Eleven Madison Park

Hello fellow bloggers!

So I went to Eleven Madison Park for my birthday. It was this past summer in August with my cousin and his girlfriend. I figured that even though it was in the summer, the allure of the 3 star rating should still hold true if one or all of you reading this decide to give it a go....even though you may all be thinking, "Well, its the middle of February."


First off, reservations were made through open table. I did it about 28 days in advance which was plenty of time to fantasize and dream about those three stars and what Michelin claims is,

"a rare three stars are awarded to restaurants offering exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey"

Weeks later we found ourselves in the lobby of the Restaurant to the surprise that the Host had known it was us and said our table was ready. 

As we were ushered to our seats we sat down to the unique menu which is set up in tiers and rows of ingredients. You pick what you want from each row, you tell them what you don't want included. Simple enough.

...and the journey begins. We were greeted to our delight with the first few amuse-bouche presented:

 Their version of classic black & white cookies:
From what I remember they were black truffle & white cream cheese. The taste was almost like a refined goldfish cracker where the cheese is the first apparent thing. The finish was a pleasant truffle taste that said "Hello" and hung out on the palate for a while.

Second, in their Blitzkrieg of  Amuse were thin Parmesan baked crackings with a hint of garlic to go with a tea that was offered.

 Tomato & baby basil tea. Initially I liked it but after a while, the tomato taste overpowered my palate. I was relieved to find out that the cracklings complimented well and alleviated the situation!

 The last set of amuse before our 1st came out. Raw scallop and pork rind with 2 caviar eggs within them. (Mmmmmmm)

Then a piece of red snapper and I forget what the chip was (this was in August mind you) but overall, very flavorful.

 Here was my 1st. Foie Gras terrine. Blackberry was the theme here along with avocado. This was truly divine as the fattiness of the Foie blended well with the acid from the blackberry and mellow tones of avocado.

 Next up was another amuse bouche: anti-griddled goat cream with capers. I wasn't too much a fan of the taste but definitely appreciated the concept. (They were also incredibly cold)

Was also accompanied by a fried bread that tasted like breaded chicken.

 This was my 1st. Butter poached lobster tail. Delicious.

For my 3rd, baked pork chop with a sauce similar to Hoisin with cherries.

And another amuse bouche: Strawberry shortcake made with goat cheese.

 .........and another: New York orange Milk Cream

 ........Yet another: cognac and actual black & white cookies, chocolate assortment.

So that was it for this one! Full and non-biased, here were the results we gave:

Atmosphere: 18/20
Service: 18/20
Food: 17/20

Overall, it was well worth the trip and I do plan to come back again. I hope you will be inspired to do the same fellow readers!

Yours truly,
CCK