Eleven Madison AWESOME
Eleven Madison Park was pretty mind-blowing. I made a reservation thinking we'd do the 4-course lunch menu, but after reading lots of reviews, realizing that it has 3 Michelin stars, and is #10 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, we decided to splurge on the tasting menu. It was AMAZING. We even got pulled aside into their kitchen halfway through our meal. It was my first ever kitchen visit at a nice restaurant, and Mark was totally caught by surpise. While we surveyed the work stations, one chef made us nitrogen-frozen gin cocktails with house-made maraschino cherries and a grapefruit bombe. I won a few points with the front of house by guessing that there were Pop Rocks in the drink. He had us sign their cookbook and we got to see what other people wrote as well--genius marketing tactic.
Brief run-down through the photo collage...
-Black and white cookies, savory version: Truffle and parmesan
-Tomato tea with bundle of lemon thyme
-Chickpea sticks with yogurt lollipops (those are lentils on top)
-Sturgeon sabayon (served adorably in egg shells)
-Clam bake: Waiter poured water over the kelp & hot rocks so it smelled like the sea for a moment, corn and crab chowder in the teapot, tiny tamales of zucchini and cornbread
-Bread rolls with cow and goat butter
-Smoked couscous salad thing
-Foie gras, part of which was raspberry-marinated foie
-Whey gnocchi with amazing foraged greens--anyone recognize those green thick-leaves that look like they're covered in dew? It was delicious, whatever it was.
-Butter-poached lobster with avocado and zucchini blossom, topped with amaranth.
-Lamb tenderloin with "hay" (actually leek roots)
-Chevre and aged chevre
-New York egg cream
-Cheesecake (nitrogen-frozen?)
-Chocolate dessert with ganache-covered mint ice cream, meringue filled with custard, lavender something, too sweet for me but lots of interesting flavors and textures
The non-frozen cocktails were also great. Mark had a "martini prepared tableside." I do like it when the bar comes to YOU. Really incredible experience. They sent us away with a box of sweet black and white cookies too. I still get swoony just thinking about it.
Delicious photos HERE on Dropbox.
Brief run-down through the photo collage...
-Black and white cookies, savory version: Truffle and parmesan
-Tomato tea with bundle of lemon thyme
-Chickpea sticks with yogurt lollipops (those are lentils on top)
-Sturgeon sabayon (served adorably in egg shells)
-Clam bake: Waiter poured water over the kelp & hot rocks so it smelled like the sea for a moment, corn and crab chowder in the teapot, tiny tamales of zucchini and cornbread
-Bread rolls with cow and goat butter
-Smoked couscous salad thing
-Foie gras, part of which was raspberry-marinated foie
-Whey gnocchi with amazing foraged greens--anyone recognize those green thick-leaves that look like they're covered in dew? It was delicious, whatever it was.
-Butter-poached lobster with avocado and zucchini blossom, topped with amaranth.
-Lamb tenderloin with "hay" (actually leek roots)
-Chevre and aged chevre
-New York egg cream
-Cheesecake (nitrogen-frozen?)
-Chocolate dessert with ganache-covered mint ice cream, meringue filled with custard, lavender something, too sweet for me but lots of interesting flavors and textures
The non-frozen cocktails were also great. Mark had a "martini prepared tableside." I do like it when the bar comes to YOU. Really incredible experience. They sent us away with a box of sweet black and white cookies too. I still get swoony just thinking about it.
Delicious photos HERE on Dropbox.