NoMad Restaurant

Our first introduction to anything from the Make It Nice group, which has since completely blown up, this special dinner at the NoMad Hotel Restaurant was a gift from my parents. Overall, this was a great meal, but the service suffered. Early on they forgot one of our orders, and at the end they gave us another table's check (twice!). Not a huge deal, and the food was still very good. 

Hotel entrance, Atrium, Atrium ceiling, and Elephant Bar.

The Parlor, where we sat and enjoyed the incredibly warm and romantic decor.  

Fruits de Mer

Center: Oyster, Frozen Mignonette

9 o'clock to 6 o'clock: Hamachi, Olive Oil, Bonito Shavings

Lobster Salad, Chili Powder

King Crab Mousse

Raw Scallop, Yuzu, Pistachios

Uni Custard, Apple, Caviar

Spectacular tower of six different seafood preparations. I appreciated that this was a fully composed dish, not just a raw bar tower (though I certainly enjoy that style as well). 

Flatbread

Baked w/ Rosemary, Cheese, & Grapes

Basically "wine and cheese" in bread form. We thought this was a really creative item, though the dull knife made things a mess to cut. 

Not pictured were a couple items I neglected to photograph: first, a Sweetbreads "Croustillant" (basically spring rolls), which the server forgot to bring; second, a delicious plate of risotto topped with "a reasonable amount" (4g) of shaved white truffle being sold at-cost. We could have also requested "a ridiculous amount" (8g) for twice the price. 

Mini growler of beer from Brooklyn Brewery, specially created for the NoMad's famous chicken. 

Roasted Chicken

White Meat: Brioche & Black Truffle Stuffing, Foie Gras, Roasted Parsnips, Mashed Potatoes, Jus

Dark Meat: Roasted Morels, Vinegar, Poached Egg, Crispy Skin

What can I say? This hearty, satisfying dish still lives up to the hype. Many restaurants have bravely (?) put chicken on their menu, and when treated with the same dignity as any other high-end protein, the results, as here, are often fabulous. 

"Apple"

Puffed Rice, Poached Apple, Nuts, Apple Strips, Candied Apple, Sage Ice Cream

If my notes I referred to the "balls of sort of sticky, cake-y apple substance rolled in puffed rice" as being especially great. 

"Milk & Honey"

 Shortbread, Dehydrated Milk Cake, Milk Ice Cream, Honey Sauce

An exercise in restraint, this simple but highly refined dessert has become one of the NoMad's icons. 

Petit Fours

Bottom Row, 8 o'clock to 5 o'clock: 

Buttered Popcorn Macaron

S'More

Apple Pate de Fruit

Chocolate-Covered Frozen Banana Ice Cream

Bitter Chocolate Log

I have no notes on these, but I remember them being hit or miss. I think we liked the macaron best, but a couple of the others were not as exciting as expected.

Per Se

Shortly after our engagement back in 2013, Leah and I decided to celebrate by dining at Per Se, the long-vaunted crown jewel of modern fine dining in NYC (maybe even the entire east coast). 

Though we had gone in on the heels of rave reviews from my dear friend Al, who did not have any of the problems we would ultimately experience, our afternoon was a bit of a letdown. Three years before Pete Wells' infamous review in the New York Times, we felt the cracks in Per Se were already showing. 

Restaurant entrance in the Time Warner Center. It's hard to imagine anything in that building being quiet and serene, but Per Se manages it, being tucked away in this little corner. 

First little gaffe of the afternoon was that nobody was inside the restaurant at the host stand to seat us. Since the whole rest of the space is sectioned off behind this wall, nobody else in the restaurant would be able to see you and realize you were waiting. We stood around awkwardly for about three or four minutes before the hostess rushed out, realizing we were there. 

Restaurant interior. Though well-decorated and with beautiful views, we felt it had more of an office or library feel rather than "dining room". 

Salmon Cone

Black Sesame, Crème Fraîche

The actual first bite was a pair of delicious gougères, though nobody actually told us what they were when they were dropped on the table. 

This salmon cone, a Per Se hallmark, lived up to the hype. The flavor and particularly the texture contrasts were fantastic. You can see why this is a trademark dish. 

Cocktails

Can't remember what we ordered, but they were at that time the most expensive cocktails we had ever had, weighing in at $25 each. 

Also - notice Leah's engagement ring???

"Oysters and Pearls"

"Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca, Beach Point Oysters, Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar

Thomas Keller's signature dish, which again lived up to the hype. I found the combination of warm sabayon, gently poached oysters, delicate tapioca pearls, and salty caviar to be an absolute dream. Unfortunately, this was before Leah learned to enjoy oysters, so it was not as big a hit with her. 

Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras ($40 Supplement)

"Assaisonné au Confit de Canard", Compressed Apples, Red Onion Rings, Marble Rye Melba, Per Se Cole Slaw

My notes from the time specify that this was a foie gras dish in which the foie was the star, not at all overshadowed by the many accompaniments. I also noted that the rolls this was served with were "unbelievably buttery".

Still, it was a bit of a turn-off to pay $40 per person on top of the already massive menu price to receive this dish. Compare to, say, Eleven Madison park, which at the time was already serving copious amounts of luxury ingredients with no supplemental charges and for less money on the overall menu. There were two other supplements later in the meal which we did not pay for. 

Salts

The foie gras dish also served with six different salts, which were a little unnecessary, though still fun to sample. My favorite was the "Jurassic" salt, bottom-left. 

Parker House Roll

Another mini bread course, this dainty roll was served with two butters, sweet cream (right) and salted (left). They noted that the salted butter was produced specifically for Per Se by a tiny NY farm with only seven cows. 

Around this time we had finally finished our cocktails and inquired about wine pairings. Annoyingly, Per Se did not offer a set beverage pairing (another miss, we felt). The server offered to help us select as we slowly browsed through the very long list presented on iPad, which, as a process, we hated. 

Sautéed Fillet of Atlantic Striped Bass

Squid Ink "Orecchiette", Pickled Garlic, "Haricots Verts", Basil, "Puttanesca"

My notes read, "the fish was super-juicy and the sauce was rich and tangy". 

Georges Bank Sea Scallop

Chinese Broccoli, Charred Leeks, Hakurei Turnips, Scallop Roe Miso Butter

I recall especially enjoying this plate, and was intrigued by the butter sauce, which incorporated the bright orange roe of the scallop. 

Wolfe Ranch "Supreme de Caille"

Applewood Smoked Bacon, Garnet Yam, "Gnocchi", Toasted Pine Nuts, Tuscan Kale Salad, "Beurre Noisette"

I can't recall this at all, but notes say this quail was one of the best dishes of the night. The "gnocchi" apparently had a "holiday" flavor, with notes of nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin pie. Sounds great - wish I could remember it!

I think it was this course or maybe the next, when our server was too busy joking around with another table to remember to serve the wine that accompanied the dish. We sat for about five minutes waiting for him, as I wanted to experience the wine and food together. He apologized when he finally came over, realizing his mistake, though his explanation of "It's Sunday, I'm off my game" kinda gave us the impression that he was just slogging through his shift. Maybe true, but not what you want to hear at one of the "best" restaurants in the world (or at these prices). Again, this all seemed to predict Pete Wells' eventual negative review. 

A quick bathroom break in Per Se's beautiful men's room. I was disappointed to find that even in one of the "best" restaurants in the country, there are still jerk-offs who throw their paper towels and hand towels on the floor instead of in the appropriate receptacle.

On the way back to my table, I stopped to take a shot of this amazing duck press - too bad they didn't use it in any of our dishes though. 

Elysian Fields Farm's "Collier D'Agneau"

"Merguez", Crispy Quinoa, Persian Cucumbers, Olive Relish, Greek Yogurt, Cilantro, Pimentón Glaze

This lamb neck preparation was an explosion of flavor and was textured like pulled pork. The cool, crunchy vegetable components were a nice counterpoint, and clearly a lot of work had gone into their presentation. 

Blueberry Cake w/ Zabaglione

The first of several dessert courses, most of which were bland and unmemorable, as was the case with this blueberry plate. There was also apparently a cheese course, though I must have forgotten to photograph it. 

Mint Chip Ice Cream, Chocolate Ribbons, Brûléed Marshmallow

This was a bit better, but still did not stand out like the mostly wonderful savory courses. 

Chocolate Mousse, Phyllo Touille

Another unmemorable dish, which seemed to have little thought put into it, seeming more like filler than anything else. 

Anniversary Cake

I feel a little awkward complaining about this complimentary dessert, but it was just so flavorless, despite its beautiful and unique appearance. 

"Coffee and Doughnuts", Mignardises

The final signature Per Se dish, Keller's famous "Coffee and Doughnuts". This was finally the hit dessert we were waiting for, after four previous dishes that seemed like filler. 

They also served a variety of other sweets and mignardises, including selections from their extensive truffle box. When Leah joked that she would like one each of all the truffles, the server became red-faced and stuttered out a response, haha.


After paying the bill, we exited the restaurant, only to remember that we had left without our take-home bags and souvenir menus, which our server had told us would be waiting for us on the way out (again the hostess was not present as we departed). We turned around to go back inside, but found the door locked. We gently knocked and peered through the glass, but nobody was there. We waited for about ten minutes and eventually the same hostess came running out with our bags, apologizing again for the mishap. 

Overall, while there were some very stand-out, incredible dishes, the experience itself was a mixed affair. Normally these service screw-ups would not seem like a big deal, but again this was supposed to have been one of the best restaurants in the world. We left a bit confused, not feeling it lived up to the hype.