Published:September 30, 2021
-Indy100
One of New York’s most famous fine-dining restaurants was butchered in a review by The New York Times, who revealed the newly revamped all-vegan dining spot has a secret beef room for the rich.
Eleven Madison Park earned the number one spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list back in 2017 and has welcomed a star-studded list of diners over the years such as Gigi Hadid, Zayn Malik and Victoria Beckham. The restaurant has even been featured in episodes of Sex and the City.
In May, chef Daniel Humm decided to remove meat and seafood from the menu, after explaining that: “The current food system is simply not sustainable, in so many ways.”
However, in a stunningly bad review, restaurant critic Pete Wells revealed that people can book a private dining room at the three-Michelin-Star restaurant.
It “includes an optional beef dish, roasted tenderloin with fermented peppers and black lime”, which Wells described as a metaphor for Manhattan.
“It’s some kind of metaphor for Manhattan, where there’s always a higher level of luxury, a secret room where the rich eat roasted tenderloin while everybody else gets an eggplant canoe”, he wrote.
Wells proceeded to slam a beetroot dish served in a clay pot that is broken open, saying it “tastes like Lemon Pledge and smells like a burning joint.”
He then offered his candid view on the restaurant’s vegetable dishes, saying that they were “doing things no root vegetable should be asked to do.”
“Some are so obviously standing in for meat or fish that you almost feel sorry for them”, he wrote.
“Time and again, delicate flavors are hijacked by some harsh, unseen ingredient”, Wells writes, before claiming that “The servers offer few explanations for the doctored flavors, and no warnings, either.”
“The ingredients look normal until you take a bite and realize you’ve entered the plant kingdom’s uncanny valley”, he added.
A spokesperson for Eleven Madison Park told Indy100 that they do not comment on reviews of the restaurant.
“Our private dining room offers an optional meat course, but will be transitioning to be fully plant-based in 2022, a decision that was made prior to the New York Times review”, they added.
Ouch.
