What it's like to eat a $295-per-person, 3-hour dinner at Eleven Madison Park, the best restaurant in the world

New York City's temple to fine dining earned the title during the big reveal of the World's 50 Best Restaurants — "prom night for the restaurant industry" — in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday.

We can see why. With Daniel Humm, a Michelin-starred chef, at the helm, the French-influenced bistro serves exceptional Greenmarket cuisine that surprises and delights.

The food blogger Julian Fang captured the experience of dining at Eleven Madison Park in spring 2011 for his website Jewelz. He opted for the 11-course tasting menu, which today lasts three hours and costs $295 per person.

While the menu has changed both in format and content, the decadence remains. We've shared a selection of Fang's photos with permission.

Daniel Humm's award-winning restaurant is in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood, on Madison Avenue between 24th and 25th streets.

The art-deco-styled dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows and whimsical floral arrangements that reach to the high ceilings.

But let's get to the food. Eleven Madison Park offers only a tasting menu, preceded by light amuse-bouches. First up were these bite-sized cheese gougères, served warm and sprinkled with salt.

As diners snacked on the pastry puffs, they perused the exhaustive beverage menu. A 2006 Arnot-Roberts syrah was selected.

The wine arrived, and a narrow tray of hors d'oeuvres followed. Let's take a closer look at each.

If you like your vegetables best prepared as ice cream toppings, the playful carrot marshmallow is for you.

The tuna tartare blended textures and tastes.

Over the years, Eleven Madison Park has served its famous foie gras seared, cured, and made into pudding. This preparation was topped with an asparagus gelée.

The more recognizable egg quiche tartlet featured mouthwatering — and expensive — morel mushrooms.

The crispy, sweetbread-stuffed cornet added a bit of crunch.

Wine glass empty? Swap it out for a mint julep with a bouquet of mint leaves so large you could wear it as a hat at the Kentucky Derby.

Bread service signaled the beginning of the meal.

The warm, flaky rolls were made richer by butter made with goat milk or cow milk.

The first course, Sterling Royal caviar, was nestled with spheres of smoked sturgeon and salmon cream.

This course features three ingredients at three temperatures: Santa Barbara sea urchin, custard with green apple, and shellfish ragout. They make a decadent, sour, briny, and somehow great combination.

Here's what the dish looks like once you've cracked the surface.

The garden-pea-and-mint lollipop arrives in a glass vase filled with grass.

Eleven Madison Park prides itself on serving locally grown foods. The Spring Out of Winter course pairs freshly harvested asparagus with jamón ibérico.

Another gorgeous preparation, this melt-on-your-tongue foie gras torchon accompanies tête de cochon, pickled spring vegetables, and horseradish.

Tender, buttery Atlantic halibut was seared with smoked spring garlic and crayfish.

Each course topped the last. A colorful plate of poached Nova Scotia lobster featured "young" carrots, ginger, and vadouvan-spiced granola.

The Earth and Ocean course combined land and sea influences. Nearly unrecognizable as chicken, a slow-cooked poussin was served with Hawaiian blue prawns and seaweed.

Four preparations of Colorado lamb accompanied the large, pink, herb-roasted cut in the center of the plate. The lamb ravioli, lamb sausage, lamb short rib, and sweetbreads proved there was no wrong way to eat it.

A dining room manager delivered the star of the meal, the Muscovy duck stuffed with lavender and glazed with honey, to the table.

Photo by Flickr user .

He carved and plated the bird so other diners could watch and drool. The choicest morsels were served alongside asparagus, ramps, and strawberries.

Next, a fromage cart pulled up tableside. The server doled out a selection of artisanal cheeses based on the diner's preferences.

These adorable raisin walnut breadsticks paired well with the cheese assortment.

Dinner transitioned to its final stage: dessert. The Soda Pop — which made a popping sound with each bite, thanks to a helping of Pop Rocks — was constructed with tangerine foam frozen with liquid nitrogen.

An interesting take on milk and cookies, the Milk and Chocolate course combined dehydrated chocolate mousse, caramelized white chocolate sorbet, browned milk solids, and other rich cocoa textures.

The final course, a generous plate of macarons, offered an even greater variety of flavors. They came in pink peppercorn with caramel; chocolate banana; peanut butter; coconut with chocolate ganache; Meyer lemon; toasted sesame with green tea; and grapefruit with fennel.

Don't forget the parting favor: a small box of jellies.

What it's like to eat a $295-per-person, 3-hour dinner at Eleven Madison Park, the best restaurant in the world

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