Eleven Madison Park

11 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10010

Tel 212 889-0905

March 2008

Eleven Madison Park had been on my list of places to visit for a while, yet for some reason I had never managed to eat there until fairly recently. What was originally intended as a casual, leisurely lunch unexpectedly turned into one of the greatest meals I have had in a long time. A second dinner a few weeks later was equally brilliant.

Eleven Madison Park is located in Madison Square. I was immediately struck by the open, airy feel of the room, which is accentuated by the high ceilings and bright sunlight that streams in through the windows. The Art Deco appointments are beautifully done and convey a sense of timeless elegance that is quite soothing. Chef Daniel Humm’s cooking highlights the essence of seasonal ingredients with a flair for the inventive. Wine Director John Ragan oversees what is easily one of the most comprehensive wine lists in New York City. Readers will find an astonishingly broad array of selections from around the world at exceedingly fair prices.

A glass of Roger Pouillon’s full-bodied, soaring NV Brut Fleur de Mareuil set the stage for this delicious lunch. We started with the diver scallops, which were exquisitely fresh and vibrant. Trimbach’s 1999 Riesling Clos Ste. Hune was served blind. This was a match made in heaven, as the wine’s acidity played off the scallops beautifully. The Clos Ste. Hune also paired well with the Cape Cod Bay crab cake, where the textural richness of both the food and wine were on an even greater level of absolute harmony. With time in the decanter, the wine opened to reveal classic notes of petrol, flowers, minerals and mint in a gorgeous, contemplative expression of Alsatian Riesling. Readers who own this wine (and that includes me) should be thrilled!

Ragan served Kracher’s 2003 Zweigelt Beerenauslese with our foie gras mille-feuille. It was another inspired, creative match. Both food and wine were sublime, but together they elevated each other to another level of sheer beauty. The Zweigelt’s notes of spices, cardamom and dried cherries evoked some of the traditional condiments served with foie gras and resonated beautifully with the Seckel pear, while the wine’s sweetness and volume matched those of the foie gras itself.