You fancy, huh? At least that’s how we felt as we boarded the NJ transit train and headed towards New York Penn Station. Our stomachs grumbled as we moved quickly through the landscape of our favorite state, but we resisted reaching for the snacks in our bags because we knew what the rest of our day was going to entail. We were headed to Eleven Madison Park for lunch and staying at the NoMad Hotel for a Daniel Humm and Will Guidara themed weekend. We were starving ourselves in preparation to do what us dopes do best.. eat (& drink)! After hearing so many lovely things about Daniel Humm’s food, we were eager to scarf down what he was making without leaving a crumb behind.
As we walked into the bright and airy space across the street from Madison Park, we were quickly greeted and escorted to our corner seat. While we were settling in, we opened the box that was waiting for us and enjoyed their playful take on the New York classic black and white cookie. We noticed the staff moving around us in such coordinated motions, it felt like a rehearsed, elegant ballet. Course after course went by as we fell deeper and deeper into food ecstasy. Some of the highlights were the caviar picnic with pickled mackerel and ratatouille, the famous honey and lavender glazed duck with cherry and onion and the lobster boil with beans, bacon, and potatoes. 3-1/2 hours later, we emerged from Eleven Madison Park as changed Dopes.
We walked the few blocks over to the NoMad Hotel and went to our room to freshen up, but underestimated the food comas we were in and woke up 4 hours later. Still stuffed from lunch, we headed to The Library, for some cocktails and a Humm Dog, because let’s face it.. there is always room for a hot dog! The Humm Dog, served in a brioche bun filled with truffle mayonnaise, was wrapped in bacon , topped with Gruyere and truffle celery relish. The library is tucked to the left of the NoMad bar and offers a more intimate vibe. The relaxing room surrounded by books and velvet furniture was the perfect environment to have a night cap.
The next morning we stuck around for Brunch, wanting to get a taste of NoMad, which famously takes recipes from Eleven Madison Park and reconstructs them for an a la carte menu. We tried the dry-aged beef burger with the special sauce and the smoked salmon with capers, radishes and cucumbers. For our side we went with the smoked pork belly instead of veggies because we are carnivores through and through and seriously, who can resist pork belly? The velvet curtains, rock n roll vibe meets English countryside chic vibe and great playlist all added to this delicious meal.
The cocktail menu was also insane. The drinks were everything you want in a boozy brunch and our favorite was the Coq-Tail for 2. It was right up our alley in both flavor and presentation. This two part drink was served in a giant rooster (get it, now?) with accompanying eggs. Did we mention that the eggs were filled with a black-truffle infused drink? It was awesome.
11 Madison Park Picnic
11 Madison Park Dessert