Mary & I met up at the NoMad last week to chat, eat & drink. It's such a pretty, unique location with it's different rooms and vibes. Owned and run by Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park fame, it's the more casual sister also located off Madison Park.
We met in the bar for a drink ahead of time. It's a relatively small bar though for the size of the restaurant and it gets packed so assume you won't get a seat. A glass of bubbly (Billecart-Salmon) before we were shown to our table in the Parlour room. This is a more intimate room with oak and dark fabrics adding a richness. We like this room better than the larger Atrium with it's uniformed rows of tables all close together.
After selecting a bottle of the Araujo Altagracia, Eisele Vineyard 2010 Syrah we got busy picking menu options. We went with two appetizers served back to back and then a shared entree.
To start, the FOIE GRAS; SMOKED TERRINE WITH APPLE, SUNFLOWER SEEDS & THYME
This was just perfection! The sunflower seeds were roasted giving the dish not only texture but a nice nuttiness to compliment the sweetness of the terrine and apple. The bread they served with it was unexpected - almost a Texas toast thickness with multi-grain texture.
Next course was the Egg, slow cooked with mushrooms and black garlic kale.
There is no better ingredient than an egg. It won't be overwhelmed as easily as shellfish but it's delicate, runny, luxurious and goes well with almost everything. They pairing with mushrooms was fantastic. These two courses were close to perfect and there was nothing left on the plate.
For our entree we shared the whole roasted chicken for two with foie gras and black truffle. They actually come and present your chicken to you before taking it into the kitchen for deconstruction and presentation. Your chicken comes back as two dishes - the breast and the dark meat. The breast had foie gras and black truffle stuffed under the skin served with what I believe was cauliflower puree. The chicken is moist and super flavorful - added layers of depth from the truffle and foie gras ensure this isn't your everyday poultry dish.
And my personal favorite, the dark meat:
This evening's preparation was with crispy chicken skin and a poached egg. Yep, another egg! Holy happiness!! Incredible flavor - so decadent!!
If you get the chance to go to this 28th and Broadway fun spot, I promise you'll love the food. Not to be missed in NYC.
Zagat: 27-26-24
Jenn's Rating: 93
Michelin: One Star