Eleven Madison Park | Le Bernardin | Per se | The Modern | Oyster Oyster

Sorry 2nd try, photos did not upload.

Wanted to write up my reviews on a few restaurants while visiting NYC and DC for the first time since the pandemic. I weeded out a lot of places through this subreddit, so paying it forward.

Short ranking on food alone. Favorite by far was Eleven Madison Park (this comes from a steak and protein lover who ages their own meats and has meat every meal unless I'm eating oatmeal). Then comes Le Bernardin​, Per se, then The Modern. Other places we went that are, not all fine dining, Barmini (Minibar but just the bar), Oyster Oyster, Bazaar, Los Tacos #1, Oyamel, Old Ebitts Grill and Txula. Add in Cava (the finest of fine dining establishments) and thats everything we ate for a few days.
 

Eleven Madison Park (NYC) was one of the only ones we were extremely hesitant about before going. Yes service is legendary, but a plant meal didn't seem that appetizing to us at that price point. Reviews mostly tear it apart online (you guys really don't like this place, my goodness). We kept asking waiters what they thought and no one had been since the vegan phase started- and no one could confidently suggest we try it, everyone said they would get us a table at their restaurant again instead.

Food was spectacular. Service was the best, perhaps only topped by the staff at Joel Robuchon's gracefulness. The highlights were the carrot tartare, the fish, and milk and honey dessert but everything was good. The carrot tartare was wonderfully done and the mustard vinegar was delicious and the perfect blend of heat and sweetness. The tilefish was one of the better sauces I've ever had and the citrus on top was a fun refreshing topping. It was my favorite fish dish/bite I have ever had. Milk and honey dish from NoMad was perfect texture and flavors. Sweet but not sickeningly sweet, it was one of my favorite desserts of the trip. The honey lavender duck was good, but nothing too outstanding compared to other notable dishes in this genre. I didn't understand why it was so hyped up beforehand but it was still a very good piece of duck. The mushroom option was far better with the perfect crisp edges. Some critiques were the bread was just ok (very oily), the after dinner digestif was eh, the black and white cookie was underwhelming. Vegan sunflower butter is good, but real butter is better. Despite these small critiques, it was a lovely experience that we cannot wait to do again. If you are in New York and go eat out at fine dining a lot, please go. Perhaps it was the whirlwind of fine dining over the course of just a few days, but it was a refreshingly unique experience that you cannot get in most places, whereas waygu/lamb/langoustine etc is found in every fine dining restaurant in the world. The kitchen tour was fun and the little green apple maple syrup on a stick was fitting for winter and very tasty. I felt they went over the top in gifts but I am not complaining. The cards have a watercolor image of each dish and are so much better than a traditional printed menu. The granola is amazing. If it didn't cost an arm and a leg I would eat it every morning. Favorite restaurant of not only the trip but NYC in general. It might be recency bias but it might be 2nd to Joel Robuchon in my overall ranking. *note I have only been here once, whereas other places I mention I have been to before and some too many times but this one experience was brilliant and I can't believe I let a few reviews make me avoid this place for this long

Le Bernardin (NYC), fantastic food, pretty bad service. It's not like they threw dishes at us to catch, or didn't refill water glasses ever, but everything was a step behind. While I know we do enjoy a more personal touch when dealing with s​taff it was eerily robotic. Small issues with timing also came into play. Overall the food was wonderful, not overdone but simple and just so well executed. The dover sole was great, the brown butter sauce of one of the other dishes whose name I cannot remember is perfect. The baguette is amazing. Will be back of course and hope for different servers next time

Per se (NYC). Great food (minus desserts and overall balance of tasting menu \the smaller saloon menu), great service, albeit a little over the top in friendliness. Oysters and pearls and salmon tartare were good as ever. We opted for the 4 course after scheduling eleven madison park for lunch. It was a fantastic meal but overall way too imbalanced towards the desserts. Amuse bouche into oysters and pearls/ uni and caviar maki, lobster, then lamb/wagyu into a sea of dessert. Desserts weren't fantastic either, the macaroon and the late foam and a few of the truffles flavors stood out, the rest was just so so and were overwhelmingly sweet. Truly a great few bites that got drowned in a sea of okish desserts.

​Small question for those who have been to Thomas Kellers Surf club- That night Per se's kitchen had the surf club up on the TV as the TFL was closed. Does anyone know what the surf club does when TFL and Per Se have each other on the screen when all three are open? Do they just pick one? The waiter made it seem like Per Se and TFL always have each other on and not the surf club?

The Modern (NYC)- decent food. No one bite that was extraordinary but nothing bad either. Perfectly rated as a 2 star. Great service until it got busy and then it absolutely went down the drain. The latter half of our menu took forever, waters stayed empty for slight periods of time, servers felt like they were running around. Would go if you are just venturing into the fine dining scene, are already at the MOMA, or doing the smaller course tasting menu (but then again at that price point you're pretty much at Le Bernardin prices anyways). 

Barmini (DC). Not huge cocktail fans but we couldn't get into Minibar so we went in thinking we were settling. Unbelievable service and creativity in the drinks. I did the tasting flight and was dying a little at the price tag, but some of the drinks blew me away. The ones that didn't were still wonderful but the DC sunset, soup de jour (french onion soup- as a cocktail), breakfast of champions were out of this world. We ordered a lot of bites off the menu as they share the same kitchen as Minibar, we loved the tartars on the shiso leaves, both the beef and beet and that were the highlights for us food wise. Everyone that night had a great time and were conversing with one another. Even if you don't do the full tasting it is worth going for a few drinks. Extremely fun and great way to spend a night. They were very reasonably priced as well, I pay about the same in my local bars for cocktails that don't hold a candle up to Barmini's. 

Lastly the team at Oyster Oyster (DC) deserves a mention for their world class service. We generally do not even consider most 1 star restaurants anymore, but the unique sustainability and plant focused menu was intriguing at that price point, also DC only has two 2*s now. The food is good, fair at $130, but the service was masterful for a 1 star, it easily could have been a 3 star- top 50 restaurant for service. Each chef helps bring out their own dish they worked on answering every question you could possibly have. The hostess/waiters and som were wonderful as well. I know service is easier in a smaller space, but they perfected it. The juice pairing is fun and very unique, just don't think of sweet juices going in, think more fruit and vegetable drinks. I don't know how well they really paired, but they didn't clash and they were all unique enough that it was fun. Food seemed to be on par with what a 1 star should be at least in my head. It was good, some bites really good, some just ok- yet the dish never ending. Overall I equate it to going to a friends for thanksgiving, sometimes the dish someone brought isnt perfect, its good enough, but the company (experience and service) makes it worth it. We will definitely be back when in DC. Regardless of what you believe in, they deserve some kudos for sticking to theirs and trying to be as sustainable and green as possible. They explained their passion for sustainability, and highlighted their efforts without preaching it to everyone. For those unfamiliar like we were, the menus are plantable and turn into wildflowers, they use oyster shells as candles, they seemingly reuse every food scrap into something else on the menu or at the very least a crunchy topping.

Some other non fine dining, but recognizable places we went that I don't judge as harshly as I would fine dining.

Bazaar (DC)- good food, very fun, has some of Jose Andres most famous dishes, can easily get extremely pricey but so can lesser steakhouses

Oyamel (DC)- great salsa- ok food, kinda salty and very very pricey for what you get

Txula (NYC)- overpriced and not worth going, service was awful

Los Tacos #1 (NYC)- good food, very expensive, I wouldn't wait more than 30 minutes in line

Old Ebitts grill (DC)- good food for price, decent oyster selection, 0 complaints for its price and food quality, great happy hour oyster pricing as well (we stayed next door so it was very convenient )

The length of each entry goes to show my enthusiasm for Eleven Madison Park. I normally do not write reviews whatsoever, but felt a few reviews on here really did me a disservice by having me avoid Eleven Madison Park for so long. Oyster oyster was also a fun find. Le Bernardin remains a classic, and Per Se was slightly disappointing this time around but expectations were the highest for it as they should be. The Modern was just good enough, but if your solely going for food, make the few block trek to Le Bernardin for lunch then continue with the museum.