Eleven Madison Park: Cloud Nine

Even the coffee is extraordinary here.

Lobster

Even at the finest New York City restaurants, coffee service is a relative after-thought that is hardly given the kind of attention granted to its entrees, desserts or cocktails.  Not so at the highly decorated Eleven Madison Park. This elegant restaurant, on the edge of verdant Madison Square Park, was recently minted with three Michelin stars. Moreover, it has won every James Beard award that it is eligible for, along with maximum starred-ratings from the New York Times and Forbes. Its coffee program, featuring the highest-end beans and siphon brewing, was started by James Betz, a bartender at the restaurant who enjoys brewing coffee at home.  (His uncle is Ken Nye of the New York coffee institution that is Ninth Street Espresso, but that’s strictly an aside.)

Siphon in the day.  Even more gorgeous at night.

It hardly takes a meal at this restaurant to see how attentive the staff is to details.  As soon as you walk in, you are cordially greeted, and taken in by the towering ceiling, cream colored roses, and linen covered tables.  This is a restaurant where every one of your servers—and there are several—are able to answer any questions you may have about where, exactly, the food is coming from and how it is prepared. If you show a particular interest in say the cakes of butter served with your bread, you will be presented with information about the farm it came from on a hand-written note on cardstock stationary.  If you step away from the table, you will find it in even nicer condition than you left it, with your napkin neatly folded, crumbs swept away.  The staff manages to accomplish all this without being a trace overbearing. And the food?  Almost too beautiful to eat, it is exceptionally delicious.

Jim explained his motivations to pitch the idea of a coffee program to the restaurant’s management.  “The pinnacle of coffee could only be found at coffee shops,” he said.  “I wanted to bring that kind of quality here. I thought it was possible, at a place like this, to do even more than what is done at a specialty coffee shop.”  On the first night of Eleven Madison Park’s coffee program, there were so many orders for siphon and Chemex (their other brewing offering) that Jim was on the phone to his supplier asking for all the specialized equipment he could possibly send over—pronto!

While Jim continues to manage the program, Eleven Madison Park has a barista on staff who, like Jim, the restaurant captains and sommeliers, has completed 14-16 hours of training in siphon brewing at the Intelligentsia lab across town.

So now an exquisite gastronomical experience at one of the most coveted restaurants in Manhattan can be finished off with some of the best java on the planet.

By the way, if I ever have the privilege of eating here again, I will never, ever take stealth photos  again.  It was like sacrilege.

Momofuku Noodlebar

Momofuku Noodlebar
163 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003

(212) 500-0831

If I lived in Manhattan, I would be a regular at this place.

I was so jealous when the twenty-something guy next to us told us that he comes several times a week to eat here. We were inquiring about his bowl of stocky rice noodles, which we couldn't find on the menu.  (Note: the food is ten times better looking and far less yellow than these photos suggest.)

Tamale

What I love about Momofuku Ssam Bar, where I went last year and this place--Momofuku Noodlebar, is how understated they are. Both are situated in Lower East Side neighborhoods that don't often make tourists' lists.  Maybe it's because there is too much graffiti around or not enough glitter.  In any case, both restaurants are quite easy to walk past without noticing. Yet, the food is out of this world. 

Sitting at the bar at Momofuku Noodlebar, I felt very much at home, even though I had never been there before. It was so casual in a swanky New Yorker kind of way.  The pierced servers were in t-shirts and jeans--the most casually dressed people in the restaurant.  Yet they knew everything about the food they were serving as evidenced by their ability to make specific recommendations and have personal favorites for every section on the menu.   There was one server with glasses who looked more like a computer geek than a singer in garage band, but he knew his menu too, and was very pleasant.

Eggplant

During the trip, I also checked out the Momofuku Milk Bar, in Midtown.  Having flipped for Momofuku Ssam bar last year, I was embracing everything David Chang and was so taken by these milk bars.  But I am done with them now. The sweets are made from corn syrup and PHOs which I avoid, if I know they are in there.  The sweets are also cloyingly sweet for me. But, I do have to go back once more at least to try Crack Pie.

Famous pork bellydumplings

Very possibly I would run from the restaurants if I knew what the ingredients of those sauces and dressings were.  But Momofuku doesn't list ingredients, and I will happily suspend my puritan ways for experiences like the kind it offers.

Heirloom tomato salad

Well, as long as David Chang's empire in Manhattan continues to grow, there will be more trips I will have to make to the Big Apple. 

Return of the Blog...maybe

A major reason why I have been absent:

From my favorite, Kara's Cupcakes

Not so much chocolate cupcakes but baseball. Following baseball closely is at least a part-time job!  Especially when there are so many injuries and (therefore) rookie-replacements to keep track of! But now that the Giants have been killed off for the season, there will be more blog-time...I think.  There's certainly tons to blog about, including WTF Coffee, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Eataly, Eleven Madison Park, and RBC Coffee...

Contigo

One part Catalan, one part Californian. 100% delicious.

At last my sardine cravings have been satisfied at a place that will bring back memories of Barcelona for anyone who has been there.

Wood Oven Roasted Montery Sarine and Avacado Toast (with onions atop)

I have been crazy about fresh sardines since I sampled them on toast at Fort Mason several years ago at one of those local/sustainable/organic SF food festivals. They were plump and meaty with a spunky, just-caught flavor.  

Jamon Iberico de Bellota

Since then I have discovered that it is hard to find fresh sardines in the US! But then Michael Bauer's article came to the rescue a few weeks ago with a list of restaurants serving them up around here. La Ciaccia was booked so we went to Contigo, a Catalan-Californian style place in Noe Valley.

Little Gem Salad (with beets and slices of toasted garlic)

Three of us went, lingering there for three hours over delicious wines (Corvo for me, a dry red and a white for my discriminating, superbly food-literate companions), plates of sardines, beet salad, black rice (with hefty chunks of octopus) and salmon over a summer corn salad.  We finished off the feast with plates of peach cake with basil gelato, and plum tart with almond-cardamom gelato. 

Local King Salmon Baked on a Fig Leaf. (The salmon was a bit more orange than it should be, but it was tasty, especially with the sweet corn salad.)

Calamas a la Planxa

EVERYTHING was fabulous.

Contigo's atmosphere is also lovely with the open kitchen, bar, wood-paneled dining room, and bright semi-outdoor area in the back, where we were seated. Along the wall  of the outdoorish dining room is a garden of chard, peppers, onions strawberries and squash. 

A warm peach cake with caramel, tangy peach sauce and almond gelato (and crushed almonds)

The only wrinkle about the place was the service, which was a little frosty.  Our server appeared to be stressed and not inviting of questions. Maybe a bad night for her.  Towards the end of the meal, she threw stares at our table, intimating, without actually telling us so, that the table was needed for another party.  Alas, this is not Europe where lingering is permitted, and Contigo is popular. But the cooks up front seemed relaxed and friendly even though the place was bulging at the seams with activity.

I definitely recommend this oasis of food and atmosphere. Another perk:  it is invisible to tourists in the middle of August!