Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Trivet London
      Trivet London - 2 Michelin Stars
    • Bibi London
      Bibi London - Michelin Indian Food
    • Planque London
      Planque London: Tasting the Unexpected
    • Bala Baya London
      Sunday Brunch at Bala Baya London
    • Ta Vie Hong Kong
      Ta Vie Hong Kong 旅 (3 Michelin Stars)
    • Pleka IFC Hong Kong
      Pleka IFC Hong Kong - Italian Japanese fusion
    • Nanjing, China
      Weekend Trip to Nanjing China
    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
      Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
    • Wakaran Hong Kong
      Wakaran Wan Chai
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)
    • The Chairman Hong Kong
      The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star)
    • Hanu Wan Chai Hong Kong
      Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai
    Home » US Travel » Boston

    Eleven Madison Park "Tour" at Menton

    Published: Apr 13, 2012 · Modified: Oct 28, 2014 by Jennifer Che

    This is so not your ordinary cookbook.

    And most certainly not your typical cookbook tour.

    What other (newly minted!) three-star Michelin chef has toured the country, cooking from his book at fine restaurants around the world?

    It is seriously a treat for us Bostonians to be able to sample taste of Daniel Humm's creations from his new cookbook, the Eleven Madison Park Cookbook, a compilation of dishes from his award winning restaurant in New York.
    Untitled
    Back in December, for one day only, Daniel Humm took over the kitchen at Menton. Together with a huge team including folks from both Eleven Madison Park and Menton, Humm prepared an unforgettable four-course meal consisting of dishes from his new cookbook.

    In anticipation of this event, Menton's general manager Alec Riviero said, "this is probably one of the biggest evenings we are going to have here this year."

    Here's our write-up, complete with many, many exclusive peeks inside the kitchen (Yes! Bryan and I had the great honor of sitting at the Chef's Table during this fantastic event!).
    Menton Kitchen
    What's the Chef's Table?

    The Chef's Table is a very special table in a small, cozy room inside the kitchen at Menton. You get upfront views of the kitchen in action. It's fascinating to see all the individual steps that go into such a production.
    Untitled
    On this special day, as we walked through the kitchen to the Chef's Table, we observed dozens of people hard at work. Above, you can see Colin Lynch (executive chef at Menton) at left and Daniel Humm at right.
    Untitled
    We mingled with glasses of champagne, enjoying fantastic little bites of passed hors d'oeuvres, such as white truffle risotto on spoons (absolutely heavenly!!!), mini housemade crackers topped with salmon and caviar (delicious!), and many others, not all of which I had a chance to try!
    Untitled
    We entered the room with the Chef's Table, and continued to be mesmerized by the scene in the kitchen. It's seriously incredible to watch these folks. You really learn to appreciate your food that much more when you see all the effort that goes into it.
    Untitled
    Soon, beautiful, hot buttery croissants came our way. I think the bread for the evening came from Menton, and it was excellent.
    Menu
    If you've ever been to Eleven Madison Park, you'd know that Daniel Humm's menus are different from most other menus. The courses are inspired by ingredients, and that's all you see when you get the menu. For a four course, you just choose four "elements", such as "oyster, cauliflower, pork, and lemon." You then proceed to be delightfully surprised, course by course.

    The four courses we had that night were similarly named, although they did give us a little extra explanation for the dishes, something that can always be done verbally at Eleven Madison Park if requested.
    Untitled
    Chef Humm came into the room after the meal began and greeted us all, introducing us to his tour, his book, and his restaurant. You can see him with Will Guidara, general manager at Eleven Madison Park and also co-author of the cookbook, as well as Barbara Lynch, chef-owner of Menton.

    "Way early on when I came to New York we did a charity dinner in NY for Share our Strength and that's how I met Barbara. Right away we clicked."

    When we planned the cookbook tour Barbara invited us and for us it was a no-brainer. We are honored to be able to present our book here in Boston."
    Untitled
    And then back into the kitchen they went .  .
    Untitled
    I love this moment that I caught. There was a young (13-year old) apprentice in the kitchen, the son of a good friend of Chef Barbara Lynch. He showed an interest in cooking at a young age and Chef Lynch decided to take him under his wing. He was in the kitchen the entire night. His mom dined at the Chef's Table with us, cheering him on.

    You wonder what kind of sage advice Chef Humm is telling the boy . . .

    The Courses
    When asked how he chose what courses to cook, Humm said "it’s just our favorite dishes, and all of our dishes are from the book."

    Will Guidara further added, "[t]he book is organized seasonally, so where this tour fell we were obviously looking at the second half of the book. And for [Daniel], it’s obviously a chance for him to show the different cities what we’re all about."

    Here's the winter menu!
    Untitled
    Langoustin
    Marinated with Celeriac and Green Apple
    2010 Donnhoff Riesling "Estate"
    Untitled
    Lobster
    Poached with Bergamot and Celery
    2009 Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Blanc
    Untitled
    Cauliflower
    Roasted with Grapes, Almonds, and Curry
    2004 Trimbach Pinot Gris "Reserve Personelle"
    Untitled
    Putting finishing touches on the last course . . .
    Untitled
    Chicken
    Slow-Cooked with Truffles, Butternut Squash, Parsnips, and Cabbage
    2009 Rion Vosne-Romanee

    You can't tell from the photo, but the preparation of this chicken is really quite impressive. There is a full but thin layer of black truffles stuffed between the chicken and the skin. Can you imagine how labor-intensive that is?

    The Food
    I can't remember the details anymore, but I do remember that every single dish was absolutely phenomenal. Interesting and complex flavor combinations, intriguing textural nuances, and excellent execution of all the dishes - it was all there. This was definitely one of the best meals we'd enjoyed in Boston.
    Untitled
    Prepping the beignets.
    Untitled
    Sweet Potato
    Beignet with Chocolate and Chestnut Honey
    NV Rare Wine Company Madeira "Boston Bual"Untitled
    This was a lovely surprise and one of my favorite desserts of the evening! Surprise! Yes! It's what you think it is! It's a chocolate bonbon with a black truffle on top. It surprisingly works really really well. I even asked Chef Humm whether this peculiar bonbon was in the cookbook, and he assured me it was.

    Really?? But where would I find such gorgeous truffles?

    And then, finally, finally, the crazy commotion in the kitchen began to die down.

    The last dish had gone out.

    They were finally done.

    The chefs all celebrated as they breathed a sigh of relief after working under intense pressure for the last four hours.
    Untitled
    Chef Humm gathered all the assisting chefs together for a short talk. He commended them on the great work they did today, and he added a bit of advice about the career path in general. It's a tough road, he acknowledged, but he encouraged them to keep at it.
    Untitled
    He was kind, humble, charming, and really inspiring.Untitled
    And then it was time to really celebrate! Beers and pizza magically appeared and multiplied on the table for these ravenous chefs who had been working nonstop for hours!

    In some ways it seems like such an odd contrast. After having just prepared and served some of the most sophisticated dishes in the city that night, these famished chefs were digging into boxes of simple, local pizza.
    Untitled
    Chef Humm was super friendly and agreed to sign our cookbooks for us (yes, the meal came with an included cookbook! So Bryan and I have TWO!). [And yes, that is Lydia Shire of Scampo and Towne fame in the background]. Untitled
    Thanks for an awesome meal Chef Humm. I can't wait to visit your restaurant again. Untitled
    I also ran into Barbara Lynch on my out, so I introduced myself and thanked her so much for giving us a chance to enjoy the meal at the Chef's Table.
    Untitled
    Most of all, thanks to all the chefs for the hard, hard work they put into making this meal possible. It was fascinating to watch you guys, and I was seriously blown away by the amount of work that it takes to execute such incredible food to such a large group in such a short amount of time.

    Eleven Madison Park
    11 Madison Ave
    New York, NY 10010

    Eleven Madison Park on Urbanspoon

    Menton
    354 Congress St.
    Boston, MA 02210

    Menton on Urbanspoon

    ©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
    All Rights Reserved

    More Boston

    • Jen's Top Restaurants to visit in Boston - 2023 Update
    • A Month in Boston: our first post-Covid Trip
    • Jinny's Pizzeria Newton
    • Farewell Bergamot

    Recent Posts

    • Trivet London - 2 Michelin Stars July 13, 2025
    • Bibi London - Michelin Indian Food July 9, 2025
    • Planque London: Tasting the Unexpected July 4, 2025
    • Sunday Brunch at Bala Baya London July 1, 2025
    • Ta Vie Hong Kong 旅 (3 Michelin Stars) June 27, 2025
    • Pleka IFC Hong Kong - Italian Japanese fusion June 24, 2025
    • Weekend Trip to Nanjing China June 20, 2025
    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong June 17, 2025
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Always Joy Hong Kong
      Always Joy Hong Kong
    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen