An Evening at Eleven Madison Park

Eleven Madison Park is an amazing restaurant to many people for many reasons. It's interesting to me because of it's history and my relationship with it. I first learned of the place a year ago while reading Danny Meyer's "Setting the Table." The restaurant was opened by Meyer in the 90's almost on a whim when he was presented with the opportunity. It is housed across from Madison Park in the ground floor of the Credit Suisse building in Manhattan, which was once supposed to be the tallest building in New York. The cathedral like structure of the beautiful room is grandiose, invoking a sense of awe. However, for many years, the restaurant had difficulty growing into its big bones. The food and service just never seemed to click properly, and the place received mediocre reviews at best.

Finally, after years of trying to find its own identity, they received a new chef, Daniel Humm. Classically trained and of European origin, Humm had been wowing diners in California at Campton Place. Within a short amount of time, the restaurant received its first ever 3-Star review from the New York Times. Shortly after that, they received a 4-Star review, making them at the time one of only 5 places in New York with the coveted rating. That same year, Humm won the James Beard Award for Best Chef New York City and Eleven Madison Park was ranked #50 on the San Pellegrino's World's Top Restaurants List.

Shortly after their accomplishments, I had the opportunity to interview at Eleven Madison and spent a night in service at the restaurant. I was simply awed at the production of it all--the dance of the servers, the art on the plates, the organization of everything, the amount of staff. While I did not get the job, I was still very impressed with the place and knew I would have to return one day.

That day arrived Monday, November 15, when two of my friends came to visit me in New York. I chose Eleven Madison as our celebratory destination, hoping (and knowing) they would deliver on the high expectations we had. Eleven Madison changed a lot since I interviewed--prices rose, the menu was formatted to fit fewer courses, cooks now act as servers, hostess desks and tables were removed, and even some of the "extras" given out to diners have since disappeared. Most agree the changes have made an already great restaurant even better, despite the fact some of the freebies that used to be given are now gone (free cognac and cigars for gents, a beautiful tray of amuse bouches).

My friends and I arrived promptly at 5:30PM dressed in our Sunday's best. Passing the revolving doors, we were warmly greeted. There was no hostess stand--we only had to say our name and they knew who we were. Since the staff was still finishing up their pre-service meeting, we sat in the lounge for a few minutes. We were then escorted to our table, and the meal began.

We were greeted by an assistant server who took our water order and handed me the wine list. The sommelier soon arrived and helped me pick out a Ployez Rose Champagne. It was slightly warmer than I would've liked, so I asked if he could chill it down and just leave us with a taste for the moment. He later pointed me in the direction of a great half bottle of pinot noir that was exactly as I had asked him for--fruity but with a touch of grip. After picking up our napkins, we noticed the menus sitting underneath atop a sharing plate. 

Sipping on our champagne, we studied the simple menu. It is composed of four rows and four columns--the rows represent 4 courses, and the columns represent the 4 choices per course. The dishes simply list the main ingredient. For example, the third row read Pork, Beef, Lamb, and Venison. The idea is you pick the ingredient, and have a conversation with the server regarding how you'd like it prepared. If you have any dislikes, they would be happy to accommodate you (within reason). Once our order was taken, the canapes and dishes began to arrive. The canapes were served by the cooks, who answered detailed questions about their preparations. 

My menu that evening read as follows:

EMP Dinner Menu 11/15/2010

Gougeres

Chicken Veloute with Black Truffle and Chives Brioche Toast

Cured Hamachi on Rice Toast with Wasabi

Mushroom Duxelle and Baby Scallops in Shells

Goat Cheese Lollipop and Red Beet Marshmallow Salad

White Truffle Sabayon

Baguette and Picholine Olive Bread with Goat and Cow Butters and Sea Salt

Duo of Foie Gras: Terrine with Pineapple Brunoise and Pearl Onions; Foie Gras Brulee with Brioche

White Truffle Tortelloni

Millbrook Farms Venison Loin with Apple Variations

Variations on Chocolate—Aerated, Dulce De Leche, Sorbet, Liquid Nitrogen

Mignardises—Olive Macaroon, Truffle and White Chocolate Bombom, Cold Banana with Chocolate and Nuts, Crispy Aerated Chocolate Chip

Complimentary Granola for breakfast the next morning

Wines:

Ployez Rose Champagne 

Pinot Noir, Domaine Louis Latour, Chateau Corton Grancey, Grand Cru, 2005

(I must confess these pictures are not my own; they were taken from Google, but are exact representations of what we had.)

Warm Gougeres--cheese puff goodness

Beet Salad 

This whimsical take on a beet salad included a red beet marshmallow and a liquid nitrogen frozen goat cheese lollipop that was presented in a basket of natural grass.

Picholine Olive Bread and a French Baguette

Cow and Goat Milk Butters with Sea Salt

Foie Gras Terrine with Pineapple and Pearl Onions

The creaminess of this foie gras was incredible--buttery smooth, with a rich taste. The onions provided the perfect contrast to the rich fattiness of the foie gras. The brulee (not pictured) was even better in my opinion, as the sugar gave a great sweetness to the foie mousse underneath.

Creamy Pasta topped with table side shaven White Truffles from Alba, Italy

Ted's Lobster dish

Venison Loin, with variations on Apples

Venison is a great fall game meat. Here it is cooked sous vide (vacuum packed and cooked in hot water for several hours). This enables them to get the perfect medium rare temperature from end to end, as seen in the picture. Otherwise, the meat would be cooked unevenly. It is then lightly seared a la minute when ordered. 

Ted's Beef, with Chive topped Sauteed Foie Gras atop Brioche Toast

Gaby's Duo of Pork--Belly and Cheeks

Variations on Chocolate--Aerated, Dulce de Leche, Sorbet, Liquid Nitrogen

Mignardises--White Truffle and White Chocolate Bonbon,
Olive Macaroon, Crispy Aerated Chocolate Chip, Cold Chocolate and Nuts Coated Banana

The meal was amazing, with the most memorable dish for me being the White Truffle Sabayon canape and the chocolate dessert. The service was equally impressive. Dishes were served and cleared simultaneously, wine service was flawless, and the staff was professional yet welcoming. There were very little flaws I could pick out, but to the average person that doesn't work in a restaurant for a living, one could say the service was absolutely seamless. At one point, my friend accidentally knocked some of the canapes off its base. Within seconds, a server arrived with a new tray of the canapes for us to have a second round. Later in the meal someone noticed me trying to wipe some sauce off my jacket. Again, someone appeared within moments with a napkin and club soda water for me to remove the stain. 

Everyone deserves to try a meal like this at least once in their life. I am grateful my friends were willing to accompany me and trust my decision to dine here. I hope you will have the opportunity, too.