ELEVEN MADISON PARK

San Pellegrino bestowed upon its annual World’s 50 Best restaurants ranking back in April. Initially born as restaurateur Danny Meyer’s American brasserie, Eleven Madison Park, now stood on top of the most controversially talked about list in the food world, beating out legendary restaurants such as Osteria Francescana and El Celler de Can Roca. Eleven Madison Park shuttered for renovations in May shortly thereafter, which many deemed a decision unnecessary. Why fix something that wasn't broke?

While seemingly easy to curtail off its recent accolades, Sam Lipp, Director of Operations of Make It Nice, had commented that conversely, it couldn’t have been the perfect time for a refresh. Its current Chef and Co-Owner Daniel Humm took the reigns in 2006, exactly 11 years ago with his dining room counterpart and restaurateur Will Guidara.

The reincarnation of Eleven Madison Park is temporal — noticeable in elements such as the metal step leading into its one of two dining rooms, affectionally referred to as “Downtown” and “Uptown.” The step is melted into liquid form from the restaurant’s old kitchen stove. A piece from Rita Ackermann hangs in center overlooking the symmetrical dining room, riffing off the original Stephen Hannock painting of Madison Square Park. The chalkboard piece is meant to be a nod to Hannock’s work and reflective of EMP’s former self while the chalkboard erase marks indicate the renewed beginning, 11 years later.

While the dining room experienced significant touch-ups, the kitchen underwent a complete overhaul, boasting an entirely open kitchen that aids in supporting the idea that cooking is a team sport. A new dry-aging area is installed for its signature ducks. A separate service station with Salido powered terminals stand to be unobtrusive to diners as it is completely out of sight from the dining room. A poster of 12 principles hangs upon entrance of the pristine kitchen, with words such as “Forward Moving,” “Endless Reinvention,” and “Collaborative.” 

As the tour completed and the group reconvened with Sam and Chef de Cuisine Dmitri, they shared valuable insights and thoughts into what morphed the recently acclaimed No. 1 restaurant in the world — no egos, a symbiotic relationship between the dining room and kitchen, a two-way conversation between guests and staff, and most importantly, a level of professionalism and work ethic visible in all layers from line employees to Chef Daniel and Will.

Touring Eleven Madison Park marks a tremendous year for the Restaurateur Club as it also undergoes a transition of its own into the new year. We've learned that honoring and respecting the past is necessary, but continuously changing and evolving to stay the same is ever more so.

Thank you Sam Lipp, Chef Dmitri, and Will Guidara.

- Arnold