I've never been here before (wish I came back in the 2010s) but hearing about the 20-year retrospective, I knew I had to try it. Wanted to see the "story" of Eleven Madison Park through the years hehe.
When I was seated, they asked me whether or not I wanted the Honey-Lavender Duck or the Mushrooms as my main course and I obviously had to opt for their old signature standby ( the duck) considering I've never had it. Right away, the first lil bite was in a little wrapped box (The Black and White "Cookie") for us to open and proceed with the course!
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Black and White "Cookie"-7/10
like an intense Parmesan crisp paired with an acidic tart apple jam. Sharpness lingers in the mouth for a bit.
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Clam Bake: 8/10
Clam Veloute- like a thin clam chowder with an INTENSE oceany flavor accompanied with a slight briny sweetness to it. Bread’s good, soaks in the veloute really nicely.
Oyster- sweet and creamy, almost no murkiness to it. The green "mousse" really adds a bit of tang and freshness to it.
Littleneck clam- chewy with an oceany brine that develops the more you chew it. Goes well with the carrot and radish that also has its sweetness develop as you chew it together.
Razor clam- think it’s overpowered by the other components. I tried a lil sliver by itself and it was subtly sweet but I don’t get it when I’m eating it with the celery.
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Sunflower Butter and Bread- 8.5/10
the butter is rich and salty, and the flavor of the "sunflower center" is almost like a mix of black sesame and coffee, slightly nutty, bitter, and astringent. The bread itself has a slight rye flavor to it and has an almost salty butteriness to itself. Pairs very well together.
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Tonburi- 7/10
the tonburi itself is like savory lil pearls but with not a ton of flavor. Avocado is nice and I think it pairs really nicely with the cucumber mint sauce. It’s good but I don’t think it’s anything special nor does it match up to actual caviar.
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Carrot Tartare-9.5/10
I LOVE carrots and even still, I was pretty skeptical of this dish. I thought it would be too chewy and crunchy to really enjoy in its "raw" state but holy shit it blew away my expectations? With all the mix-ins, it looks like and almost tastes exactly like salmon tartare with a slight hint of earthy sweetness. It’s super soft and basically melt in your mouth and not chewy at ALL. I’m actually really surprised that they managed to change the texture so much because if you gave me this without telling me what it was, I wouldn’t guess that it’s carrot? Wow, really surprised in a great way. Excellent dish.
I learned afterwards that the carrots aren't actually RAW (I assumed they were because it was called carrot tartare and it looked like they just peeled the outer skin) but they're actually steeped gently in olive oil and then the tops are attached back on to mimic like they're raw. Overall, I liked that they subverted my expectations and the end result is actually really tasty. Probably the best rendition of a "carrot" I've ever had.
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Tilefish-5/10
moderately fleshy fish with a good amount of butteriness to it. A bit of a chew but breaks apart pretty easily. The sauce is….. kind of interesting (it honestly reminds me too much of throw up), it’s warm with a sourish acidity to it? It pairs okay with the fish but I feel like it could be paired better with something else? Maybe a derivative of a hollandaise or something, just maybe not this lol.
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Celery Root-5/10
the celery root tastes like daikon with a hint of celery salt paired with the sauce which is kind of like a thickened, reduced soy sauce with truffle. The puree is silky smooth with a hint of earthy celery flavor and inside, there is also a black sauce that tastes like hoisin. Overall, not bad, but eh. Especially because this was cooked "in bladder" (which was basically sous vide cooking before sous vide was a thing) so I expected it to be super tender but it was just fine.
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Honey Lavender Duck- 7/10
Oh my god, do you know what the crust on the duck tastes like? If anyone has ever had Chinese lamb skewers from those food carts on the street, it tastes like the spice blend they put on that. It has hints of cumin, star anise, peppercorn and a bit of added sweetness because of the honey. The pickle is slight and not overpowering and the little fruit jam at the bottom of it adds some good sweetness. The sauce is quite gamey with a hint of orange and iron to it. Overall, it pairs nicely though I did expect the duck to be more tender considering all the hype around it.
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After all the savory courses, the staff invited me to a tour of the kitchen which I was really hoping to get hehe. They showed me a few of the stations as well as made a lil treat for me, Maple Syrup slightly "hardened" in Green Apple Snow. It was like eating a lil caramel apple, really nice. 8.5/10
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Passionfruit-7/10
refreshing acidic passionfruit sorbet with slight chew from the mochi to it. Left with a slight bitter citrusy aftertaste from the skin. Good palate cleanser.
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Milk and Honey- 9/10
the white pieces are like a freeze-dried piece of milk candy, and the brown are like brittle pieces of the best honeyed graham cracker. There were also pieces of honeyed toffee crumbled around. The ice cream itself is just really good vanilla. Each component is pretty standard by itself but it comes together very nicely.
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Sesame-7.5/10
the chocolate isn’t too bitter and it has a DEEP nutty taste to it. Melts in your mouth almost. There is a slight grit to it, but I really don’t think that’s an issue really. With this last course, they give you a whole bottle of Vermouth to enjoy as you please.
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At the end of the experience, they gave me a little goodie bag with a container of granola, the menu for that night, as well as a pack of cards containing art of each dish as well as a description/story revolving around it.
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Overall, I will say that I enjoyed the experience. Food was about a 7.5 overall and the service was a 9.5. Do I think that all of these are the best dishes to ever come out of EMP? Naw, I imagine there are much tastier dishes in menus past. But, for the most part, I can see where each dish came from and why they were chosen. I am still glad that I got to go for the 20 Year Experience.
by Even_Ear_1704