The Plaza Hotel, Bergdorf Goodman, 30 Rock, there are establishments here in NYC that are, simply-put, iconic, and when mentioned, instantly bring the mind to the city that never sleeps as they are a must-see/try spot for tourists and locals alike. Eleven Madison Park is one of those places, and after less than five months of renovation, the world’s number one awarded restaurant re-opened on October 8th with a brand new look.
?The challenge was to preserve the memory and character of this great historic room, while creating a contemporary space that served their vision of food and service,? says Cloepfil, principal of NYC-based architecture firm Allied Works who collaborated with the owners on the update. They wanted to keep the integrity of the EMP name but with a more modern feel, making the space their own for the very first time. There was just one rule that was put into place, anything that was there before it was a restaurant needed to stay there. So, while the openness and entrance remains the same, there’s now a cooler tonal palette rather than the woods backdrop on the walls, rugs laid over the hardwood floors, minimal lighting and rich brown leather upholstered seating.
The renovation didn’t stop at the newly installed fabric banquettes, expansive kitchen renovation and intimate seating (now serving 80 covers, rather than the previous 400) but extended to the staff’s uniforms as well thanks to the brilliant menswear designer, Todd Snyder...