11 Madison Park

11 Madison Ave
New York, NY

tel 212-889-0905

We learned about 11 Madison Park from our waiter at Michael Mina's XIV in West Hollywood who highly recommended the restaurant. After having ate here, all we can say is that this was our best meal ever. Ever!!!

Winter 2010 Gourmand Tasting Menu

1. amuse bouches: beet marshmellow, celery truffle sablee, goat cheese "big mac", foie gras macaron, veal mousse chemise - "Ooo...how pretty." Nom, nom. "OMG, these things are SO good!" This was a sign of things to come. Each individual piece held its own. All different, all delicious.

2. sterling royal caviar - spheres of smoked sturgeon and salmon cream - Our third time arond with these gelee things. Bazaar has their olive, Providence had the mojito and now fish in gelee form. It was interesting and tasty. Not sure if I was blindfolded, I would have been able to tell you what they were, but a nice prologue to the best meal ever.

3. heirloom beets - salad with chevre frais, nasturtium and rye crumble - "Beets? I don't like beets." Nom, nom. "OMG, this is fantastic! I heart beets!"

4. foie gras - terrine with golden pineapple, pickled pearl onions and rum raisin brioche - "Terrine? Been there, done that." Nom, nom. "OMG, this is better then anything we've had before!" Better than the version at wd~50. Better than Per Se. Better than the Dining Room. The best. The winner. Gold metal. So good!

5. nova scotia lobster - poached with piment d'espelette, celery and meyer lemon - Not a fan of poached lobster. It always comes out just luke warm and tastes a bit undercooked. Maybe that's just the way it's suppose to be, but I'm just not a fan. But having gone through four courses already, I should have known better then the doubt Chef Humm. This had a fantastic texture and the accompanying sauce was scrumptious. So, so scrumptious.

6. bouillabaisse - dover sole with mussels, bay scallops, hawaiian prawns and chorizo - Two things I learned from this dish: 1) I'm not a fan of bouillabaisse, 2) This was the best bouillabaisse I've ever had. Conclusion: if I did like bouillabaisse, this would be how I'd want it prepared every time.

7. "winter in provence" - black truffles, chevre frais and potatoes - a cart is rolled out tableside. And we sat in anticipation for the next five minutes thinking of what was to come next. Was it the cheese course? No, it's too early for that. The chef then appears with a few whipped cream siphons and three small copper pots. He tells us a story of his trip to Provence, France and he recalls for us his experience during the winter there. Each siphon contains something different, a savory foam, and emptied into the pre-heated copper pots and served with some olive oil. The whole thing looks like a big mess, but once you put that first spoonful in your mouth, you are whisked away to a place you've never been. How could anything taste THIS good??? Bite after bite, the dish tasted better and better. One of the tastiest things I've ever put in my mouth.

8. everglades frog's legs - sauteed with parsley and porcini custard - Frog legs? D was a bit more hesitant than I, as I've had this amphibian before. Getting past the fact she was eating Kermit, D really enjoyed this dish, as did I. Best frog we've ever had.

9. organic quail - roasted with endive, medjool dates and juniper - Served with what appeared to be a wine reduction. Very tender and not too gamey. Very good, but not as memorable as the other dishes.

10. milk fed veal - braised cheeks with celery root and black truffles Braised = yummy, for me at least. For D, not so much. Usually the complaints are it's too mushy or too salty, but this version with the celery root showed how it can be done right so that D doesn't mind it.

11. fromage - artisanal cheeses

12. "soda pop" - tangerine, grapefruit, pomelo and lemon (no picture - we got too excited and ate it before we remembered to take a picture)

13. milk & chocolates - variations of flavors and texture (almost finished it before we remembered to take a picture)

14. mignardises - macarons

The best meal of our lives. We've considered planning trips back to New York just to eat here again. Service was excellent. Not quite to the caliber of Per Se, but the Maitre 'd and the servers were all very attentive. We were also granted a tour of the kitchen after our meal. And as a parting gift, we were presented with a couple boxes of macarons after D raved about how much she loved them. Chef Humm, why must you be so far away? Perhaps it's for the best. Cause if he were any closer, there'd be no reason not to eat at his restaurant every month...or week...or...