember this awesome meal. This restaurant should be on everyone's short list!
For my review, please go to: http://camillenatzke.b...
I haven't been to many restuarants that are this high-end, so take that into consideration when you read my low-rated review. However, I do love food and I'm a very adventurous eater of all kinds of cuisines. This place has all the trappings of a great restaurant -- beautiful decor, the best service I've probably ever experienced, beauiful presentation of the food, incredible attention to every detail... But alas, at the end of the day, it was all style, no substance.
We ordered the 3-course menu and none of the dishes my partner and I ordered really wowed us. Honestly, we both left saying the best thing we ate was the bread. The 5 little amuse bouches they brought out when we got there were mostly bland, oddly soupy, or way overly sweet. A beet marshmallow? As an hors d'oeuvre? Gummy, super sweet, and pretty vile. The tuna disk with fennel was the only one that was tasty. Then ANOTHER amuse bouche -- a super rich seafood bisque with a slice of scallop was just too rich and heavy. My gnocchi app. was tasty enough, but my partner's slow poached farm egg with mushrooms and frogs legs was just weird. Soupy, with no complexity (and no sign of a frog's leg, either...).
The entrees were even worse. First of all, there wasn't enough choice. Many of the dishes were for 2, but since it was just the 2 of us, we wanted to try 2 different things. Of the four entrees that were either not for 2, or weren't supplemented (really? at these prices? come on.), we opted for the suckling pig and the black angus beef. Both were tiny portions with way too much rich sauce and not enough accompaniments. The pig was a weird pink cylinder that looked like a giant eraser. Very fatty and heavy. 3 miniscule brussels sprouts and 3 tiny cubes of sweet potato rounded out the plate. The beef was just two small strips with 2 different heavy sauces, and some fried shallots. Where were the vegetables? Where were the starches? Honestly, the meal felt way out of balance. Not enough substance (if we hadn't asked for more bread we would have left hungry), and way to much rich heavy, gloppy, soupy stuff, and nothing to sink your teeth into. It's food as art, but with little concern for balance, or nutrition.
I also felt the food lacked complexity. There were a lot of intense flavors, but not nearly enough variety of texture. Everything was soupy, over sauced and too heavy.
Even the wine was a disappointment. We asked for the somallier's help navigating the 80 page wine list. he was an impossibly young, impossibly handsome fellow who talked a good game, and did a beautiful job decanting and pouring the wine. But our $70 Cabernet Franc was oddly untistinguished and not at all interesting. I've had $10 bottles of California Cab that I liked a lot better.
I will say that they made a fantastic Manhattan. Pefectly chilled, beautifully blended, with a heavenly black cherry garnish that had been poached with lavender and then soaked in brandy (they make them there -- I asked. Now that's detail!) I'd go back just for another one of those, but skip the food all together.
We dropped $350 on dinner and left underwhelmed and underfed. Why the raves? I was so surprised and disappointed.
One word... Excellent.
The best service I've ever experienced from the moment you walk in. You have multiple waiters tending to your every need. The food was amazing. I've been there on four occasions and I never leave disappointed.
Today I went for lunch ($28 price fixe, how can you beat that?!). It's a two course meal w/ dessert. We before our first course they brought a chilled lobster bisque. I usually like by bisque warm but this was one of my favorite experiences. Started out with a dollop of cream topped by a few morsels of lobster surrounded by the chilled bisque.
My first course was sweet corn chowder with a frothy pumpkin foam on top. Inside the chowder were small bits of crisp bacon and some more morsels of lobster!
Main coures I had the famous and suckling pig. One portion was similar to pulled pork with confit and crisped to perfection. The other was a moist selection of pork tenderloin roasted just enough to retain it's plump juices.
Whenever I go, I always sample other dishes from my guests so I was able to experience the Black Angus sirloin with sauce bordelaise. It was quite possibly the best steak I've ever had.
Also had the lamb sausage with potato mousseline. A must have if you like game. I'm getting hungry just typing this again. You have to go if you want the best dining experience and food. A must visit for all foodies.
Such a classy dining experience with excellent food!
My brother and I shared the chicken for two with truffles, and we ordered a plethora of deserts, and everything tasted incredible. I recommend the passion-fruit desert they make!
Also the service is the most incredible in the city and part of the atmosphere is watching the routes that all the servers and waiters have to take to get to the tables.
This place is the epitome of classy, and my whole family loved it and would come back every day if we lived in New York. In fact, we may fly back to new york just to eat here again.
I remember, long time ago, we had a dinner reservation at Tabla and we instead walked into Eleven Madison Park. They gently directed us to the right location. I looked at the enormous space with the warm lighting and making a mental note to come back to eat here some day. I did, on two separate occasions.
Dinner date #1:
Since EMP asks for about 3 days notice to be able to prepare an eleven course vegetarian meal, and since the boyfriend and I are not ones to skimp on the courses, three days notice it was. When we got there, we found that there had been a miscommunication and they didn't have the meal ready for us. WHat! Hrrmph, I said. Minus 3.4 stars. As we got served each of our (tad smaller) 4 course menu, EMP quickly redeemed its reputation as the culinary heaven that it is reputed to be. Notably, the wine pairings were exquisite! I remember mentioning to our waiter that I like whites better, and for the heavier course, he suggested a white wine that tasted like a red wine! It was so unusual and lovely - tragic that I don't remember the name.
Dinner date #2:
Hmm.. there's something nagging me. Hmm.. I still hadn't tasted the eleven course menu! So we decided to call for another reservation. Done. Reminder. Done. Second reminder. Done.
The food was amazing. Every course. Even the bread. Make sure you taste the olive baguette - it's heavenly. My favourite course was the Jerusalem artichokes with grapes - Brilliant flavours exploding in mouth and all that jazz. The chef came in and greeted us, they made personalized menu cards for us, they kept the wine flowing enough that we didn't notice the amount on the check - I fell in love with the place. We had an amazing evening, mostly consisting of oohs and aahs over the food, for about 5 straight hours.
Oh and you should take some chocolates home for the next day.
People thought this was:
Went for lunch and was blown away. Dying to return for a full on dinner - a stalwart classic that is a must for anyone claiming to enjoy superb food and fine dining. Excellent wine list as well.
People thought this was:
very nice decor; great service, good food.
but, i mean, their food is great, matching against 5-star restaurant standard. they are fresh and of good quality, great presentation and all, but unfortunately, nothing stood out or deemed memorable. maybe it was just me, or maybe my memory was overshadowed by the whole array of desserts we got to sample afterwards.
yes, my sister used to work there as a pastry chef (hence this meal), so we got the goodies FOC. 90% of the desserts we had were fantastic, although some were too sweet to my taste.
that was a few years ago too; now both my sister and her boss have left, so i can't say for sure what it's like there now.
Fantastic Experience. One of the best I have ever had.
Incredible room (great lighting and ambiance)
Impeccable service.
Absolutely amazing food. We had the duck for 2. Best I have ever had.
Super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful Sommelier. She found us exactly what we were looking for.
Drinks at the bar before were also top notch.
NYtimes gave it 3 stars? It deserves 4.
Well worth the money.
Update
8/12/2009 Finally, NYtimes gives EMP the 4 stars it deserves!
You're in for an excellent meal.
Wifey and I have been a fan of Chef Humm since his days of cooking at Campton place in San Francisco. The man's got style, that's for damn sure.
Then he left us, never to return.
So wifey and I decided to get all 'stalker' on his ass and tracked him all the way to NY.
Well worth the effort.
Chef Humm's doing some great things at Eleven Madison Park. He's using some fantastic seasonal ingredients and transforming them into nothing short of minor miracles on your plate. His approach is quite modern, but the food's still accessible... and damn tasty.
I had a slow cooked organic egg appetizer that made me see heavenly lights and angels.
And the papardelle with lamb ragout? I'm crying tears of joy just thinking about it.
There's no way Chef Humm's getting away from us this time.
Wifey and I plan on waiting for him in his closet.
With a bit of rope.
Just to say "hello", ya know?
And to see if he'd like to be our personal chef for a few years...
I was just kidding about the "stalker" thing.
People thought this was:
Went back again for a special meal and what can I say?
Just as terrific as I remember from my first experience. This is truly one of the best restaurants in the entire country. The servive is genuinely warm, professional, and impeccably perfect!
Cuisine is delicious beyond words. Did a customized tasting menu and once again they were very accomodating in allowing me to supplement and add dishes. Standouts were the lobster, rack of pork from the suckling pig tasting, beef tenderloin with bone marrow, and the lamb chop was utterly amazing.
For dessert, you must have the new cornbread pudding dessert with blueberries, blueberry sorbet, corn sabayon. Maybe the best dessert I have put into my mouth. The chocolate peanut butter palette and chocolate symphony no. 2 also awesome.
Go here if you have any respect for yourself lol.
Ok so I am going to give you a really long-winded review because I think EMP totally deserves all of… Read more »
The gourmand tasting menu + wine pairings clocks in at about $300 before tax and tip, but boy is it worth it.
The service is absolutely top-notch. The decor was grand, but tasteful. The service, decor and the unforgettable foie gras push it to a 5 star review.
People thought this was:
Should you eat at 11 Madison? Yes Yes Yes and then go back... I have worked in the top Kitchen's in Portland Oregon and under James Beard award winning chefs. I have tasted a lot of food and Chef Daniel Hum's food is Amazing. Everything was spot on. Flavor profiles perfect, Seasoning perfect, presentation elegant. Eleven Madison provided everything I want in an upscale meal. There are very few Chefs who create a meal that you 'taste' the next day and that memory/taste evokes thoughts and flavors that are so real and amazing, 11 Madison is one of those few restaurants that creates food that you will 'taste' the next day.
People thought this was:
Now that was $430 well spent. The food was excellent and the service superb. I don't think I can think of a place that has better service! One of the few places that I've been where the food that was brought out looks just like the picture on the site. Even if you don't like French cuisine, the beautiful presentation will make your mouth water. The wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable, not at all stuck up as one might expect them to be. The two us had plenty of drinks and two different tasting menus to share and the check came to $430 including tax and a 25% tip. The only downside is that if you are the kind of person who gets restaurant anxiety, you may not want to get the tasting menu. After three hours, I finally had to cut outside before dessert to grab a quick cig. Don't misunderstand, I am not a very patient person, and the wait between courses felt like nothing, and I had no idea 3 hours had gone by. If it weren't for the little internal cigarette clock... Overall, great experience. Can't wait for another occasion to go back. A definite do try, but don't forget that tie...or you might feel a little out of place.
Five delishes on my scale.
People thought this was:
Arguably one of the finest, if not the finest meals I've ever eaten, 11 Madison Park shined in every aspect: ambience, service, menu, wine list, food quality, food preparation, and experience. I'm not going to go into great detail on what we ate in this review...sorry.
Let's just say that my wife and I had one of the most memorable dining experiences of our lives so far...one we'll never forget. Oh, and we were both running a fever, had muscle aches and pains galore, had walked about 40 blocks, and were hacking up a lung. Yes, 11 Madison Park is that good.
This restaurant is painfully expensive, and we went for it: $160 bottle of nice Rioja, $20 upgrade for the foie gras, costly glass of port for me and sauternes for the wife. I guess this is where I stand: At home in California I have a rapidly decreasing tolerance for "middling" restaurants...the ones that cost anywhere from $50 to $80 per person. This is why I seldom go to them. This is why I seldom venture to San Francisco to go to them. I'd rather hit the $40 (total) haunts or eat shepherd's pie at home to save up for those special occasions...the ones I'll remember. The only reason I remember 75% of the restaurants I eat at is because of Yelp. Here's my code: if you ain't a four, I ain't gonna remember you. But as usual, I digress.
11 Madison Park is freakin' five star awesome! The food is beautiful, but not 'food as art.' It is tasteful and delicious, not overbearing. It is meticulously prepared and presented, but not with snobbishness. Oh, and did I mention that not only is the service stellar, but it's completely unpretentious and amazingly professional. Yes, for this price level one would expect continuous pampering, but that doesn't mean one always gets it. .
11 Madison Park is one of those very rare restaurants that brings out the "wanna go back" factor in me, regardless of how pricey it is. Hope you fancy pantsed New Yorkers realize just how good you've got it!
People thought this was:
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: French
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