Restaurant Review
15 Jul 2011

Eleven Madison Park – New York City

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Eleven Madison Park - New York City

Following our wonderful travels in Montréal, The Astronomer and I headed stateside to New York City! The moment we stepped off the train at Penn Station, we booked it to Eleven Madison Park for dinner. I would’ve preferred a later reservation in order to freshen up at the hotel, but the first seating was all I could snag a few weeks in advance. We arrived at the restaurant slightly sweaty from the heat, but ready to be swept away by one of the city’s finest establishments.

Eleven Madison Park - New York City

Opened in 1998, Eleven Madison Park is owned by restauranteur extraordinaire Danny Meyer. Chef Daniel Humm was brought on board in 2006, and under his care, the restaurant received four stars from The New York Times in 2009. Chef Humm was named “Best Chef: NYC” by the James Beard Foundation in 2010.

We were seated promptly upon our arrival along the row of tables situated toward the back of the restaurant. Our seat offered lovely views of the room’s grand windows and larger than life floral arrangements.

Eleven Madison Park - New York City

At Eleven Madison Park, diners can choose either four courses ($125) or a tasting menu ($195). Since I had to fit into a bridesmaid dress at the end of the week, we played it safe and went for four courses.

In place of a traditional menu, diners are presented with a 4×4 grid containing 16 ingredients. Each row represents a different course, and diners are asked to choose the ingredient that fancies them most. After years of eating tasting menus where my preferences were never considered, I appreciated this innovation greatly.

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Restaurant Review
12 Jul 2011

Au Pied de Cochon – Montréal

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Au Pied de Cochon - Montreal

As stoked as I was to dig into Montréal’s poutine, smoked meat, and bagels, nothing compared to the excitement and anticipation of sitting down for a meal at Au Pied de Cochon. Chef Martin Picard’s temple of all things meaty, unctuous, and over-the-top came highly recommended to me by my brother, the Kung Food Panda, and every food lover who’s ever traveled to the area. Dining at “the foot of the pig” is a Montréal must-do, especially for those with a penchant for decadence.

Au Pied de Cochon - Montreal

According to the New York Times, Au Pied de Cochon made a splash onto the dining scene back in 2004 when Chef Picard gained notoriety for topping poutine with a fatty lobe of duck liver. Since then, the chef has expanded his unorthodox foie gras preparations to include pizzas, tarts, and hamburgers. In fact, there’s even an entire section of the menu dedicated to engorged duck livers. If it weren’t for my level-headed dining companions, The Astronomer and Nina, I would’ve surely gone overboard with the foie gras offerings.

Au Pied de Cochon - Montreal

To start, we were brought a warm and crusty baguette tucked inside a napkin with softened butter served alongside. Although we didn’t plan on eating much of the bread and butter due to the impending spread, it proved too enticing to resist.

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Recipe
09 Jul 2011

Cardamom Crumb Cake

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Cardamom Coffee Cake

While crumb cake might be too ordinary for most to request on their birthday, it was the perfect choice for my frosting-loathing and spice-loving Astronomer. To up the celebratory quotient, I swapped out traditional cinnamon for a heaping teaspoon of Guatemalan cardamom—it’s the birthday boy’s current obsession.

I knew this America’s Test Kitchen recipe would yield a winning cake, but The Astronomer’s reaction was even better than expected. Don’t tell his mama, but he declared it to be “the best birthday cake ever!” Oh, how will I ever top this in the future?

Employing cake flour in both the crumb topping and cake resulted in a delicate body and a satisfying crumb. Rich buttery notes tied everything together, while the cardamom added a sexy touch like only it can.

Although I initially frowned upon The Astronomer’s desire for a such a pedestrian cake, this one made me a crumb cake convert, and I wouldn’t hesitate to request it for my next birthday. Mmm, cardamom!

For crumb topping

  • 1/3 cup (2.3 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed (2.3 ounces) dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour

For cake

  • 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour
  • 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and softened
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Make topping

Cardamom Coffee Cake

Whisk the granulated and brown sugars, cardamom, salt, and melted butter together in a medium bowl to combine. Stir in the flour until the mixture resembles a thick, cohesive dough. Let the crumb topping mixture rest at room temperature until needed.

Make cake

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil.

Cardamom Coffee Cake

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the butter into the flour mixture, one piece at a time, about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs, 1 to 3 minutes.

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