Daniel Humm has earned international fame or his outstanding work at the 11 at Madison Park. The restaurant had risen to the top of the culinary world with its daring and innovative creations.

One of its most unusual and characteristic details is original grid layout menu. Unlike most restaurants that have an A la carte menu, 11 at Madison Park presents guests a card featuring a grid with 16 different ingredients. With the choices of the customers the staff proceeds to design a unique meal centred around the likes and dislikes of the guests.

The concept behind the menu is to provide guests with the surprise and joy that is fundamental to a tasting menu, while at the same time keeping an element control. Feedback and discussion is encouraged in order to create a fully customized gourmet experience centred on the tasting experience.

11 at Madison Park is located in the heart of Manhattan, New York. Manhattan is already famous for being a veritable Mecca of high end gourmet restaurants, however even in this environment the restaurant has been able to distinguish itself and quickly rise to the top of the gourmet world.

Over the length of his career at 11 Madison Park, Daniel Humm has earned himself an impressive collection of awards and accolades. In 2012 it was ranked tenth n the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 best Restaurants in 2012. The Michelin guide awarded it the much coveted Three Star distinction n 2012. Daniel Humm was personally awarded with the James Beard Ward for Outstanding Chef.

Each meal is a carefully created experience that is built up to stimulate all of the senses, with tasting as its focal point. Intricate deserts boast elements of molecular cuisine with the use of liquid nitrogen, or other dishes use s sublime blend of various ingredients to create a plethora of tantalizing tastes.

Each dish is the product of a powerful imagination endlessly reinventing different recipes to continuously stun and amaze the mind. So often these high end luxury restaurants lose focus on the all important objective of any restaurant. The food must taste good.

Underneath all the layers of complications and garnitures, simple pleasure of eating a well prepared meal is lost in the attempt to freeze smells in subzero temperatures, or other farfetched ambitions. However, 11 at Madison Park seems to have retained that unique character trait that has been the basis of some of the greatest restaurants in the world. A perfect understanding of the fine line between providing an experience and providing a meal.

Text by Sean Hagerty

Image Courtesy Of 11 At Madison Park