I dined at a 3-Michelin-star fine-dining restaurant for the first time. Here are 7 things that surprised me.

"I've eaten at award-winning restaurants before - including one with a Michelin star and another with a James Beard Award - but this was my first time dining somewhere with the coveted three-star distinction. According to the Michelin Guide, that honor is reserved for chefs "at the peak of their profession" serving dishes "destined to become classics." Over the course of my three-hour, eight-course meal at Eleven Madison Park, several things surprised me, from the sheer number of staff attending to our table to the fact that we didn't see a menu until the very end of the night."

"I recently dined at Eleven Madison Park, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, which recently revamped its menu to include meat and seafood options after years of being entirely plant-based. I was mostly surprised that I enjoyed the vegan dishes just as much as the meat courses. Over the course of my three-hour, eight-course meal at Eleven Madison Park,"

Eleven Madison Park is a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City that recently reintroduced meat and seafood after years as an entirely plant-based establishment. The tasting lasted three hours and comprised eight courses. The diner found the vegan dishes as enjoyable as the meat courses. Service included a surprisingly large number of staff attending the table. A printed menu was not shown until the end of the meal. The Michelin Guide defines three stars as chefs at the peak of their profession serving dishes destined to become classics. The experience revealed several unexpected aspects of three-star fine dining.

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