I went to the new EMP tonight. The real deal.
Smaller. More intimate. The service is French 3 star. Food is as close to perfection as you could desire.
Amazing meal. Thanks guys. John Ragan was at the BBQ tents in the park.
Thanks John for making sure we were taken care of tonight. Much appreciated!
For those of us not from Atlanta, speaka de Englitch?
There is only one EMP which employs a John Ragan, and it is not in Atlanta.
Fine. For those of us from the hinterlands, who be John Ragan and what be EMP? Speaka de Englitch?
Eleven Madison Park.
EMP is Eleven Madison Park in NYC. You know, New York City. They tweaked their concept a bit, and it sounds like it was Don’s first visit since they did so.
Well, someone tell Don to quit speaking in code. He’s from Atlanta and he’s reviewing a restaurant in NYC by its acronym and I’m supposed to know what he’s talking about? Sheesh.
I had a decent dinner some years ago at SFG and a great lunch yesterday at ML on TVH which, for those of you who don’t know, is in BFE.
Fuck me. ![[rofl.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7452fcd8e675af869f8da01174474a545b03944.gif "rofl"){kind=small}
Like Flannery, Cabot and so many other things, EMP is a board fave.
Looking forward to trying the “newly improved” Eleven Madison Park restaurant. My sole experience at the “old” one did not live up to the hype (see recent comments on a similar experience at Marea). I can say I hope they did not change their service model, because it was absolutely perfect the one time I dined there, including the attention from John Regan, who, incidentally, is an alum from the now defunct Martini House in St. Helena. The food was the issue at Eleven Madison, not the room, the ambiance, nor the service.
Merrell, as you were disappointed recently by Marea, and not so recently by Daniel Humm’s food at EMP, I’m curious as to some examples of other restaurant experiences which lived up to your expectations. Both of these restaurants happen to be favorites of mine, and of “the Board”, but also have won over critics both locally and nationally including EMP’s recent Beard award for best restaurant in the USA. Having said that these things are of course hugely subjective, and I’m genuinely curious about your own favorites. Thanks in advance.
Don, I was there Thursday night, and indeed, they’ve stepped things up a lot. Our dinner was outstanding, everything, from start to finish, was amazing. My one slight comment would be that the lights need to be turned up a very slight bit so we could better see the beautiful plating. We had the kitchen tour and the colors popped on the plate in the brightness of the room.
EMP is hitting on all cylinders but the change isn’t completely “new” (just new if you haven’t been there in a while–not a criticism of the post by any means, just a clarification in case locals think something has recently changed). They’ve been smaller and at the current model for around a year now, it seems.
Yes, they just got the Beard award for best restaurant in the USA, and I think the Beard Foundation got it right!
Also, their cocktail program and head bartender Leo, just got the award for best cocktail program in the USA from the top organization in that field (I forget its name but I’m told its the equivalent of the Beard awards, etc. for its area).
Not anything good in the PD? Or is that too HIP for you?
And Eric, THIS is the EMP as you well know…
http://unusual-architecture.com/experience-music-project-seattle-wa-usa/ for the rest of you. And while it does have a cafe I was momentarily thrown off by the OP.
Lots of good places in the PD. PPB, N, CB, TB, LM, NZD, LP, PP . . .
Carl - if you read my detailed post on the Marea thread, you will see that I was not “disappointed,” but rather felt that my experience did not live up to the level of hype of all I had read and heard. It was very, very good, but I would be hard pressed to pay the tariff again. I had no “wow” dishes, and I did not hear “wows” from the other 3 diners.
My experience at EMP does not mirror anything I had read. My dining companion, who has been there probably a dozen times, felt it was not extraordinary that night either. This was perhaps 18 months ago, I am guessing. If I recall, it was a pre-fix that included dessert, and I left my dessert virtually untouched due to poor flavors and textures. And I felt the other courses did not provide enough substance to qualify for a satisfying meal.
I think it is easier to find “wow” dishes than “wow” restaurants. And the cost can certainly temper how far the “wow” goes.
The newly conceived dining room at Terra in St. Helena provides 4 courses for $66, with fine service and ambiance. And the corkage is far, far less than the $50 charged by Marea.
Every restaurant can have an off night, and EMP and Marea are no exceptions. I’ve certainly had an off night experience at EMP, though its been exceptionally rare and most have been in the “wow” category.
Also - Carl - I did not intend to be evasive about my favorites. My favorite restaurants that I look forward to going to again and again are not always “wow” restaurants or experiences. But “wow” meals/experiences in the past 2-3 years have been my first visit to Gramercy Tavern - each and every course that first time was extraordinary. My last meal at Acquerello in SF, which was off the charts great. My first and only experience at La Folie in SF (truffle season) was off the charts amazing (and I have since found out from my dining companion that the bill was off the charts as well - more than Marea or EMP). A couple of experiences
at the now defunct Martini House in St. Helena - these were at its height probably 3-4 years ago. And one or two at No. 9 Park in Boston. That’s off the top of my head.
Bob:
You may want to keep this link handy Common Abbreviations on the Board. - Wine 101: The Basics - WineBerserkers 
Merrill–thanks for the very clear and complete response. I hope that your next experience at either of Marea or EMP shows them off to better advantage. Be aware that since your last visit, dining at EMP has become considerably more elaborate, time consuming, and expensive. Whether it is “better” is a matter of taste, but personally I believe it remains one of the finest restaurants in the world.
I’m supposed to remember something from February?
