Great experience. I know how polarizing Eleven Madison Park has been since they went vegan but I really enjoyed my time here even as a hardcore carnivore. I opted for the $195 bar tasting menu.
Food: Pretty much enjoyed every dish here. Some standouts were tonburi with beet tostada, tofu with onion, potato with truffle and bread with onion butter. A lot of their flavors are savory and complex, especially all the sauces, although they do tend to lean on the salty side. It doesn’t look like much but it was actually a heavy meal, this was at lunch but I didn’t get hungry until around 9pm. The double serving of the delicious bread definitely helped. I don’t think anything blew me away but I enjoyed everything as much as I could for a vegan meal. Take home gift was their famous granola, one of the nicer reusable gifts.
Service: Everything was great, no issues. I feel their main dining area is probably more attentive but no complaints in the bar area.
Vibe: So the bar area at EMP is lower ceiling and fairly dark. There were actually more people in the bar area than main. It obviously can’t compare to the enormous high ceilings and natural lighting in the main area.
Summary: I would 100% go again for a new season/menu. I suspect some of the complaints about EMP now are due to its price and law of diminishing returns. I probably would feel short changed too if I did their full tasting at $365. I feel the $195 bar menu has value, is probably a must try for a vegan/vegetarian, and has to be one of the cheapest meals for a 3 star Michelin.
macchinas on
Doesn’t polarizing imply it’s about half and half? I think the response has been overwhelmingly negative. With that said, $195 for a bar menu sounds fun to do as a pre-dinner snack. Nice pics!
give__me___gold on
The 7th picture is interesting. It reminds me of something but I just can’t put my finger in it
riverwater516w on
I actually quite enjoyed my experience at EMP in 2021. But one thing that still stands out to me is that their dishes just don’t look as beautiful as they used to. I remember every picture I saw of EMP before covid looked amazingly perfect. It’s not like vegan food can’t look beautiful, so it’s weird that they haven’t seemed to figure that part out
Reckoner08 on
As someone who eats with their eyes, this presentation does zero for me. I imagine it tasted good though.
kanakari on
Did they really just serve you a slice of citrus with a toothpick or am I missing something there?
davinkypinky on
How long were you in the restaurant for the bar menu?
Old-Employee9254 on
I love this restaurant. They give you a small bottle with granola to go as a small gift and if it’s your birthday a chocolate bar.
8 Comments
Great experience. I know how polarizing Eleven Madison Park has been since they went vegan but I really enjoyed my time here even as a hardcore carnivore. I opted for the $195 bar tasting menu.
Food: Pretty much enjoyed every dish here. Some standouts were tonburi with beet tostada, tofu with onion, potato with truffle and bread with onion butter. A lot of their flavors are savory and complex, especially all the sauces, although they do tend to lean on the salty side. It doesn’t look like much but it was actually a heavy meal, this was at lunch but I didn’t get hungry until around 9pm. The double serving of the delicious bread definitely helped. I don’t think anything blew me away but I enjoyed everything as much as I could for a vegan meal. Take home gift was their famous granola, one of the nicer reusable gifts.
Service: Everything was great, no issues. I feel their main dining area is probably more attentive but no complaints in the bar area.
Vibe: So the bar area at EMP is lower ceiling and fairly dark. There were actually more people in the bar area than main. It obviously can’t compare to the enormous high ceilings and natural lighting in the main area.
Summary: I would 100% go again for a new season/menu. I suspect some of the complaints about EMP now are due to its price and law of diminishing returns. I probably would feel short changed too if I did their full tasting at $365. I feel the $195 bar menu has value, is probably a must try for a vegan/vegetarian, and has to be one of the cheapest meals for a 3 star Michelin.
Doesn’t polarizing imply it’s about half and half? I think the response has been overwhelmingly negative. With that said, $195 for a bar menu sounds fun to do as a pre-dinner snack. Nice pics!
The 7th picture is interesting. It reminds me of something but I just can’t put my finger in it
I actually quite enjoyed my experience at EMP in 2021. But one thing that still stands out to me is that their dishes just don’t look as beautiful as they used to. I remember every picture I saw of EMP before covid looked amazingly perfect. It’s not like vegan food can’t look beautiful, so it’s weird that they haven’t seemed to figure that part out
As someone who eats with their eyes, this presentation does zero for me. I imagine it tasted good though.
Did they really just serve you a slice of citrus with a toothpick or am I missing something there?
How long were you in the restaurant for the bar menu?
I love this restaurant. They give you a small bottle with granola to go as a small gift and if it’s your birthday a chocolate bar.