Once rated the best restaurant in the world and renowned for their preparation of duck and other meat based dishes, Eleven Madison Park recently made a surprising transition to a plant based menu. Their change in menu as well as the various conflicting reviews about the new direction of the restaurant made us extremely curious and eager to try and decide for ourselves if Eleven Madison Park still lived up to the hype. Chef Daniel Humm has said via Instagram, that they “would only make this move to be being fully plant- based if we could create an experience that is as magical and as delicious as before.” So, would the experience be magical and delicious for us? 

Address: 11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010 

Price: $$$ 335 per person pre paid (starting Feb 2022 there is a tipping option, meaning that they are dropping their service included policy which means that this may run you ~20% more)

The Plant Based EMP $335 Tasting

1. MUSHROOM

• BREAD AND BUTTER

2. MATSUTAKE

3. GOLDEN BEET

4. TONBURI

5. KOHLRABI

6. CELERY ROOT

7. CABBAGE

8. PEAR

9. GRAPE

10. SESAME

HIGHS of the meal: 

• Sunflower Seed butter & bread– The complimentary bread was probably one of the most memorable, especially since it was vegan. When it comes to us thinking back to this meal, we both actually thought about the bread first, which goes to show how good it was. It was quite unbelievable how they were able to create such a great vegan croissant bread- it was buttery, flakey, dense and light at the same time. The sunflower butter paired very well, and it the hint of sunflower seed flavor was light and a great compliment to the buttery, rich bread. Probably one of the best vegan breads we’ve ever had, if not the best.
• Tonburi & Squash– This was the dish where we really saw Chef Daniel Humm’s vision for the future of the restaurant come together. There were many elements to this dish and the whole dish felt very nuanced and thoughtful. It wasn’t just mushroom or tofu cooked in a sauce (lol), there were layers of flavor to each element and together it created a very memorable bite. We thought it was interesting how in this dish especially there were many flavors from cuisines known for their vegetarian preparations. The dosa was a tribute to South Asian cuisine, and the Tonburi preparation was taught to the kitchen by famous Zen Buddhist chefs from Japan (according to our server). They were able to balance all these flavors in the dish to create a bite which felt elevated and interesting in flavor, which was impressive. We also liked that this dish was a tribute to New York lox & bagels (with Tonburi as caviar).
• The desserts– All the desserts were well balanced, beautiful, and enjoyable. The chocolate pretzel was our favorite, and we were very impressed with how their version of vegan desserts tasted and were presented.
  

LOWS of the meal: 

• Matsuke/ Rice Porridge– This was the point of the meal when we were starting to get thrown off by the way the food was seasoned, and this was technically only the second course. This dish particularly was so salty that various members of our party had to ask the staff if they could please tell the kitchen to use less salt if possible. They said they would try their best, but many of these dishes had been cured beforehand so they could only take out the additional salt that they used to season the dish for us. To be completely honest, we couldn’t even tell the difference with no additional salt because many dishes after were still overwhelming salty.
• Cabbage/ falafel dish– This dish was disappointing because of the expectation from the beautiful presentation. The dish arrived as a head of cabbage that the server had to wack apart with hammer. The outside seemed to be a cabbage shaped stone structure of some sorts that was able to hold in the heat so that the cabbage and the falafel inside was able to be smoked or cooked in a way. The main problem with this dish was quite simply, taste. For the dramatic entrance this dish created, the actual dish itself felt short. We were excited to try the falafel because we had read online that Chef Daniel Humm eats falafel everyday for lunch. The falafel would have been okay if not for the extremely salty sauce. The falafel itself was already salty but then with the added salt, it bordered on being inedible. Almost everyone in our party was unable to finish this dish. To be honest, the presentation and thought behind this dish really made us think that the direction that they were going in for vegan cuisine was great, but their execution still left much to be desired.

Day and Night approved?

Not for now, because we think they can do better and will in the future. In a meal filled with confusing taste and interesting preparations of vegetables, there was flashes of brilliance or glimmers of hope that EMP would be able to conquer the road ahead for them as they stay plant based. To sum it all up, New York Times describes it best: “Now vegan, Daniel Humm’s acclaimed restaurant does strange things to vegetables”. We completely agree. While the meal was enjoyable due to the service, vibe, and constant excitement and curiosity over what the next dish would be like- make no doubt about it… EMP does very strange things to vegetables. Why they chose certain preparations of their dishes confused us, the flavors confused us, and the price point for all of the above really confused us.

To be fair, it makes sense as they are still experimenting with flavors and learning on what works for them. What really stuck with us was the way they were preparing their vegetables. They seemed to be curing a lot of the vegetables or dishes for long periods of time. The amount of salt used in each dish couldn’t really be adjusted because they were salted ahead of time, and then they would build on the flavor on the day of by seasoning more. This works with meat, but with vegetables which can not handle the same amount of seasoning as meat, the overall flavor results in being extremely salty and sometimes sour. Hopefully as they move forward, they are able to adjust this. For us, what makes vegetables taste good is the flavor that they naturally have, as many vegetables can be eaten raw and do not need too much extra seasoning to taste amazing. As we know they are definitely getting the best quality ingredients, we were expecting them to bring out or highlight flavors in new and different ways. We were expecting EMP to take vegan cooking to the next level, but to be completely honest, our expectations were perhaps too high…for now.

As a fine dining experience, overall this meal was quite interesting and we do not regret going. Eleven Madison Park is famous for a reason- and from the service to the experience, you grow to expect more as they are one of the best in the world. If you are intrigued by what EMP is doing, a visit could be worth it for you. There were highs and lows, but we had a great time. We were even invited into the kitchen, and it was so impressive to see the level of detail and work that they bring to food. We have great hope for EMP’s vision of plant based cooking and we look forward to what they will do in the future.