I've been back a couple of weeks but have been too busy to write about
Eleven Madison Park, where I was taken for my birthday meal whilst in New York.
The short review: WOW!
The longer review: They only take bookings 28 days in advance, and they get taken extremely quickly. My wife tried to get a table and failed, so she called in a favour from a head chef, who knows the restaurant manager who works there - very handy. Confirmed just before we left the UK, we had a table booked at 6pm. Had we not got a table, we'd have been at Per Se instead.
After being shown to our table, we were asked to choose one of four flavours; Apple, Celery, Maple or Cranberry, and they would be represented in several of the dishes (see below). I chose Apple, and my wife chose Maple. Before we started our meal, I decided on half a bottle of Krug, which was gorgeous. It was my birthday meal after all.
They don't display a menu because it changes frequently with the produce that's available, but this is what we had:
(the Chedder at the start, and the Chocolate at the end weren't really courses)
Cheddar
Savory Black and White Cookie with Apple
Broth
Bread, Butter, Venison Broth, and Salt
Kabocha Squash
Roasted with Pear, Chestnut, and Radicchio
Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Marinated with Grapes and Mushroom Bread Crumbs
Beef
Pastrami with Rye, Leek, Potato, and Apple
Long Island Seafood
Widow's Hole Oyster with Yogurt and Lemon
Scallop with Pistachio and Apple
Marinated Blue Crab with Pickled Radish
Vichyssoise with Caviar, Smoked Blue Fish, and Quail Egg
Atlantic Halibut
Slow Cooked with Clams, Squid, and Shellfish Parsley Sauce
Lion's Mane Mushroom
Braised in its own Broth
Charcuterie
Sausages, Liver on Toast, and Cured Loin
Millbrook Venison
Slow Cooked with Ash Crust, Beets, and Onions
Selection of Local Cheeses
With Soft Pretzel, Plum Conserve, and Bitter Green Salad
Whey
Sorbet with Caramelized Milk and Milk Foam
Vanilla
Baked Alaska with Rum, Caramel, and Apples
Pretzel
Chocolate Covered with Sea Salt
Chocolate
Sweet Black and White Cookie with Apple Molasses
It was an incredible taster menu, and nothing like I've had before. Each dish was a delicate collection of wonderful flavours presented immaculately, but it certainly wasn't presentation at the expense of flavour. My 2 standout courses were the Long Island Seafood, and the Atlantic Halibut.
There were a lot of courses, but spread over 3.5 hours, we were filled without being stuffed.
They were aware it was my birthday, and they knew who had booked the table for us, so half way through the meal they came over and offered to show us round the kitchen; yes please
![Big Grin :D :D](/styles/default/xenforo/vbSmilies/Normal/biggrin.gif)
! We went in and they told us about the kitchen and team which was interesting, it's in operation 23 hours a day. Then, one of the chefs came and prepared a cocktail for us with liquid nitrogen. It was of course was extremely good.
The sommelier was fantastic. Very friendly, he hadn't been there long but knew all there was to know about their wine. He even knew about the coffee they prepared which was great. One of the things I usually notice in 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants, is that the coffee rarely matches the quality of the food. This is the first place it did (well almost). They offered coffee prepared using a Chemex, and that is what I went for. The barista wheeled over a trolley with everything on and prepared it by the table which was a nice spectacle. The brew time allowed us to chat about the beans which were from Central America and roasted locally. Extremely good coffee to round of a stunning meal.
Service was absolutely spot-on superb, possibly the best I've ever experienced in a restaurant. Right from when we first entered, they were amazing. Not a drop of wine or water was spilled onto the table which is a pet hate of mine. Someone else mentioned about Hospital Road and trying to get to the toilets before someone comes to help you find your way, and it was the same here. It's hard to explain but members of the service team working at other tables would know you were approaching and discretely move out of your way whilst continuing to work. It's hard to describe, but you sort of felt special.
To take away with us, I had an Eleven Madison Park chocolate bar, and both of us received a jar of Granola, along with a personalised copy of the menu which included the changes we each had in our meal, including the shellfish substitutions that my wife had.
Sorry for slightly long review, but it was a WOW experience!