Eleven Madison Park is probably one of the most well-known restaurants in the world—and with it, Daniel Humm one of the most well-known chefs. Now Humm, who took the reins in 2011, is giving EMP a cooler, younger little sister.
Clemente Bar, Humm’s first new bar/restaurant opening since he took full control at Eleven Madison Park, opened last Thursday. Housed right above the Michelin three-starred restaurant, the new cocktail bar shares some of EMP’s DNA, but it’s seeking to be its own entity. Clemente Bar is striving for a more relaxed and youthful energy, with the same high-quality food and drinks that Eleven Madison Park has become known for.
Francesco Clemente in his studio
Ye Fan
“When Eleven Madison started with this plant-based chapter, we realized our audience is changing—it’s much more diverse, it’s much younger,” Humm told The New York Times in August. “We still believe so much in the craft of cooking and bringing it to a certain level . . . but wanted to do it in an environment that felt cool and personal.”
The bar is a collaboration between Humm and the Italian-born, New York–based artist Francesco Clemente, hence the locale’s name. Over the years, the two have struck up a friendship and artistic relationship, with Humm having previously sat for Clemente as a portrait subject. At Clemente Bar, the neo-expressionist artist has created hand-painted frescoes that adorn the space and serve as the design focal point. For Humm, art has always been an important part of his creative process, and he has similarly brought such works into Eleven Madison Park’s dining room.
Against the Grain
Emily Setelin
Drinks come courtesy of EMP’s beverage director, Sebastian Tollius, and span categories like Fresh, Clarified, and Bold, with about three cocktails in each section. Against the Grain is inspired by an old-fashioned, while the Negroni Colada is a mix between a Negroni and a piña colada. If you cozy up at the bar, you can imbibe and supplement your drink with bar snacks, including avocado pockets with sushi rice and finger lime as well as an agedashi dog with fried tofu and black truffle. Or you can take a seat at the eight-person counter and dine on a four-course prix-fixe menu, priced at $225 per person and paired with Tollius’s cocktails. Just like Humm’s cooking at Eleven Madison Park, the seasonal dishes will be fully plant-based.
With the EMP pedigree and New York art-world cool, Clemente Bar has some pretty strong cred to its name.
Click here to see all the images of Clemente Bar.
