A 16 course scrumptious lunch

It's Sid's B'day today and I decided to surprise him by taking him out for lunch to Eleven Madison Park. we have been wanting to go there for over a year and I finally managed to get reservations for lunch.

It's a 16 course culinary journey which lasts over 3 hours. We were blown away not only by their scrumptious food but also their excellent service and very creative presentations. The anticipation and surprise element made the dining experience very unique. We had no idea on the number of courses being served or the menu. We only shared our food preference and they did an excellent job at creating these delicious and beautiful dishes. After courses 12, I was ready to quit, I had had my fill . Luckily the last few courses were cheese and small deserts. Overall this was the BEST meal i have ever had. Chef Daniel Humm has a winner in Eleven Madison Park.

Here are some picture from yesterday:

Cheddar - Savory Black & white Cookie with Apple

Sea Urchin - Snow with Smoked Cantaloupe & Conch

Asparagus - Custard with Caviar & Rhubarb

Sturgeon - Sabayon with Chive oil Smoked with Everything Bagel Crumb, Pickles & Caviar

Little Neck Clams

Bread

Couscous

Clam Chowder

Butter & Lamb Butter 

Bread

Asparagus - Salad with Bitter Almond & Buttermilk

Shredding the Carrot

Carrot - Tartare with Rye Bread & Condiments

Carrot - Tartare with Rye Bread & Condiments

Lobster - Poached with Snap Peas & Morels 

Nettles - Creamed with Fingerling Potato & Goat Cheese

Lamb

Lamb - Crisped with Leek, Bibb Lettuce & Meyer Lemon Roasted with Freekeh, Mint & Leek

Opening the Mystery Picnic Basket - Pretzel, Mustard & Pickled Stawberries

Preparing the Malt 

Malt - Egg Cream, Vanilla & Seltzer

A very happy and satisfied B'day boy

Mint - Sorbet with Chocolate Ganache

Sheep's Milk - Cheesecake with Mango & Peanut

Chocolate - Popcorn Flavored

Pretzel - Chocolate covered with Sea Salt 

A Rainy Day in the City

Last week was a rainy, wet and gloomy week. It rained like cats and dogs. I usually like to bundle up, grab a good book and drink hot chai when it's not bright and sunny but this time it was different.

One evening, after work I decided to capture some pictures in the rain. I put on my trench coat and headed out on the streets of NYC. The streets were a bit chaotic, people were rushing home and the rain kept pouring. Initially, I started out by clicking and running from one shelter to the next but that did not work, atleast for my photographs it didn't. So I finally settled under a covered spot (thanks to constructions in NYC) at the corner of two intersecting roads, crosswalks on either side and that was the perfect spot. I clicked and clicked for the next 90 minutes. It was fun, real fun, watching people scurry and run for shelter. Some looked harassed by the rain, others just kept walking. People chatted, laughed, shared stories and grumbled. I was particularly attracted to all the colorful and unique umbrellas, they stood out to me that evening. It was like they were enjoying all the attention. The minutes just rolled by.... Here are some pictures, I hope you will like them.