Eleven Madison Park
Wrapping up our trip and our journey back to Hawaii from Iceland was a final vacation dinner at Eleven Madison Park. Named (with a bit controversy) the “World’s Best Restaurant” by the “World’s 50 Best” awards in 2017, Eleven Madison Park was high on my list of places to try. When I knew I would be flying back through NYC I looked up the reservation guidelines and saw that I would need to be up at 4AM Hawaii Time on January 1st to try and snag a table when they opened up for February. Lucky for me I was able to get on and secure my reservation quickly. When I checked again a couple of hours later, everything for the month had been booked!
Eleven Madison Park had undergone some major renovations recently. However, the dining room kept a lot of its same classic NYC style. The high ceilings really added to the grandeur of the dining room. We arrived to the restaurant via Uber and walked in to find a jam packed dining room (which was to be expected). We were shown to our table, situated at the corner of the banquette.
Here is what we had for the tasting menu on February 24, 2018:
“Black & White” - Play on the classic cookie but with savory flavors
“Scallops” Part 1 - Bread, scallop butter, scallop broth
“Scallops” Part 2 - Live with sea urchin
“Caviar” - Benedict with smoked ham, sturgeon, hollandaise
A stellar dish that was a play on eggs benedict. Perfect combination of salty, sweet, smoke, and buttery richness from the bread. One of the best dishes I had in 2018.
“Squid” - Grilled, juniper, horseradish
“Foie Gras” - Seared, maple, apple
Taking a tour of the kitchen
After the first few courses our server asked if we would like to take a tour of the kitchen. The level of precision and activity in the kitchen was incredible. We also got a chance to meet Chef Daniel Humm himself.
“Snack” - Served to us in the kitchen, pastry with truffle
“Lobster” - Butter poached, butternut squash, chestnut
“Halibut” - Poached, variations of turnip
“Mushroom” Part 1 - Cremini, black truffle
“Mushroom” Part 2 - Tart, cream, black truffles
“Duck” - Honey and lavender glazed, cabbage
The duck is a signature item at Eleven Madison Park. While on the kitchen tour we walked by an entire refrigeration unit dedicated to hanging and aging the duck for this dish.
“Tubby Cheese” - Grilled with celery root, black truffle, winter greens
Siphon coffee prepared tableside
“Pear-Cranberry Donut” - Mulled wine ice cream
“Pretzel” - Chocolate, caramel
After dining at Eleven Madison Park the inevitable question I received was “So how was it? Is it the world’s best restaurant?” When I reflect back on my meal there and compare it to other 3-star Michelin restaurants I’ve been to, I admittedly found myself feeling that Eleven Madison Park did not deliver to as high a level as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic restaurant with incredible flavors, precision, and a smart focus on simplicity (look at the plating and limited ingredients in each dish). I think it is well deserving of its 3-star Michelin rating. I just don’t know that it is as good as other places I’ve been, which makes it tough for me to consider it the world’s best restaurant.
That being said, if you have a chance to go, you should. Don’t get hung up on whether it is “the best”. As much as that will be hotly debated, there is no doubt that Eleven Madison Park is among the best in the world.
Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
212.889.0905
www.elevenmadisonpark.com
