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Eleven Madison Park: Making the Ultimate in Cuisine

Content sponsored by: Alto-Shaam

11 Madison Park Interior

Eleven Madison Plate

Saying that Eleven Madison Park in New York City is the best restaurant in the world is no understatement; it received that accolade in 2017 from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants™. Since its opening in 1998, Eleven Madison Park has provided guests with an unmatched culinary experience, guided by co-owners Chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. The restaurant is known as much for its hospitality as for its cuisine — both are parts of the equation in providing the guest with an unforgettable experience.

The philosophy behind the food at Eleven Madison Park is classified by four fundamentals: delicious, beautiful, creative and intentional. All its dishes are measured by those terms, with the strongest emphasis on “delicious.” And with that list of fundamentals comes an increased focus on simplicity – working with less to make an ingredient shine.

Eleven Madison Park recently underwent a full kitchen renovation, reworking its 20-year old kitchen. While the previous kitchen was certainly functional, the renovation allows the restaurant to execute its dishes exactly the way Chef Humm wants. As he says, “It’s long been a dream of mine to create a kitchen that fits the way we cook at Eleven Madison Park, to have a place for our cuisine that we can be proud of and that reflects our style. To finally have the opportunity to make that a reality — well, it’s very exciting. My favorite place to be in the restaurant is in the kitchen. I’m still in awe of the space we’ve just built. I have to pinch myself a little to realize it’s not a dream anymore.”

That renovation touched everything in the kitchen, from floor to ceiling, equipment included. Part of that renovation included installation of Alto-Shaam combi ovens, drawer warmers and a smoker oven. The Eleven Madison Park culinary crew wanted a combi they could rely on, not just for power and accuracy, but reliability as well. Alto-Shaam fit that need perfectly.

Alto-Shaam smoker Alto-Shaam drawer warmer

The reliable Alto-Shaam combi ovens are producing a number of dishes in the Eleven Madison Park kitchen. The ovens’ steam function is used to cook vegetables sous vide. Lobsters are par-steamed — a quicker and more consistent way to cook than boiling. Delicate items can be dehydrated because of the ovens’ precise temperature and fan control. And the Alto-Shaam combis are used to roast the restaurant’s trademark dish, honey lavender duck (the one dish that’s been on the menu consistently since 2006).

It takes a precision piece of equipment to produce the ultimate in cuisine consistently, which is why Eleven Madison Park relies on Alto-Shaam. As Chef Humm says, “Everything we do in the restaurant is done with precision, so to know that the Alto-Shaam ovens can be relied on with dependable temperature and function makes our jobs easier and cooking more consistent.”