11 Madison Park - vegetarian?

[josephnl]

I am planning a small party ay Eleven Madison Park. One of my guests is a vegetarian. The restaurant has assured me that this will not be problem, but their menu is such that it's hard to figure out what they will do. Does anyone have any experience with this?

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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

[Megbeck]

I've been to EMP twice, once as a vegetarian and once as a vegan. Both times, the food was excellent. I didn't bother with the grid at all, but just let them know my dietary preferences and said I would love whatever the chef decided to serve. I was served vegetarian variations on the amuse and the staff was really nice about bringing me vegan bread and olive oil. The meals weren't very protein heavy, but still hearty and filling (both visits were during the fall/winter). I had some of the most beautiful and delicious roasted vegetables i have ever tasted (I never realized cauliflower could taste so good). Dessert as a vegetarian was probably better than as a vegan because it allowed for options more than fruit and sorbet, but it was still quite good. I will never forget the kir royale dessert (with pop rocks! served during our kitchen tour!) that I had on my vegetarian visit.

Hope this helps!

[Winterpool]

Are you booking a private room or dining in the main restaurant? If you're not ordering a tasting menu / private-event menu, note that there's very often a non-meat selection for almost every course on the grid. As the preparations for grid ingredients can be customised, speak to your captain at the start of the dinner to clarify any dietary restrictions in your party.

[josephnl]

We will be in the main dining room. Is it necessary to notify them in advance that one guest is vegetarian, or are the able to handle this routinely. I prefer not doing so if it isn't necessary (sometimes makes the vegetarian think that I'm making a special fuss).

[Winterpool]

You can customise preparations from the grid at table, as you're placing your orders / discussing with the captain. But after reading Megbeck's report, I think I would email EMP in advance; this would give them the best chance to prepare something distinctive for a vegetarian diner.

[leikvold]

This meal is all about making a special fuss. You should definitely tell them in advance. That way they can prepared the best "match" to the omnivore dishes.

[kathryn]

Here's an example of a vegetarian tasting menu they did last year:
http://thevegetarianfoodie.com/2010/1...