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“Eleven Madison”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Flatiron	Break the Bank	Great

the week melt away. An hour later, my buzz buzzing and in the middle of a heated discussion of the Big Lebowski, Steven arrived. Erica left to meet her fiancé for dance lessons for their wedding, and Steven and I we were moved to our table (the check was transferred without issue).

Before we get into the food, I’d like to take a moment here to discuss the service, which was flawless. It is polite, swift, gracious, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic, but not in a cheerleader sort of way—just enough. It is vintage Danny Meyer. There is such care taken to grant your every wish and need that I am actually considering moving in and never leaving. In a recent article in New York Magazine written by Robin and Rob, Meyer is quoted as saying: “Service is delivering on your promise. Hospitality is making people feel good while you’re delivering on the promise.” And this is what really sets his restaurants apart. That thing he calls enlightened hospitality. People are not just delivering service, they actually make you believe it gives them joy to see you happy. Whether or not that is actually true is not the point. That’s the way they make you feel. And it feels good.

Service aside though, the kitchen is the heart of a restaurant, and the chef in this kitchen now is quite different than when Kerry was the head honcho. Daniel’s menu is prix fixe only, three courses for $76, or a choice of two tasting menus—one five course from the sea for $95 and one seven course called Gourmand for $120. We opted for the basic prix fixe and added on a few other dishes to sort of make our own tasting menu. Then Steven and I settled in and began trading stories of our week, and let the service begin.

Our dinner started with a long slim dish of amuse bouches—a round of bluefin tuna topped with fennel confit (nice), a plump, briny Manila clam "en gelée" (a bit too salty, I could have left that one alone), a few crispy bonbons of sweatbreads (I would have eaten a case of these), and some very thin goat cheese crackers layered with Meyer lemon marmalade (delish). These snacks were followed by yet another gift from the kitchen, a carrot-ginger broth bobbing with mussels that was bright, zippy, and delicious. It tasted vaguely Thai, with that perfect balance of sweet from the carrots and heat from the ginger. It wakes up the mouth and gets it ready for the meal to come.

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Posted: October 9, 2006

Other restaurants in Flatiron :
+ Suenos   + Amuse-- Closed   + Dos Caminos   + Lucy-- Closed   + Gramercy Taver   + Veritas   + Fleur De Sel   + Bolo -- CLosed   + City Bakery   + Shake Shack   + Kalustyan's Cafe   + Devi   + BLT Fish   + Sugarcane   + BLT Prime   + Barca 18-- CLOSED   + Beppe   + Barbounia   + Boqueria   + Eleven Madison   + Lonesome Dove-- CLOSED   + Hill Country   + Olana   + Wildwood   + Primehouse   + Allegretti   + Bar Breton   + Aldea   + SD26 by Bao Ong   + ABC Kitchen   + Ciano   + The NoMad   

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