Eleven Madison Park, New York City

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Eleven Madison Park 11 Madison Ave New York City, NY 10010 (212) 889-0905 Eleven Madison Park Website

Why did we dine here? – Best Restaurant in the USA? Tips to Dine here on the cheap! Eleven Madison Park is a well respected American restaurant situated at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District of New York City. Three Michelin stars were awarded in 2023. The restaurant was ranked #3 in the World by The World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.

This was the highest ranking of an American restaurant besting even French Laundry. Naturally we wanted to dine at this place! Le Bernadin was also considered, but seemed a little more old school. (Ranked #24 in the world)

Chef Daniel Humm is well known for his outstanding food presented in a fun manner, as well as the well trained waitstaff. Eleven has won the prestigious Ferrari Trento Art of Hospitality Award for its great service.

The Immaculate Kitchen

Be sure to ask for the tour of the beautiful kitchen!

In 2021, they re-opened and switch to an all plant based menu. No more meat, eggs, dairy! In 2021 the New York times gave them a 0 star review..

They serve a seasonal tasting menu of 10 courses for $365 per guest. Price includes gratuities. Little known is the fact that you can order a la carte in the Bar and do so without reservations. We did not feel like having a 3 hour meal, so we choose shorter 6 course tasting menu at $285.

• Demand clearly is lower now, we saw many more Tock reservations available than the past.

Be sure to check out our review of Encanto, Lisbon for the best vegetarian restaurant we’ve been to.

If you are short on time or money! A 4 course meal at the bar will cost you approximately $195. NO one else was dining at the bar when we came for lunch in the past.

Once you set foot in this restaurant you will see its understated elegance with lots of flowers and not much art. Jazz plays while the servers smoothly glide around the dining room like a ballet ensemble.

Dress code? There is no dress code other than do not make a fool of yourself = almost all the Men had at least button down shirts on, with most wearing suits.

Insider Tip – Reserve Early on Tock (Prepay) or Try a walk in at the Bar

Cuisine – New American
Location – Flatiron District, New York City
Opened – 1998

Service – Eleven Madison Park had excellent service. Some of the best around. Lots of anticipating what we need, someone always not far away. Great knowledge. Wow.
Verdict – Eleven Madison Park lived up to its billing. Super service and a plant based meal. It may not be as satisfying as in the past for omnivores, but Vegetarians and those with an open mind will have a field day. Be sure to ask for a kitchen tour.

We still rank Encanto, Lisbon Portugal as our favorite Vegetarian restaurant.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Yes.

Spring 2023 Menu

Celtuce – Shaken, Salad, and Crudite – Never had this type of lettuce before.  You get it in a drink that tastes like a cold gazpacho.  Then you receive it in a salad and a crudite that you place some dip upon. Very fresh and clean dish. The weakest for omnivores. 8/10

Tonburi – With Avocado, Fava Beans and Mint is akin to a stuffed avocado with flavor – texture enhancements from the beans.  Interesting. 8/10

Bread with mushroom butter – Hot out of the oven, flaky and crusty. 9.5/10

Tofu – With peas and anise hyssop is a small dense dish akin to a chawanmushi. Lots of flavor from the broth. 9/10

Asparagus – With rice, Nepitella and ginger looks simple but has several textures and layers. 8/10

Morel – steamed with baby lettuce and basil is brought tableside and some broth is added so it can steep a couple minutes.  It is carved up and looks surprisingly simple but has some really nice texture.  Be sure to use bread to soak up the broth! 9/10

Strawberry – with coconut and shiso is textured like a creme brulee and has strong flavors.  The accompanying fruit on a stick seems out of place. 8.5/10

Sesame – Pretzel with chocolate finished up the meal.  The chocolate gets on your fingers after a couple seconds. 7.5/10

Parting gift of complimentary granola in a beautiful jar.

 

Previous review from 2016 when they still served meat

They serve a seasonal tasting menu of 7-9 courses for $295 per guest. Price includes gratuities. Little known is the fact that you can order a la carte in the Bar and do so without reservations. We did not feel like having a 3 hour $295 meal, so we choose the bar route. A 4 course meal at the bar will cost you approximately $130, or you can just order an entree for $55. NO one else was dining at the bar when we came for lunch.

Once you set foot in this restaurant you will see its understated elegance with lots of flowers and not much art. Jazz plays while the servers smoothly glide around the dining room. There is no dress code other than do not make a fool of yourself = almost all the Men had at least button down shirts, with most wearing suits.

Insider Tip – Reserve Early or Try a walk in at the Bar

Cuisine – New American
Location – Flatiron District, New York City
Opened – 1998

Service – Eleven Madison Park had very good service at the bar. There were clearly some long pauses between courses and when a server came by. Service at the regular tables is far superior. They have a better staff to customer ratio during lunch.
Verdict – Eleven Madison Park lived up to its billing. Superb food done right. You definitely wanted to dine on the tasting menu to fully realize the experience. Ask for a kitchen tour.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Yes.

Eleven Madison Park Signature Dishes – Foie, Roasted Duck

Eleven Madison Park’s Menu is a tasting menu that changes with the seasons, but the a la carte menu is available at the bar.

Website Eleven Madison Park Menu

Eleven Madison Park Food Picks:
Iced Matcha ($10) Marukyu-Koyamaen “Wakatake” Matcha and Mineral Water was VERY strong. We had to ask for some honey to sweeten it.

Orange, Cease and Desist ($10) Orange, Cream, Orange Blossom, Sparkling Mineral Water was a nice non alcoholic drink.

Warm flaky house made Rolls with New York whole wheat is simply excellent. Their butter has a cheese crust on top.

Foie Gras ($35) Marinated with White Asparagus and Chamomile – Was beautiful, but on the small side. Smooth, Rich Foie along with a crisp thin cracker.

Peas ($24) Glazed with Sheep’s Milk and Garlic – Sauce poured tableside. These peas were a bit salty especially with the capers. A hard to eat dish and the weakest of the lunch.

Asparagus ($27) Charred and Glazed with Croutons and Egg – Warm Vegetables – Had an interesting texture contrast with crunchy midde and savory bottom.

Lobster ($48) Butter-Poached with Daikon and Citrus – Was a must order. Fresh and tender lobster along with some vinegary daikon and candied fruits. Melt in your mouth goodness. We thought about ordering another

Duck ($55) Dry Aged duck breast with Citrus Duck Jus, Honey, Lavendar, and Rhubarb – Is a signature dish. Aged, cooked medium but came medium rare, crisp skin with some spices. You can clearly taste the flavor difference. Once of the best ducks around.

Halibut ($47) Poached with Variations of Radish and Orange Blossom, Dashi Broth – Soft, good size, way better than most of the fish served in San Francisco!

Beef ($56) 140 day dry aged Ribeye with Eggplant – Small, Tender, Cooked to a medium rare. Good stuff.

Ice Cream in the Kitchen

Sassafras ($22) Ice Cream with Banana, Vanilla Seltzer, and Caramel – really good and not really too sweet. Salty Accent.

Strawberry ($22) Poached with Vanilla and Elder Flower – Carbonated foam, sweet fruitness, solid dessert.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
None

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

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