Friday night was date night and an opportunity to try out a place that’s been on my ‘to visit’ list for a while – Eleven Madison Park. I met my date, K, at Flatiron Lounge for cocktails, and then we walked the short distance through the park to the restaurant. Certain upscale, and particularly French, restaurants can be uptight. Certain upscale, and particularly French, restaurants can be snooty. Certainly not this particular upscale, French restaurant. From the moment we walked in through the revolving door, the service was warm and friendly, knowledgeable and not over-bearing. As an aperitif I ordered a half-bottle of Puligny Montrachet, a delicate and creamy example of the Chardonnay grape, and we studied the menus. There was one prix fixe menu at $88 for three courses, special summer and suckling pig tasting menus at $125 plus $95 for wine pairings, and the eleven course gourmand menu at $175 plus $125 for wine. I had my eye on the summer menu, but K is a foie gras fan and it only appeared on the prix fixe. A quick word in the ear of our server and voila, the summer tasting menu magically had a foie gras course added to it for a supplement. We decided to go with the wine pairings, too.

After the various prettily arranged amuse-bouches were devoured, the serious business began. First up was sea urchin cappuccino with crab, served in a pure white sea urchin shell, paired with chilled sake with green apple overtones. Now, I didn’t mention this to K at the time, but I was a little nervous here. I lived in Japan for two years and one thing I really couldn’t stand was uni – sea urchin. I mean, I couldn’t stand it to the point of not being able to swallow it. Perhaps not the best look for a date. So I was not just pleasantly surprised, but extremely relieved when the flavours turned out to taste delicately of the sea, with the meaty crab providing bite.

Once the sake was downed – kampai! – the table was cleared and two porcelain spoons were presented on plates, one with an opaque orb sitting on it, the other with a clear orb. We were told that these were molecular gastronomy versions of buffalo mozzarella and tomato and basil, respectively. This was my first experience of this style of preparation, and it was super-intense. I popped the mozzarella orb into my mouth and gently brought my tongue upwards. The orb simply exploded with the most amazing flavours, like mozzarella squared. The tomato version was even more impressive, and a prelude of what was to come.

Bread was now served, with two types of butter – salted sheep’s milk from California and unsalted cow’s milk from Vermont. K has an aversion to black olives which had been stated as we sat down, and the server had taken this into account as she was given an alternative to the olive bread that was served to me. A nice touch.

The next course was ‘Dueling Tomatoes’ – Heirloom tomatoes served three ways. The first dish was completely covered in a white foam. Hidden underneath were five cherry tomatoes in a light dressing. Second up was a meaty, thick slice of Heirloom that tasted to me as if it had been infused with some sort of tapenade. The third dish was the star of the course, however – a rich sorbet that was so intense it was on a par with the molecular orb from a few minutes back. The pairing of a rose from Provence was inspired.

It was time to add some meat into the equation. A generous portion of rabbit terrine was served with three types of cherries - K recognised the Rainier variety from her West Coast upbringing – crumbled pistachios which added some bite, and a few scattered mini pickled onions which had the surprising effect of bring the flavours together. A sweet Riesling wouldn’t have been my first idea as a pairing, but it worked well. As did the even sweeter Sauternes with the course K in particular had been waiting for – the add-in foie gras. It was excellent, rich and intense, the variety of plums arranged neatly around the plate providing some zest to the creamy mousse.
Now we were approaching the two star main courses. I undid one belt notch for each, in anticipation.

First to arrive was a full Newfoundland lobster tail poached in the most delicious sauce. I thought I could taste samphire in there. Close, but no cigar – the flavour was another edible shrub, lemon verbena. The meat was young and firm, and accompanied by three tiny servings of zucchini, mushrooms and red peppers.

By the time the perfectly pink lamb chop arrived with it’s sheep’s milk tart accompaniment we were both struggling somewhat. The jus made with the meat juices was divine, however, and so on we soldiered, enjoying the molecular picholine olive bubbles that were scattered around the plate.

We declined dessert, but did have some small tastings from the impressive cheese board, one particularly pungent French example not just standing out, but getting up and walking around. Coffee was served with a selection of little mignardises, and K was given an extra box of them as a gift to take home. We left five hours after sitting down, sated and buzzing with the knowledge that we’d experienced a truly great meal.

So to the big question – was it really worth over $400 per head? The big answer – absolutely worth every penny. It’s the best meal I’ve had since Marco Pierre White was cooking at the Mirabelle in London a decade ago, and in my top three of all time. Scrimp, save, but if you truly love Wining and Dining, you must experience Eleven Madison Park at least once.

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