eleven madison exterior
Welcome To Eleven Madison Park!
Yes, it’s located on the edge of New York’s Madison Park, and it has just been named the best restaurant in the world!
Here is the news from Eater:
Daniel Humm is the executive chef and co-owner of Eleven Madison. Humm and his partner, General Manager Will Guider have made Eleven Madison Park a “must try” destination for foodies, and now it has topped the chart as the world’s best!
My wife and I had the chance to eat there last year, and I wanted to share the experience so you can see how makes a restaurant great!
Welcome To Food Paradise!
We arrived and were seated quickly – you do not receive a menu, since it is a “tasting menu” the Chef tweaks based on the seasons…however, you DO get a menu – here is how:
Enjoy Your Menu!
The restaurant has a unique way of sharing the menu: it is given to you after the meal in a cool round tin – with the menu printed on a circular paper inside like this!
After ordering drinks, we were ready to dig in to our food. The serving team was phenomenal, very communicative – pacing the delivery of food expertly…and here is how it began:
“Black And White”
The menu begins with a nod to New York City, home to the classic “black and white” cookie – but here, they deliver it in a small box as your first amuse bouche:
That’s because these are savory cookies with apple and cheddar! Next up is a stack of containers:
“A Tower Of Tastes”
Here is what you have delivered in a towering box, then deconstructed: A fava bean croquette…
Whitefish salad is also served, with a collection of vegetables to dip…and you are also given a morel foam bite with rye crisp:
Finally, you receive a wellfleet oyster with caviar! Next up is one of their most creative dishes:
“Caviar Benedict”
This is the restaurant’s version of “eggs bendict with caviar”, served in a similar container to the menu – a rich egg custard topped with shaved egg yolk and caviar – and the cutest and smallest english muffins you’ve ever seen!
Up next was a chance for each of us to try something different – alex opted for a clean dish:
“Fluke”
This delicate fish is marinated with peas and grapefruit – light but incredibly flavorful…my option was also incredibly flavorful…just not as light!
“A Taste of Foie Gras with Spinach Leaf”
Hey, I’m always a sucker for foie! This was warm poached foie, absolutely silky smooth and delicious…
As you can see from the circular menu, next up was a fun take on a pot pie:
“Lobster Pie”
The Lobster was served butter-poached with morels and peas…and then, one of the most amazing preparations of the night showed up:
“Pig’s Bladder Asparagus!”
Um….WHAT!?!?!?!? Well, what you see here is a giant inflated pig’s bladder!
Yes, this is an asparagus dish! You see, it has been braised with potato and black truffle inside of a pig’s bladder!
After dressing it down with the broth, they cut it open and leave you with a beautiful plate of asparagus and truffle!
More food keeps coming, as you can see by the circles! We enjoyed two different wines throughout the meal as well:
“Spring Lamb”
Next up is lamb served multiple ways with romaine, garlic and broth…we each had our own plate and then mixed and matched for more flavor!
You are served new potatoes with flower, and morel mushrooms with custard and spring garlic on the side!
Now, it was time to head into dessert!
“Triple Cream”
Yes, this cheese course is a Gougere – served with rhubarb, sorrel and green garlic – and then, a special presentation for Alex’s birthday!
“Malt”
This ice cream is served with pretzel and chocolate, followed by chocolate that is a test – you get four bars of chocolate like this:
“Name That Milk!”
That’s right, you are given a slip of paper to try and match the chocolate with the animal that provided the milk!
We didn’t get them right, but it was fun to try! Finally, a box of chocolates ended the meal, with a nice apple liquor and bag of goodies to go!
A Circular Menu Unfolds!
Here is the entire menu – a keepsake for us to take home and discuss forever!
And what a meal: unique presentations, incredible flavors, expert staff and a fun environment – it wasn’t like dining in a “food museum”, it was playful and festive…
It reminded us of another Three-Michelin starred restaurant in New York, Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se…fun, playful and incredibly inventive…you can read more about Per Se here:
We have also eaten at the legendary French Laundry in Napa Valley as well:
We were lucky enough to be part of the restaurant’s 20-year celebration…you can see it here:
Finally, here is a look at some of the incredible Michelin restaurants that are doing special “pop ups” all over the world – bringing signature dishes like this to foodies everywhere:
Check it out here:
Bravo to Eleven Madison Park for topping the list as the world’s best!
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johnrieber 
RE: Eleven Madison Park!
Thank you for a more in depth article that led me to more about these two guys persuing their dream. You certainly have given me more information than The New York Times article!
I read the comments people left and once again we have a dilemma in our culture of the ignorant and misinformed. If you’ve ever spent any time reading reviews, the best or worst are at Google’s Play Store, some are a real hoot, I regress, people just don’t know English Grammar or how to Spell? What I found in the Times article comments weren’t helpful but negative and disturbing, as nowhere in the article could I find any prices mentioned? Nowhere could I find where someone would be privy to copying Eleven Madison Park’s menu for home use as people have for “copycat” recipes at Panera or KFC? So, I looked for more info to find out if it was a personal matter? Maybe the guys making the comments are ex lovers? Hee Hee. No I’m not posting this. I’m just thanking you for your information? Maybe you can replace the Foodie person @ The New York Times?
Why cut down two obviously hard working men that made a success out of one of the most challenging of all businesses, owning and operating a Restaurant? There’s only so many ways to serve food and beverages?
I believe it just comes down to nasty people? There are people in this world that are so unhappy they spread their negative energy, ions, or whatever “Crapware” it is across the http://www.com world hoping it will cause someone harm, or in this case, someone will agree with them and do what? Hate Eleven Madison Park and make a reservation?
I read that a year ago, after making it to #1 Restraunt in the World,they had a year long Reservation list! Someone joked that their newborn daughter was just put on the list so that she could get a seat in this millenium!😱
About price? My boyfriend and I have been together since May 2006, and we use to eat out more than we do now. It wasn’t uncommon for our bill to come to $200. To $300 depending on the wine we chose with our meal? We certainly can’t afford this now as we are on fixed incomes. We live in CA. and didn’t go to any award winning restraunts except maybe the Whaling Station in Monterey. But this is just the way it is if you want an excellent meal and excellent service with a perfect atmosphere where I actually remember the night more than the meal itself and to me this was worth more.
I would consider a special place like this for a couple or a special occasion, not recommended for a first date, unless you’re very well off or a complete idiot trying to impress and have low self esteem?
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Restaurants like these are ONLY for this special occasions – it’s a food shrine not to be done often at all!
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So enjoyed the pictures! Glad you had the confidence to take them. We have nothing but evanescent memories of friendly, skillful servers who invited us at the end of our three-hour lunch back to the kitchen to meet the chef and watch the teams at work. They even plied us with a boysenberry dessert cocktail. Surprise and delight–that’s what I’ll never forget about Eleven Madison Park. Unlike a play I can read or an opera I can hear after an event, this restaurant just lives unaided by props but the odd cookbook.
One last note: people who spend their money for experiences, not things, don’t deserve the derision of people whose priorities might involve expensive cars, clothes, art, or furniture.
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Thanks for the note! My wife and I transitioned into “event” gifts a few years ago, which this was – a more memorable way to celebrate – a “thing” is just that, but this was a meal!
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Reblogged this on johnrieber and commented:
Eleven Madison Park just named the 2017 World’s Best Restaurant – Alex and I ate there last year – here is our feast!
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