Foodie Adventure, New York: Eleven Madison Park... For the Love of Duck

After my visit to New York earlier in the month, the taste of those white truffles still lingered on my tongue and the fleeting image of the whole roasted duck that had passed us by was still fresh in my mind. Hence, there was no question about returning to Eleven Madison Park. Menu. Although there had been slight changes to the menu since my last visit, the menu had remained the same for the most part.

To start, quail eggs sunny side on toasted brioche. Brioche is great on it’s own, but when you add a runny yolk and bacon bits, it’s just that much more satisfying.

Smoked apple and celery tea. Sweetness and acidity, infused with a hint of thyme was an interesting play on the combination of apple and celery that works quite well.

Again, we were presented with fresh baked warm bread and smoked sturgeon sabayon. Both just as satisfying the second time as the first time around.

Ordering foie gras once again as my appetizer, I mentioned that I had visited the restaurant just weeks earlier, and asked if the dish had changed at all. The server kindly stated that she would mention that to the chef and see what they could come up with. They soon presented me with this: Seared foie gras with apples and oats. The acidity of the apples balanced out the fattiness of the foie gras. As for texture, Chef Humm’s love for granola gave the dish texture in a delicious breakfast manner.

Onward and forward to our second dishes.
Lobster poached in meyer lemon beurre blanc, burnt leek, potato puree with a bay leaf and black shellfish bisque. Again, a contrast of flavours and textures that I would have never imagined were tingling my taste buds. Ordinarily, “burnt” is associated with the flavour of bitterness, but this burnt leek had a crisp (crouton like) texture that complemented the dish perfectly.

Snapper poached in benito slurry with baby octopus, fennel and seaweed with winter citrus and blood orange glaze. Yet another beautifully plated dish with contrasting colours and flavours. The acidity from the citrus brings out the flavours of the seafood perfectly.

Cauliflower roasted and pureed with madras curry, paired with couscous, marcona almonds and rehydrated raisins. Although I didn’t taste this dish, the scent of the curry lightly drifted across the table and tickled my senses.

Now, the Duck. The duck is what I came for. My last visit, the duck seemed to ever so slowly pass by our table, giving off just enough of its scent for us to all turn our heads in a jaw dropping “Oooo” and “Ahhhh”. and all instantaneously regret not having ordered the duck. I was definitely not about to let that happen a second time.

The duck arrived tableside with all it’s glory, the sunlight from the large windows reflecting off its coat of lavender honey. As they cut through the roasted bird, the scent of roasted muscovy duck seems like such a tease.

When the plate was finally presented in front of us, it was no disappointment. The crisp layer of skin covered in spices, achieved only by aging the duck, perfectly rendered layer of fat, and juicy tender duck breast. It was all that I had imagined and more.

As we were indulging on the roasted duck breast, they took away the remainder of the duck. They soon returned with bowls of duck confit with steaming potato mousseline. As full as I was, it was hard to resist this hearty dish.

Once again, as a pre-dessert course, we were presented with vanilla malt egg cream and a deconstructed strawberry goat’s cheese cheesecake.

Pear, much like the quince dessert that I had my previous visit. Difference was, it was pear instead of quince. Still delicious, although nothing surprising.

Coconut and pineapple sorbets melted deliciously on your tongue leaving you craving for more. Bits of toasted coconut slivers added a but of nuttiness as well as texture to the dish. Not generally the biggest fan of pineapple, this was definitely a hit for me.

Last but not least, white and black truffles. The absolute perfect way to end a meal, just as before. It will definitely be a sad day when they replace these petits fours that pack an element of surprise to them. At the end of the day, I again left feeling like I could pass up dinner that day. Yet, I still look forward to my next visit. Second time was just as good as the last. Completely and utterly satisfied.