Eleven Madison Park: Style Over Substance

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It was February 6th, 2014 and I was browsing an email newsletter from "I Know The Chef", a service that allows members to book prime time reservations at popular restaurants and receive VIP service. At the bottom of the email, a same day 7:45pm table for 4 at EMP opened up and was available.

My heart skipped a beat. I had recently picked up Danny Meyer’s book, “Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business” which chronicles how he opened EMP as well as the challenges faced and lessons learned while employing the power of hospitality and service in the food industry.

Eating at Eleven Madison Park (ranked 4th in the world with 3 Michelin stars) has been a dream of mine ever since moving to New York in the summer of 2007. From my early exposure to Shake Shack, where I learned what a real quality burger tasted like, to the venerable Gramercy Tavern where I received some of the best service in recent memory, EMP would be the crown jewel that would meld both concepts at the highest level.

Without hesitation, and with 3 empty seats to fill, I had called and confirmed the reservation with IKTC’s Joshua Stern who was a pleasure to deal with. Luckily, over the next 2 hrs, I was able to find 3 of my friends willing to drop $225 for a dinner happening in a few hours.

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Four & Twenty Blackbirds: Did someone say pie?

Four & Twenty Blackbirds
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On our way to the Rockaways, we stopped by Four & Twenty Blackbirds, whose pies made their debut nationwide when Whoopi brought them to share on the Jimmy Fallon show. 

Opened in 2010 by two sisters, Four & Twenty Blackbirds is renown for homemade pies that are made from scratch every day using seasonal ingredients. The menu changes frequently which simply means I have an excuse for repeat visits.

Figuring there would be a mass of people waiting outside, we were pleasantly surprised to see no line since we dropped by mid-afternoon after lunchtime. 

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Alpha Donuts - Old School Charm

Alpha Donuts
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A glazed doughnut serves as the litmus test of any doughnut shop's worth. Don't get me wrong, I love doughnuts with fillings, toppings, different glazes and even fancy riffs like the Cronut, but sometimes you just gotta have a glazed. 

At least this was our thinking as Sammy and I stopped by Alpha Doughnuts in Sunnyside. We were running late for our Korean dinner so I stood outside as Sammy ran in and got two glazed to go. We ate them on the run, the heft of the doughnuts leaving a smattering of grease spots on the paper bag with each hurried step.

My expectation of this being a random appetizer before kalbi was quickly blown away.

I stopped in my tracks. "Oh my God," I murmured as my eyes rolled back.

"I know," Sammy said. "I've been telling you about these doughnuts for 2 years. NOW do you believe me?!"

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The Lure of JKP

Lure FishBar
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I was running 15 min early to catch up with my dear friend, JKP, and decided to partake in happy hour at Lure, a seafood-centric restaurant located in Soho. To get the party started, I ordered 2 dozen Blue Point oysters- slick, briny, and ample. These aren’t the anemic, shriveled specimens you find at other happy hours. The dish of shrimp tempura was also delicious - crispy breading topped with a spicy mayo sauce. After washing that down with a glass of their house chardonnay, I dug into the deviled eggs and the fried oysters with tartar sauce, which is up there with my favorite rendition at Pearl Oyster Bar.

The aroma of Drakkar Noir wafted from behind and I knew JKP had arrived. We exchanged pleasantries but things quickly turned for the worst. You see, JKP is many things: a shrewd businessman always on the hustle, an unselfish wingman who jumps on grenades with arms wide open, and a Jewish Usher/Timberlake/Chris Brownesque dancer that delights the crowd at many bar mitzvahs and K-town karaoke bars.

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Jeepney: Hands-On Heaven

Jeepney
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Christine was the first foodie I met way back in 2007 before I knew anything about food. I remember the casual potlucks at her apartment where she would cook elevated dishes that nobody appreciated at the time (like cauliflower puree) since her friends' college diets consisted of Popeye's and Chinatown porkchop over rice.

Her Brooklyn apartment was nicer than the closet-sized "apartments" of my other friends and had a proper kitchen with utensils, All-Clad pans, and fancy things like bottles of balsamic vinegar glaze. Lastly, I enjoyed hearing her talk about her favorite restaurants and what places to avoid. We lost touch for a few years but recently reconnected last December when we organized a Scrumphsus Supper at Jeepney, a Filipino gastropub located in the East Village.

Our group was there for Kamayan Night, a family style feast where you get to chow down on two appetizers and three entrees that you have pre-ordered a week in advance.

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