offerendum

OK, OK. But only for the files: I pay everyone 20 € who enters a restaurant of my choice I dine in with one of the above jackets......

PsiFighter37

Went to Eleven Madison Park for my birthday dinner last night. Perhaps it's just me, but I feel like nearly every high-end restaurant I go to gets worse the next time I visit. There are only 2 restaurants with Michelin stars that have continued to wow me on follow-on visits: Gramercy Tavern and Contra (both in NYC). EMP has basically turned into a generic high-end French restaurant now. When I went 6+ years ago, virtually every dish served was an homage to New York City, and while it wasn't the best food outright I had eaten, it was a much more memorable experience. There was one standout dish - sturgeon caviar served in an EMP-logo'ed tin with a pickled quail egg and hollandaise. The rest, to be honest - delicious but not 'The World's Best'. I'd argue that my meal at Le Bernardin a couple months prior was arguably more memorable.

My personal 'Best in the World' remains Hertog Jan outside of Bruges, Belgium - still not even a contest.

EuropeanPete

I went to Rustic Table in Dublin last night, a Michelin listed (not *'d) restaurant run by one of the judges of Ireland Masterchef. It's a really interesting concept which combined a steakhouse and modern Michelin type cooking with health food (and - generally - successfully). The food tasted as good as I'd expect, but what was interesting was that I was able to design a meal which was as protein focused as if I were in a gym's canteen. I'd love to see more fine dining go this way. In the meantime on Friday I'm going to the 3* Le Cinq on Friday, which I very much doubt will be as good for my waistline.

CappuccinoAddict

Disappointing to hear reports of EMP slipping! I still do want to give them another go this summer.

I'm glad I went to Momofuku Ko when I did last month. They have now raised prices from 195 exclusive of tax or service to 255, service included. Beverage pairing is up from 175 to 195, and does not include service. I was told they are also working on a non-alcoholic pairing a la Atera.

Speaking of Hertog Jan, it is closing permanently this year. I was considering going but am instead spending 10 days in the south of France next month. I've got bookings at Takao Takano (2*) in Lyon, Maison Pic (3*) in Valence, and Alain Ducasse Le Louis XV (3*) in Monaco. Has anyone here done Alain Ducasse in Monaco? Is it worth it to do the tasting menu for 360 Euro as opposed to the 4 course lunch for 165 Euro?

VivoPerLei

Had an excellent meal at the 2* Ecco in Zurich the other night that I think the regular posters here would really enjoy. Two years ago I would have been raving about it. Unfortunately, it appears my passion for these long tasting meals is simply gone. It was a great meal, but I simply didn't enjoy it as I once would have. Going to cancel that reservation at Core and steer a course for the cuisine's that are currently appealing to me.

United747

EuropeanPete

Not exactly on topic, but I thought the lunch option at Joel Robuchon was the only good value thing I found in Monaco. It's not one of his Ateliers either - it's a proper restaurant, although for some reason never got the 3* that (almost?) all his others have.

kiokujai

Not a repeat customer, but glad I wasn't the only one that wasn't blown away by EMP. I also had that caviar and hollandaise sauce dish, which I agree was one of the only standouts along with the famous duck, but everything else was simply good, and not great. Definitely expected more from the "best restaurant in the world". The pacing was also weird...the first few courses were served at a pretty normal pace, but the last few took 30 - 45 minutes between courses.

I also went to Le Bernardin on the same trip, and had a much more memorable time as well - I thought EMP had the more creative dishes, while LB had the better tasting/executed dishes.

Really not sure if I just had too high of an expectation for EMP and a lower one for LB, but I'm reluctant to give it another try given its price tag, despite feeling like they deserve a second chance.

PsiFighter37

I had high expectations for both, and while I think my expectations vis-a-vis high-end restaurants is much different now than when I first visited both LB and EMP (which was in 2011 or 2012), both weren't quite as awe-inspiring, but Le Bernardin was definitely closer. I would have to say that my 3-star experiences the past couple of years in San Francisco (Quince last year, Coi this year) outpaced both Le Bernardin and EMP.

Next Michelin-starred experience is TBD...might end up being in D.C. when I pop in for the Cherry Blossom run in early April. My wife does want to go back to Cote, even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the value proposition the first time around.

damon88

Glad to hear a positive report on Nakazawa. Just booked for our March trip. Our friends recommended it, but it seems to get mixed reviews here.

damon88

My husband usually takes his jacket off when he is dining and noone has ever said a word.

bhrubin

PsiFighter37

It's overrated. The sole time I sat at the sushi counter, I got food poisoning. The dining room sushi is alright but definitely not the same as being at the counter. The tamago is the only thing that stands out to me; otherwise, I have had better elsewhere. There's a reason it hasn't gotten a Michelin star yet...

Fliar

I can second this. My wife carefully put some of the left-over cheese in her handbag (hey, why waste good food!). When we left, in addition to the some chocolates, they gave us a littel bag with fresh breads to "enjoy with your cheese" ;-)

It was a great meal

offerendum

Did Louis XV last year, here my review: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28468910-post722.html