Happy Noms

Author: Victor
Restaurant: Eleven Madison Park
Exec Chef: Daniel Humm
Website: http://elevenmadisonpark.com/

Date: March 24, 2013
Dinner

Notes:

I haven’t eaten here for a few months, and I have wanted to come back for a while now. The menu still has some staples, such as the black-and-white cookies or the carrot tartare course, but there are a bunch of new courses, such as the lobster course or the WONDERFUL maple dessert!

Once again, my pictures are terrible—that’s what I get for using an iPhone to take pictures of food when there’s terrible lighting haha :(. I hope that I’ll be lucky enough to go for lunch in the future so that I can get better pics for you guys!

Food:

1.
CHEDDAR AND APPLE
Savory Black-and-White Cookie

2.
OYSTER
Wood Sorrel, Buckwheat, and Mignonette

3.
CRAB
With Avocado, Finger Lime, and Cucumber

4.
SEA URCHIN
Custard with Apple, Sea Urchin Tongue, and Chervil

5.
CLAM BAKE
Part 1: Surf Clam with Morcilla Sausage and Celery Root

Part 2: Clam Bake with Whelk with Couscous and Fennel (left), Parker House Roll, and Chowder
(I forgot what was on the right…)

For those who are curious about what a clam bake is, here’s the wiki!

BREAD:
Left: Cow’s milk butter
Middle-left: Salt
Middle-right: Duck fat butter
Right: Flakey, buttery croissant-like roll

6A. (Victor)
SEARED FOIE GRAS
Seared with Sunchoke, Dates, and Water Chestnut

6B. (Friend)
FOIE GRAS TERRINE
Terrine with Bitter Greens, Pear, and Anchovy

I actually preferred the terrine to the seared foie gras, though my friend liked the seared version more. Something about anchovies mixes surprisingly well with foie…

7.
CARROT
Tartare with Rye Bread and Condiments

Instructions: Mix all the ingredients with the tartare and shave it over the multigrain bread!

Apparently, the rye bread and condiments are static, while the type of carrot they use changes at times, depending on what’s most in season.

I STILL really like this dish. The carrot’s really delicious, but there’s something about mixing all the ingredients together and tasting the end product—I really think that the sum is greater than the parts here. It’s a dish that you at first think won’t be that amazing… but then you eat it and realize that it really is great—Chef Humm really did something creative—and fun—here!

8.
LOBSTER
Poached with Rutabaga, Pear, and Lovage Bisque

I actually like this lobster course more than any other lobster course I’ve had at EMP so far. It was soft, creamy, and flavorful, and it worked really, really well with the other ingredients. At the same time, I still like the butter-poached lobster dishes at Per Se more than EMP’s.

9.
SALSIFY
Roasted with Apples and Black Pudding

10.
DUCK
Aged for Two Weeks, Blazed with Honey and Szechuan Pepper, and Roasted with Tardivo and Marcona Almond

Part 1: Duck Broth Made from the Trimmings of the Roasted Duck

Part 2: Roasted Duck Served with Citrus Duck Jus

They recently changed the format of the duck (I think about two weeks ago!). They no longer prepare it tableside, and they just show you the duck before carving it back in the kitchen now. I actually prefer how they previously prepared it, but I can understand why they changed it—it fits more with the restaurant’s philosophy of improvement through change and innovation. (Also, I’d rather have EMP constantly change its menu so that I can try new things!)

Part 3: Duck Confit with Foie Gras and Potato Mousseline

11.
GREENSWARD (PICNIC
Pretzel Bread, Mustard, Grapes, and “Picnic Basket” Pale Wheat Ale

The cheese and mustard were both prepared with the beer, so the whole course kind of revolved around the beer, which is custom-brewed for the restaurant by Ithaca Beer Co.!

12.
MALT (EGG CREAM)
Egg Cream with Vanilla and Seltzer

For those curious about the history of the egg cream, here’s the wiki!

This is still one of my favorite treats to look forward to whenever I eat here haha. It’s always delicious. Every single time.

13.
MAPLE
Bourbon-Barrel–Aged Maple Syrup with Maple Brittle, Maple Shortbread, Maple Ice Cream, Milk, and Shaved Ice

I LOOOOOOOVE shaved ice. This was one of those desserts that took something from your childhood and improved upon it. It was a comfortable mix of familiarity and excellence. Again, I love love love shaved ice. I ate it a lot as a kid, and I also eat it a lot whenever I visit Taiwan. I could probably eat this dessert every day for a long, long time and never get sick of it!

Also… maple syrup. You can’t go wrong with maple syrup. It was a maple extravaganza of different textures, levels of sweetness, and “MMMM, this is so good—I can’t stop eating! MmMMm—why is it disappearing?! MmmMMMmmMm—stop disappearing! NOOO, IT’S ALL GONE. I’m so SAD.”

14.
EARL GREY
Sheep’s Milk Cheesecake, Honey, and Lemon

15.
CHOCOLATE (MAGIC CARD TRICK)
Bourbon

I’ll have the magic card trick on video one day when I go for lunch… It’s not really worth recording the trick on my iPhone with the bad lighting during dinner :(.

16.
PRETZEL
White Chocolate Pretzel Covered with Valrhona Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

We finished the meal with some applejack, chocolate pretzels, and sweet black-and-white cookies!

17.
CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA
Sweet Black-and-White Cookie with Apricot