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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)
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i was skeptical about a dessert, and after a taste i couldn't eat it. it was not what i'd expected, or wanted. my awesome waiter saw my face after i bit in to it and he came over and took it away, and i asked for some water. he brought the water.
and also-
a martini glass filled with fresh, sliced berries. they were garnished with a mint sprig, and he gave me a dainty little shrimp fork to eat them. details! cute details! tiny forks, fun glass, little berries. i am always pleased with the service here. they deserved the 5th star after this memorable lunch.
i had a client dinner here that i wasn't looking forward to. after a long week of lavish meals… Read more »
Ranks in Top 5 Meals of my life.
Fabulous food matched gorgeous interior of this restaurant on Madison Park. The dinning room is resplendent with soaring 40 ft ceilings and ornate flower arrangements situated throughout the dining room. The windows let in lots of light, but start 20 ft above where you're sitting, so unless you're in the private room on the second floor you don't see views of Madison Park. The only place your eyes need to focus though is on your plate to admire the presentation and freshness of the food prepared for you.
I started with an heirloom beet salad that had five different beets of varying color (from yellow, to pink, to red), texture, and flavor with a fresh goat cheese froth, and topped with the petite leaves of nasturtium (a new leafy green for me). I followed my salad with a guilty pleasure of alaskan king crab meat over linguini in a decadent butter sauce. My third course was the boudin blanc (which I ordered mistakenly expecting a luscious, wet boudin noir) with freshly ground mustard and a delicious poached peckel pear that convinced me to skip dessert.
Perfect to celebrate occasions like being back in Manhattan.
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
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
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.
I...Huh. You really liked the food? Yes. The service was good? Yes. Was that the best mint… Read more »
Thanksgiving dinner at Eleven Madison Park was a HUGE and extremely expensive disappointment. In August, shortly after the 4 star review from the NY Times, I had a wonderful experience(chef's tasting menu), so I expected no less on Thanksgiving, especially since the price was $150 for 4 courses. The menu was skimpy and of course it is Thanksgiving so turkey was the choice. What was served was purported to be organic turkey. Hard to believe. Wish I could post the photo I took. The white meat was oval, as if from a sliced turkey breast...you know...the processed kind. The sides were in small dishes. We were 3 people. There were exactly 6 brussel sprouts. I can go on, but I think you get the drift. This is will end up as a memorable Thanksgiving, but for the wrong reason. Chef Humm...get your act together!! This was a disgrace.
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 »
Better this time- so during RW EMP gave everyone a $28 gift certificate to come back and try their $28 lunch menu. So of course I had to take them up on a free gourmet lunch. Note to vegetarians, although the lunch menu doesn't have any vegetarian entrees, they are very friendly and accomodating. Basically since they make fresh pasta, they offer pasta with market fresh vegetables. The appetizers have a handful of vegetarian options.
Last time I was a little underwhelmed by my pasta because the pork papperdalle had just a few scraps of meat ragout. This time I opted for the carbona appetizer and was again a little disappointed. It was too salty and again too much pasta for the amount of sauce. My friend loved her vegetarian pasta though so its probably just my preference. I happen to prefer a ton of sauce for pasta so this was a problem for me in Italy as well.
My entree was delicious - pork prepared 2 ways. Tender pork loin medallions and pork fried into a crabcake like patty. I'm so glad I tried it because a meat entree wasn't an option for RW and it really upped my perception of the place. Juicy pork is something that doesn't happen often enough so restaurants that get it right always please me. Also the dessert macarons were delicious although it doesn't satisfy my Laduree craving. Maybe like Bruni's review stated it just gets better each time you come. I'm sure the tasting menu would be amazing.
Service is perfect here, if they make a mistake they will graciously remedy it immediately.
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.
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.
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?
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...
Had the pig tasting menu. It was good. Cocktails were excellent and served table side. It was pricey. $1000 for six.
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.
To me, in restaurats, there's good, solid comfort food and then your fancy dining experiences. The latter have to be spectacular. 11 Mad isn't really. It's good food-- well prepared, well served, but just not worth the price. There's nothing about it that blows you away. so, this is a good place to go on an expense account. Out of towners will be impressed. And the room is gorgeous. But these small portions of slightly above average food doesn't make this place a "must go."
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 + +
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.)
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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!
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!
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.
I was surprised when I walked into the restaurant for dinner about how immense the space is. For some reason I had imagined a more intimate dining experience, but the size of the room makes it a much more grand, sophisticated experience. Ladies - it can be a bit drafty so bring a shawl or sweater just in case!
I started with a cherry, egg white, something cocktail that was one of the best cocktails I've ever had. I liked it so much that although I hadn't planned on drinking much during dinner, I ended up having 4. Not exaggerating. I was as red as the drink when I left.
The service was impeccable. I don't know the official name for the guy that comes and fills up your water, but he was fantastic! We were also the youngest people in the restaurant and after those 4 cocktails, might've been acting a little flirtatious. Well, at least we made him laugh! The server was also very attentive, and the timing was perfect.
As for the food, no dish left me wanting more. I had a sort of tuna caterpillar, which was yummy (how can avocado and tuna go wrong?), and for the main course I had the beef while my friend had the suckling pig. Both were juicy and delicious, but I have to say I preferred mine. At no point in the meal did I think "I can easily do this at home," the presentation was really beautiful, and I left completely satisfied. They even gave us macaroon lollipops at the end, and something to go home with! Nice touch. Can't wait to go back!
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.
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