michelin

Eleven Madison Park Round 2

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*Spoiler alert. I do not recommend reading if you've never been to EMP and you are planning to go.

I came back again within less than 6 months for my mother's birthday. I didn't expect to come so soon. Luckily the menu changes every 3 months and I was able to experience a whole new set of flavors. I came at an interesting time, right before dining at EMP, I had read on NYtimes that they would be changing the menu to roughly 8 courses with slightly larger portions and upping the price to $295 from $225 to include service charge. I am not sure how I feel about a 31% tip. Don't get me wrong, the service at EMP is solid but I don't ever recall in my life any service that is 31% worth. The one thing that really bothered me was that they had already upped the price before changing to the new structure. In fact, that kind of pissed me the fuck off. The article on the NYtimes specifically said that the price increase was as a result of a new structural change. I was really expecting something new since my last visit, not just revised dishes in the same format. Don't get me wrong the food is very very good, but why am I paying a significant premium for the same thing?

Service

Overall, the service was decent. I liked that they e-mailed you beforehand to introduce themselves and inquire about dietary issues and special requests. However, I felt the service was not as genuine as my experiences at some of its peers such as Hisbiscus in London. The friendliness from a few felt forced but definitely an improvement from when I visited in July. This time they really made the effort to remember my mother's birthday and greet with more warmth and friendliness. But it just didn't feel genuine. At times it almost came off a little condescending? Is that weird to say?

The kitchen tour at the end was very special. It was the highlight that brought the whole experience home. They prepared a quick dessert in the kitchen, a maple syrup popsicle—it was my favorite dessert actually, so simple yet delicious and refreshing. 

Sturgeon sabayon with chive

Food

The food, obviously, was of its highest caliber with the freshest ingredients. You can tell that each dish had so much thought and care put in. Each dish is truly a piece of art. A few of my favorite dishes include the Sturgeon, Oyster, Caviar Benedict, Botrytis dessert and the maple syrup popsicle in the kitchen. 

1) Sturgeon sabayon with chive - The flavor pairing was very unique and tasty. I enjoyed the gentle saltiness complemented by the creaminess. 

2) Oyster pie with veloute - The oyster was very fresh and apparently harvested that day. The oyster melts in your mouth while the tart crumbles in your mouth. The soup pairing was delicious and went really well with the oyster pie. Alternating between a bite of the oyster and a sip of the veloute was just an awesome idea.

3) Caviar Benedict - I had the same dish back in July 2015, however, this time they changed the flavors slightly but I still really enjoyed it. It's definitely a classic dish and one of my favorites. The presentation was on point.  It's not only tasty but also fun to eat. 

4) Waldorf salad - The preparation of the waldorf salad was fun to watch, but in terms of flavors, it was nothing special. It wasn't a very worthy dish in my opinion. I thought the carrot tartare that I had last time was much more visually appealing and intriguing. The soup hidden at the bottom definitely made up for the underwhelming salad. 

5) Botrytis - Ice cream with bitter almond and ginger crumble paired with deliciously sweet riesling. I normally don't drink sweet wine, but this one paired exceptionally well with the ice cream. I loved the little spoon that held the wine. This alternation between the liquid and dessert was a theme I really enjoyed throughout the meal. 

Oyster pie and veloute

Unfortunately they still served that dumbass guess the milk game. It's the fact that they didn't personally make the chocolate that bothers me. I can buy Mast chocolates at the grocery store. They should change the game and incorporate some house made dessert and not cop out with outsourcing. A great idea would be to bring the maple syrup popsicle into a potential course and not just a special treat for kitchen tours. Maybe guess the maple syrup and which tree it came from would be slightly more innovative. There also should be some incentive for winning the game. By adding a little treat / prize would really make the overall experience even more worthwhile. 

Despite my few concerns and criticisms I definitely recommend coming here at least once. It's not just the food but the overall culinary experience. 

Price

$295 per person including gratuity, excludes tax

Reservation

1 month in advance

Scallops with black truffle and leeks

Caviar benedict with eggs, cauliflower and ham

Foie gras

Lobster with poached butternut squash and chestnuts

Hen of the woods mushroom with roasted horseradish

Cato corner cheese fondue with squash and mustard

Milk and honey custard with bee pollen ice cream

Waldorf salad

Venison roasted with beets and onion

Ice cream with bitter almond and ginger crumble paired with Reisling

The Musket Room

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Mushroom soup

Food

I came to Musket Room for Valentine's Day and tried the 6-course tasting menu. The first dish was the mushroom soup with truffle oil and foie gras. Next, we had the king salmon with bricks of fruit and sunflower seed. It was an interesting combination that worked well. I never thought to eat fish with some fruits—it was very gentle and refreshing. 

Next up was the quail with blueberries. The quail was cooked perfectly with complements of blueberries that went exceptionally well together. The roasted onions and bread sauce brought a unique flavor. 

For the fourth course, we had the New Zealand red deer and snapper. I recommend starting with the fish and then moving onto the meat as the flavors of red meat is much more dominant. The venison was very delicious and high quality—perfectly cooked medium rare. I can't remember the exact sauces, but I believe the green stuff was an avocado mix with something sweet. It was good.

For dessert, we had the hazelnut log that melts with the caramel sauce. It was not too sweet and refreshing. The passion fruit pavlova was also very fluffy, almost like an airy cake. Overall, the food was very good, refreshing and high quality. I would definitely come back.

Ambiance

It reminds of a typical Seattle restaurant with its understated rustic decor. Simple, clean and to the point. The lighting was not too dark and decent for pictures. But intimate enough in the evening where you don't feel like bright fluorescent light is shining over you. It has that look, like you know they make good food. 

King ora salmon

Quality

Definitely excellent fresh quality. The caliber of ingredients is on par with Blue Hill that serves farm to table. 

Price

The six course Valentine's course was jacked up to $125 whereas it is normally only $75. At the normal price, I'd say it's pretty reasonable given the quality and quantity. 

Reservation

You will definitely need to make a reservation far in advance! Maybe a month? It's a hit or miss. But doesn't hurt to check open table once in a while!

Quail with blueberries

Red New Zealand Deer

Passion fruit pavlova

Snapper

Red Deer

Hazelnut log

 

Annisa

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*Update: I visited Annisa a second time in 2015 and the food quality had gone down hill. I was very disappointed with the performance. The meat was not cooked to its best ability and the flavor pairings were half-assed. It felt like they stopped caring and did the bare minimum to maintain its pedigree. 

Anita Lo is the owner at Annisa where they serve new American contemporary cuisine based on the Chef's experience in Chinese cooking and French techniques. I came here for my 24th birthday about a week ago and ordered the tasting menu. I guess we had just made the cut because they were recently stripped of their one Michelin star, but nonetheless, it was a great dining experience. I would definitely return to this spot despite that. I was also a little shocked by their proud B rating...hmm. But the quality was excellent and the restaurant was definitely very clean.

Food

We ordered the 5-course tasting menu. We started with fluke sashimi that was fresh, tender and light. It was probably my least favorite of the 5 dishes, still good, but nothing exciting. The second course was Annisa's famous foie gras soup dumplings. It was so good! I love dumplings in general, so the foie gras with duck was extra unique and special. I could eat 10 of these easily. As the entree, we had the famous marinated miso sable dish with tofu. It was fantastic. The sable was very well cooked, extremely tender and moist.  The agedashi tofu with the slightly sweet sake dashi miso broth was also nicely done. I highly recommend. The texture of the sable and tofu was almost like silk. As the second entree, we were served the grilled koji-marinated berkshire pork loin with radishes, smoked avocado, and a poached egg. The edges of the pork were well grilled and slightly smokey. The insides were well cooked and tender. It was a well-balanced dish with meat, greens and a side of dairy (egg). It was tasty but nothing spectacular. Lastly for the dessert, everyone was served a variety of desserts from their menu. I ended with the best one, the pecan sea salt butterscotch beignets. It was so good. Exactly how beignets should be. At the very end when we got the bill, they served mini coconut popsicles. It was refreshing and delicious. Also extremely cute. 

Fluke

Miso Marinated Sable

Foie Gras Soup Dumpling

Grilled Koji-Marinated Berkshire Pork Loin

Pecan and Salted Butterscotch Beignets with Bourbon Milk Ice

Ambiance

The space was a lot smaller than I anticipated. It was quaint, charming and intimate. Initially, I thought one of the waiters was slightly rude and impatient because I had made a reservation for eight people and one guest was running late. I did not like that they were not willing to wait for one more person. But after my last guest arrived the service was great from then after. 

Price

I believe this place is reasonably priced. Especially the 5-course tasting menu at $85 per person. It was just the right amount of food, if not a little excessive. If you choose not to get the tasting menu, for about three courses I'd expect to pay roughly $70 per person excluding tip/tax. So you may as well just get the tasting menu.

One other thing to note. They are very great about splitting bills. I know most restaurants do not allow more than two or three cards. But they accepted eight credit cards!! I was shocked. An added bonus. 

Reservation

I made reservations a month in advance and still didn't get the exact time I wanted. I would definitely recommend making reservations at least 1.5 months in advance for prime dining times.