Finest Binge: Eleven Madison Park

On my trip to New York last November, I visited Eleven Madison Park for dinner in the bar area.  Several courses there were very good, and with high praise from Michelin and diners I trust, getting to experience the full menu was a top priority for this trip.  We were forced a bit of an early dinner--6 o'clock--because we had tickets to a concert that night, with plans to arrive at the venue by 10.  We arrived to a dining room with only a few other seated guests, but were in no way let down by the room's grandeur; large windows, a spacious table, and deep red roses as decor created great presence.

Our head waiter stopped by with a few questions: "any allergies?" (1 gluten in our table of 4).  "Any foods you don't like?" (no).  "Any time constraints?" (no; we had 4 hours & didn't want to rush service).  "Great.  You're in for a treat tonight; I'll fill you in when I come back."  He hopped away, giving the sommelier a chance to pour us each a glass of Champagne.  The waiter returned a few minutes later to describe the situation:

"Tonight is a special night.  Chef Christopher Kostow, of Meadowood in Napa, is working with us tonight.  He was formerly Daniel Humm's sous chef, and tonight they're collaborating on a special tasting menu.  As Chef Kostow has also earned 3 Michelin stars at Meadowood, we are cheekily calling this a 'six star Saturday'.  Would everyone like to participate in the full collaboration tasting menu tonight?"  

The four of us nodded in unison.  We were elated--if it weren't for the formality of the space, we might have been high-fiving and cheering our good fortune.  Given the murder's row week of meals this night fell into, my friend gave me a "is this real?" look.  Six star Saturday.  Fantastic.

Out came a succession of small bites.  A chickpea fritter might have passed as the best french fry to appear on this earth, and an egg & bacon bite was quite good; however, the curry-dusted goat cheese lollipop was unappealing.  Other bites were tasty, but couldn't quell our anticipation for the heart of the menu.

Finally, fuller plates began to arrive.  First was a cup of yogurt accompanied by black sesame, shiso, and plum compote.  All of us took a bite, considered the taste, took another bite, then exchanged puzzled glances.  I tried ingredients separately; I tried them together in various combinations, but couldn't find a pleasant flavor profile.  2 of my friends did not finish theirs.

At this point that the front of house manager came over to invite us into the kitchen.  We were served delicious edible cocktails (involved pomegranate foam, apple syrup, and liquid nitrogen, among other components).  Shaking hands and chatting with chefs Humm & Kostow was enjoyable; both seemed quite friendly and we appreciated that they did not seem rushed to leave us.  Brightened by that experience, we returned to the table with renewed excitement.

After a bit of a delay, because of our kitchen visit, next came a "cauliflower couscous."  We were, again, disappointed--rather crunchy, as raw cauliflower can be.  The flavors were quite simple as well.  We spent a while discussing the letdown we were all experiencing until the next course arrived.

With the next plate, cured venison with tuna, a positive course correction occurred.  It was tender, just a bit chewy (good thing), and quite meaty.  The next course, a lobster dish, was a knockout plate--the favorite of a couple folks at the table.  Of the next 4 courses (sturgeon, squab, pork, chevre cheesecake) only the squab was enjoyed by all--perfectly cooked and interestingly balanced with beets & chocolate jus.  As for the other dishes: some of the sturgeon components didn't make sense, most of the pork pieces were overcooked and on the dry side, and the chevre cheesecake was at worst bland; at best good with added salt.

The hit & miss food was frustrating, but perhaps more frustrating--and exacerbating the food frustration--was the service.  We did not experience the flawless service I'd been told to expect (except for our sommelier--he was great).  We frequently waited over 20 minutes between courses.  After the chevre cheesecake course (12 plates in) we had been at the table for nearly 4 hours.  This extremely slow pacing was a surprising failure and caused us to miss the concert.

One unique piece of service was the egg cream.  Our waiter, channeling his best salesman spirit, told us of the building and area's history while mixing a frothy cream cream drink on a tableside cart.  The monologue was interesting and the drink was good.  This was followed with a goat cheese, blood orange, and vanilla cheesecake.  This was nice, but the textures seemed overmanipulated--vanilla "snow" and an odd treatment to the fruit detracted from the flavors present.  The last dessert, a chocolate-based dish, was sadly unbearable.  Nobody at the table could understand why the components were put together, and nobody could finish it--our tastebuds told us to stop.

As a bit of praise, our frustrations were recognized.  Several of the waitstaff exchanged frantic looks during a few of our longer waits and a few drinks were comped.  But when it was all done, the 15 course meal took 5 hours, we missed the concert (only a minor complaint, really), and just a few dishes could be acknowledged as exceptional.  Our group re-hashed and discussed, attempting to make sense of the situation.  The collaboration must have caused kitchen issues, forcing slow service.  Also, many of the folks I have heard praise Eleven Madison Park opted for the 4 course menu or went for lunch; if those meals only incorporated the best dishes we were served, the food could come off as outstanding.  But as it were, we experienced many poor plates & frustrating service.  Not the room's presence, the free drinks, nor the inventiveness of a few good dishes could uplift us from severe disappointment.