Eleven Mad goes Vegan

Hard to see it working.

Pass

Really hard to see it working at $335 PP. Those are expensive veggies!

Interesting, but I imagine that’s going to be a tough sell to many, especially at their price point.

They’d probably have more luck if they branded it as a seasonal menu change rather than a permanent one and then see what the reception was.

Nope

Arpege in paris is basically all veggie (with a couple of meat courses at the end)… and it’s about that price, and seems to do ok?

No milk, no cheese, no butter, no eggs . . . no money. I have had some very high end vegan meals from famous chefs and there is no way I am going to pay anything close to $335 for that. AND I was looking forward to going to EMP if it reopened. :frowning:

i just came here to post the link to the eaterny article
not surprised to see it here already
not for me, although he’s not a stupid guy
there has to be some numbers/research behind this

Years ago at The French Laundry my wife and I both had the nine course tasting menu. My wife is more of a picky eater and because you couldn’t substitute (or maybe you could, but there were a ton of courses that she wouldn’t eat), she opted for the vegetable (not vegetarian but close) tasting menu while I had the standard tasting menu. Both were outstanding.

That said, I wish EMP well, but can’t see it being a big hit.

I cannot imagine going to Eleven Madison again and not be able to order that duck. (or something approximately interesting)

re: your french laundry experience- I had a similar experience at a restaurant that shall go unnamed in Washington state. The beauty was that the courses she didn’t want to eat were small enough that I could absorb her shares. Win!

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I’m primarily a carnivore, but many of the most memorable and delicious restaurant dishes I’ve ever had have been vegetarian so I can see giving it a shot.

If money was no object, I would be checking it out for sure. I have found vegetarian tasting menus at times to be more interesting (and delicious) than non-veg tasting menus. But $335 w/ tax = $365 with tax… and that exclude drinks. So all-in ?$425+?.. per person. Would like to support the idea, but that’s not a price point I play in.

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I’m in for this. Since going vegetarian back in 2019 I’ve had chefs at some of our LA establishments prepare Veggie based tasting menus and they’ve been incredible. The ability to draw flavor and uniqueness from vegetables is a true form of art.

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A few observations:

after a pleasant but unremarkable meal off their grid menu I lost interest in 11 Madison and haven’t been back since

I’ve loved meals at l’Arpege so if reviews were good for the vegan menu at 11 Mad I would have considered giving them a chance

if it weren’t for how badly they treated their employees when covid hit. Eleven Madison Park Might Not Reopen - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers

Vegetarian isn’t vegan. Arpege uses eggs, butter, cream and other animal products in many of its vegetable dishes and its signature dish remains Passard’s Chaud-froid d’Oeuf au Sirop d’Érable. Part of the success of Arpege is that Passard owns the organic farms where fruits and vegetables are grown for the restaurant and are harvested the same day as they are served. If Chef Humm, whom I respect greatly, can replicate a similar farm to table experience, I’d give it a try. But, without butter or cream? I dunno about that… I’ll also chime in that Humm has experimented with different approaches in the past without, in my opinion, perfecting them first. I like to support chefs who never stop striving and inventing, so I’ll likely try vegan EMP once and take it from there.

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I hope it’s not 6 courses of beets like Arpege was. woof

Hahahaha, we loved our Arpege experience, Charlie! Just wish the couple next to us had been up to split the Roulot Charmes off the list. They felt the need to lecture me on the rarity of Chateau des Tours blanc. The somm gave me a look and a smirk.

For me it was, it’s the last week of July dammit, why can’t you put a perfect homegrown tomato in one dish?

Artichokes and asparagus will pair well with red wines.

And Arpege, of course, isn’t even vegetarian anymore. My last visit we had lamb and lobster and I think chicken too (and of course the beautiful egg).

If the reviews are good I’d consider trying the new EMP. But I’m fearful for them that it will be a tough sell.