Okay – so am I the only person who thinks that January is flying by at lightning speed? Admittedly, this year has kicked off with a “take no prisoners” ambience (not that that’s a bad thing), but before I can blink, I’m being told by my girlfriend “you know… January is nearly over.”
While that’s not *entirely* the case (we still have a few weeks left, and boy will I need it), she’s not too far off, what with all of our impending deadlines... January will soon be kaput, and we’ll be breezing through February, which is notoriously a short month to begin with.
Be that as it may, I’ve been rather remiss at writing these days, namely due to all of my other commitments. However, I thought it apropos to capture a few snapshots of my lovely brunch today, with a dear friend traveling through from San Francisco (these days, I swear, it seems like half of my crew has relocated to SF!).
We dined at the The Nomad, brought to you by the brains behind Eleven Madison Park (aka Daniel Humm and Will Guidara), located at the hotel of the same name on the corner of Broadway and 28th street (quite close to the Ace Hotel actually, though with none of the ostentatious exterior that one would expect). The lobby of the hotel is quite exquisite (reminds me of a Klimt painting or something out of the Great Gatsby), and the restaurant, located straight through at the back of the hotel, is quite considerably larger than you would think (it boasts several dining rooms, all designed by Jacques Garcia – mixing in a touch from his French heritage). We opted for the intimate, boudoir-like Parlour room, which I thought was ideal for an intimate catch-up meal. The décor was inviting, and dare I say, slightly romantic, with appealing, rich textures and dark oak finishing. I found the main Atrium a bit bright for so early in the day, though I suspect it would be quite ideal for evening dining! And lets not even get started on the Nomad’s famous Library room... with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, oh-la-la! It is quite posh, though I would think more ideal for a drink and some hors d’oeuvres rather than a full-on meal.
I had read about Humm’s famous organic roast chicken, prepared in a giant wood-burning oven and served with buttery foie-gras and black truffle, decadent to the extreme. So of course... I had to have it! It being brunch and not dinner, they pared it down to a sandwich rather than a full-size chicken. Nevertheless, my verdict is – an unequivocal yum!!! Bonus? It came with side of salad topped with crispy chicken skin, you can’t beat that!
