Eleven Madison Park
New York, USA
July 16, 2018
Eleven Madison Park was the 3rd restaurant on the quest. It was ranked № 1 in 2017 and fell ever so slightly to 4th in 2018. Eleven is also a Michelin 3-star restaurant.
As you might imagine, getting reservations means planning ahead. Reservations for a given month open up on the 1st of the previous month and they can disappear within minutes. For our July reservation, we booked when reservations opened up on June 1st. The rest of the restaurants for this trip were planned around this one.
The service from the moment Kitt and I walked in the door was fantastic. Our host was cheerful and friendly throughout the meal.
The food. Oh my god, the food. The meal was incredible. I was nearly to tears with how good the food was.
Most of the dishes have a seasonal twist on them. Being in the thick of summer, corn was a common thread through some of the courses. Caviar served on top of a corn soufflé with a cream sauce, for example, was fantastic.
Chef Daniel Humm himself said, “The duck is probably the only recipe that I feel I have perfected fully.”
And it was fantastic. I highly recommend choosing the duck option, if you have the chance.
By far my favourite dish was the foie gras. Absolute perfection. Each bite was bliss and I savoured it through and through. Nothing I’ve had before or since compares to this dish.
One other interesting tidbit was that we prepaid for our meal when we made the booking. This actually made the end of the meal quite pleasant. There was nothing to sign and no large bill to pretend wasn’t some insanely large amount. It also meant not feeling uncomfortable about how much to tip. I wish more restaurants did this.
Verdict: Worth it. I will fly around the world to go here.
Postscript
Interestingly, Kitt and I had an opportunity to return to the restaurant in 2022 after they had switched to a plant-based menu. Sadly, this experience didn't live up to how good it was the first time around. Service was spotty with bringing out the wrong utensils numerous times and even bringing the wrong alcohol pairing for one of the dishes. I acknowledge that post-pandemic, many restaurants are struggling with staffing and high end restaurants like Eleven are likely not immune to this. The food itself was good but not spectacular enough that I'd go out of my way for it.