Per Se vs. Eleven Madison Park

[deadly7]



So I have decided that the answer to this question is...both.

You're going to Per Se or EMP as a med student? Jesus. Your wife must make bank.

 

[Manton]

I think he graduated like six years ago.

Anyway, I went to EMP recently and loved it. Cost by my guess about 1/3 what Per Se would have cost, maybe even less. Only four courses though as opposed to nine.

 

[gomestar]



I think he graduated like six years ago.

Anyway, I went to EMP recently and loved it. Cost by my guess about 1/3 what Per Se would have cost, maybe even less. Only four courses though as opposed to nine.

ahem, 4 courses plus 3 freebies.

 

[kwilkinson]



ahem, 4 courses plus 3 freebies.

Freebies at Per Se also.

 

[leftover_salmon]

Have been to both for dinner in the past 6 months and have had the tasting menu at both. Per Se's food is definitely a slight step above EMP's -- it's simpler and the flavor and texture combinations are more complex without being superficially intricate. That said, the setting -- gorgeous view aside -- and service are unfortunately sterile. I will much sooner go back to EMP than Per Se because it is a better overall experience.

As others have said, I think EMP also represents MUCH better value.

 

[hopkins_student]

We dined at per se last night. It's been several years since we went to The French Laundry so I can't compare and contrast the perfectly, and it's likely my palate has matured since then, but I would say I liked per se more. My wife had a much more enjoyable experience because they made some substitutions for some things she didn't like at TFL. Instead of the Oysters and Pearls they prepared a butternut squash veloute and instead of the gateau of foie gras they prepared a seared foie gras. As I have a strong distaste of cheese as a main ingredient they substituted the sorbet course from the tasting of vegetables for my cheese course. The two best dishes were the foie served with a bacon and fig brioche and the tasting of pork (I can't recall all the preparations, but there was a garlic pork sausage that I would kill for). The only disappointing dish was the Smores dessert. I can't really describe the preparation but the flavors didn't work well. Unlike the unfortunate service experience our other member recent described, the service for our meal was flawless except for once when the wrong dish was placed in front of the wrong diner.

Stay tuned for EMP...

 

[RSS]



So I have decided that the answer to this question is...both.

Each is substantially different from the other ... but both have something to offer. So much depends upon the dining experience one seeks.

 

[F. Corbera]

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[F. Corbera]

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[F. Corbera]

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[RSS]



Which has the larger portions?

Really B!

My recollection is EMP on a per plate basis. But PS offers significantly more plates. That said, I've never left either establishment hungry ... so stop your worrying.

BTW, I just dined at the Saint Louis Club with one of the Adolphus Busch off-shoots. The club offers suprisingly good food ... but as for that local beer ... I'll say nothing. I refuse to taste it.

 

[hopkins_student]

EMP was pretty disappointing. The only thing that saved it from being a total waste of time and money was the $95 white truffle supplement. I'd heard so much about the friendliness of the staff at EMP but I didn't't feel like it came naturally, it felt very forced. The staff at per se could not have seemed more genuinely friendly. The menu approach at EMP is interesting, but they don't talk to you enough about your likes and dislikes to get away with not telling you how things are prepared. They even essentially stated that they don't want to tell you how things are prepared because they think they can decide how you would like things better than you can. This seems pretty arrogant. In contrast, at per se, they almost seem excited when you ask them to come up with substitutions. As mentioned above, the white truffle dish was the saving grace of the meal. They gave me a choice between a classic or modern presentation and I chose classic, which was a simple risotto with a mound of shaved white truffles. I've never had white truffles before and this was the right way to experience them for the first time. At this point I'm worn out with trying to type this description on my tablet, so I'll leave it as is for now.

 

[Reborn]

NYT Review with some sexy photos:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/dining/reviews/per-se-nyc-restaurant-review.html?ref=dining

 

[coolpapa]



EMP was pretty disappointing. The only thing that saved it from being a total waste of time and money was the $95 white truffle supplement. I'd heard so much about the friendliness of the staff at EMP but I didn't't feel like it came naturally, it felt very forced. The staff at per se could not have seemed more genuinely friendly. The menu approach at EMP is interesting, but they don't talk to you enough about your likes and dislikes to get away with not telling you how things are prepared. They even essentially stated that they don't want to tell you how things are prepared because they think they can decide how you would like things better than you can. This seems pretty arrogant. In contrast, at per se, they almost seem excited when you ask them to come up with substitutions. As mentioned above, the white truffle dish was the saving grace of the meal. They gave me a choice between a classic or modern presentation and I chose classic, which was a simple risotto with a mound of shaved white truffles. I've never had white truffles before and this was the right way to experience them for the first time. At this point I'm worn out with trying to type this description on my tablet, so I'll leave it as is for now.

I have been somewhat disappointed in the evolution of EMP over the last couple of years. I liked the old menu better and I thought they did a fantastic job of being right in the middle of casual and high brow in terms of both food and service. I liked the food, though the service was exceptional, and loved the room. Now it just seems colder and has moved toward the "event" type experience, which I really don't care for.

 

[kronik]

Going up to NY next month for work, which happens to coincide with my girlfriend's b-day.. already made Per Se reservations. I'm wondering where else we should go and EMP is high on the list. Anything I should know or any other recommendations? (Daniel, Le Bern also on list)