Food
The Nomad Part II
I went to The NoMad back when I started this blog and felt totally out of place. By now I’ve been there four times and it feels like home. In fact, I had an epiphany some nights ago during appetizers that this is officially my favorite restaurant. The distinction is fluid, yes, but right now The NoMad reigns supreme.
The problem with blogs like this, and Facebook and Twitter, is that people see these posts and think your life is going from one expensive meal to another, without a care in the world. Truth is there’s plenty of hardships to go around but that is not going to stop me from enjoying my pants off tonight.
The distinction is fluid, yes, but right now The NoMad reigns supreme.
I take a hot shower before taking the F into Brooklyn with the excitement of a man about to visit an expensive prostitute. Admittedly, I can only guess about that, but that’s what was going through my mind; That I was about to experience the sexy charms of a true professional.
We walk through the hotel lobby then beneath a huge skylight to our disarmingly comfortable chairs. We’re surrounded by folks with every intention to enjoy expertly prepared food and some creative cocktails. Oh, and wine. Lots of wine. I watched the table next to us order four bottles. Who knows what that cost. Our cocktails were about $16 each… and worth every penny of my girlfriend’s money.
I was about to experience the sexy charms of a true professional.
“I’m gonna put you through the wringer,” I say to her.
“Go, ahead, it’s your birfday, my boy.”
So, armed with the truth that I am one of the luckiest people I know, Kim and I decide to switch it up tonight. Order different things. Not the old standbys we love so much. Only that’s not exactly what happened.
“We kinda have to have the foie and the poached egg.”
“Is that what you want?” she asks. “We had those before.”
“I want those badly,” I say.
We order a few ingenious cocktails. I start with my usual Start Me Up (bourbon, rum, strega, honey, ginger, lemon, orange bitters). Kim gets the Bread and Butternut (vodka, cream sherry, amontillado sherry, becherovka, butternut squash, lemon, angostura bitters). Both are marginally sweet, but totally ready to be paired with food. I promise you.
We start with something new. Fresh radishes with butter frozen in time by liquid nitrogen and accompanied by some fleur de sel. Oh, and a nice fresh rye bread hits the table hot and scrumptious. We’d barrel through one and half of those before the meal ends.
And yes, during the Foie Gras and poached egg appetizers, listening to classic rock, facing my girl with a slight buzz… nothing else mattered. None of this election noise. No terrorism. No injustice. Just happiness in one of my favorite places to find it.
Spreading that black truffled foie on brioche, with a little truffle sauce… it doesn’t get better than that. Except, of course, for that amazing Poached Egg on quinoa with Parmesan foam and asparagus. The perfect plate of food. One of the best plates in NYC, for my money. I mean, my girlfriend’s money.
A server recommended two new drinks for us and we drank them happily. Mine was the Scarlet Knight, which was dry rye gin, carpano antica sweet vermouth, amaro ramazzotti, amaro zucca, cranberries, lemon, mint, and Douglas fir. I got a face-ful of mint every time I took a sip. Kim opted for the Koala Pear made with new american gin, pear eau de vie, cocchi americano, lemon, eucalyptus, bay leaf, and sparkling mineral water.
People see these posts and think your life is going from one expensive meal to another.
Kim was slightly underwhelmed with her lovely Loup de Mer dish, Loup is a European Seabass and was poached with parsnips, crispy kale & salsa verde. I tried and liked it, but for Kim it was under-seasoned. And as you know, restaurants like this don’t put salt or pepper on the table due to some weird code that Chef’s are supposed to season for every possible palate. A good fish if you’re afraid of “fishy” fish, but my girl is more adventurous than that. You live and learn.
I ordered a perfect Latte and we shared the Milk Chocolate. I know, I could eat their Milk & Honey dessert every day, but we needed something different. We were not disappointed. The Milk Chocolate is ganache with chocolate fondant and malt ice cream, with some crispy chocolate cookie pieces. Perfection.
“I could eat here everyday,” I say.
“I know you could.”
We walk out through the huge bar and library, through the new bar where they also serve food. I can see myself coming back for lunch one day and having a few drinks. I hear they have a chicken sandwich with foie that’s as good as anything else on the menu. Part III of my review is inevitable.
Kim and I hit the street full and happy, holding each tightly as we walked off dinner. We pass a homeless woman pushing a shopping cart.
“You’re smothering her!” the woman screams at me.
Ah, back to life.
We strolled leisurely down 11th, avoiding the tourist-infused High Line, toward a chef’s counter reservation at Toro where we happily ordered a step beyond what might be considered reasonable.
I went with a steady stream of Pizza Night! cocktails – a spicy Old Fashioned with Calabrian chili, chorizo infused bourbon, Mike’s Hot Honey, and peach bitters. Cold and hot. Spicy and sweet.
We also found the Hell’s Bell Pepper to be just the right amount of savory – tequila, mezcal, yellow bell pepper, agave and bird’s eye chili.
Now we’re diving headfirst into an expensive plate of Paleta Iberico De Cinco Jotas – a dry cured boneless Iberian ham that delights and is gone before you can say “twenty eight dollars.”
Some addictive Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija followed – a dangerously convenient version of grilled street corn, and a nice foil for the Setas, a bowl of deliciously unctuous mushrooms set beneath a sexy chivy yolk.
Then things got heavy – in a good way. Unable to choose between bone marrow and foie gras, we picked both. I’m more of a purist when it comes to bone marrow, so the Asado De Hueso with guajillo and chorizo XO, Brussels sprouts and escargot – perhaps has a little too much going on. Yet I ate it happily.
We opted for the Foie Gras Tonkatsu – a crispy foie sandwich with strawberry tomato jam and pickled daikon. Kinda perfect bar food if you’re OK with foie taking second billing. Nice marriage of textures, too.
“Hey man, that’s probably delicious, right?” asked a stranger at the bar – flanked by two liquored up and leathery ladies of a certain age. I smiled and snapped a picture of his seared foie.
For dessert we had hamburgers.
Ok, not dessert per se, but our last course were a pair of delectable Hamburguesas, mini dry-aged burgers with a spicy kick on a potato bun.
In a nutshell, Toro is the perfect place for you and your overpaid friends to meet up, get buzzed, and eat decadent small plates while ignoring a world gone mad.
Olmsted
659 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238 – Map
Website
Prospect Heights restaurant from chef-owner Greg Baxtrom packs them in for dinner and recently rolled out brunch. Expect twists and turns, like a breakfast of Carrot Kathi Rolls (Carrot Pulp Falafel, Cilantro Stem Raita) or the Duck Duo, crispy duck sausage with scrambled egg and maple flatbread. And don’t leave without trying their bacon, egg, and cheese Egg Rolls, as delicious as they are adorable.
The tight and thoughtful dinner menu includes a scrumptious Duck Liver Mouse, a clever Beef Tartare, Heritage Pork with Raclette, and other seasonal curve-balls. Toss in a playful cocktail menu and you’ve found the perfect spot for those who like a dash of quirkiness on the plate.
Duck Liver Mousse
Beef Tartare Polonaise
Beet Gin, Preserved Lemon, Maraschino, Juniper
House Gravlax – Scallion Ricotta, Everything Bagel Crackers
Egg Rolls – House Made Bacon, Farm Eggs, Vermont Cheddar
Frozen yogurt with lavender honey
On your fourth trip to Paris, you take less pictures and enjoy more actual moments. Best to live like a local. We rent an apartment and stock up on breads from Poilâne, french butter, various cheeses, some fromage de tête. Good coffee. And the inevitable bottle of Orangina.
The Google Map below has more restaurants than you could see in any one trip. I wound up having super memorable tasting menus at Frenchie and Ellsworth, and a nice meal at Ore in Versailles. But we also had excellent low key bistro meals, enjoyed Pizzeria Popolare, and some cocktails and charcuterie at aveK.
One of my favorite spots, L’Avant Comptoir, was closed the night I visited. And I regret not getting to Clown Bar or the Experimental Cocktail Club.
There’s always next time.
Between the historic sites, architecture, museums, churches, parks, and restaurants… there’s a whole hell of a lot to do in and around Paris. Check out our Google Map for some ideas.
Links
Eater Paris
Time Out Paris
Lonely Planet Paris
To the GoogleMap above