eleven madison park || 11 madison ave. || (212) 889-0905
merry christmas. wow. this delectable, decadent, exquisite experience is truly excellent. the following photos are worth a few thousand words and will perhaps tickle your taste buds.
peaceful ambiance at 5 pm [since dinner will last for 4+ hours]
getting gossip from the mixologist
there was also a farewell gathering of the staff & etc for the pastry chef that day. it was fun eavesdropping like a creeper from the bar before dinner began.
cocktail selection is on point. happy with the options listed. [unlike per se #spoiledfoodieproblems]
secret ingredient choice. i choose you, coffee. or is that the marijuana plant?
presents already? savory ny classic b&w cookies
caviar + creme fraiche
refreshing [hidden] oysters.
“fruit salad”
their logo now makes sense to me
hey la tache = $12K
dehydrated tomato stuffed with lobster topped w/baby basil & cream
to fill you in on the tasty filling
note: to give you an idea of their stalkery absolute attentiveness, they noticed i scraped the creamy top off to the side of the dish and asked if there was a problem with it. i let them know that i didn’t want too much of the cream, and that preference was duly noted for the later items. thanks guys!
light soup made from the tomato they previously squeezed the juice out of
ode to a new york classic. this is when the secret ingredients show face: cherry soda to the left, coffee soda to the right.
“pastrami & soda”
pastrami on a fancy fiery simmer plate
open-faced sandwich.if you want it put a pastrami on it
cocktail: rye whiskey based egg white & anise
old fashioned
this cucumber salad was for the [silly] ones who opted out of their AMAZING foie gras dish that day. pretty and healthy but not on the same page.
the beautiful, seared foie gras with chanterelles. amazing.
aerial view of what i loved.
“salad bar”
telling stories of the waldorf
the waldorf salad + celery puree soup
curious to know how the celery soda would have tasted, we asked for a smidgen & they gave us a bottle. it was great, but cherry was surprisingly my favorite since they used fresh cherries.
the sodas + fresh butter & bread
halibut with paper thin radish
green delight. celtuce.
dbl espresso pls
the herb-crusted dry roasted duck, stuffed with lavender
the slice of duck that you get to eat, which was much more than i could eat at this point
hmm. part of the duck
then there’s more…
picnic anyone?
added my little touch of tying the handkerchief on top.
my name on the plates?!
virginia sin, the artist behind the ceramic plating that appears to be paper plates
goat cheese, candy grapes, basil paste in a jar
finally onto dessert…
delicious dessert: butter cream, butter scotch, dehydrated milk, foam, crumble. yum.
burning brain…
charred brain…
and then because it was my birthday…
pretty
sometimes it can be fun in the kitchen…especially special tours of it.
hey kitchen crew! you’re awesome.
photos along the wall are their farmers and growers from whom they purchase their ingredients
37 staff in the main kitchen + ms. expediter
expediter: kitchen manager aka bootcamp captain aka “hurry the eff up, are you a snail or are you a chef” [i’d imagine she yells this] who makes sure everyone is on task on time, down to every minute, every second, and ensures a sufficient amount of all ingredients necessary for the amount of diners every day.
the new sous chef making a special icy cone treat
we’re all kids again! snow cones, fancy ones.
as if our 4 hour dinner + kitchen tour wasn’t obnoxious grand enough, they relocated us to a pleasant after-the-never-ending-dinner private corner lounge where we can further lengthen our stay by indulging in more caffeine and a complimentary bottle of grappa. if only it were scotch…
the lounging area
sweet classic new york b&w cookies & pretzel infused with dark, milk, & white chocolates
another birthday surprise…
dark chocolate covered coconut bar of decadence
they decided to feed me for breakfast as well.
fresh homemade granola.
so good, all the squirrels in the city came running over.
the [wrinkled] menu.
a fantastic journey it was — overall a worthwhile experience for a special occasion especially since it is like a classic broadway show + new york history 101 + foodie heaven + michelin snob all packed into one night. take her/him there. :D
