The Nomad

 "The competition would be too great."

When I first heard news last year that Danny Meyer was selling his four-star restaurant, 11 Madison Park, I was a bit shocked.  Restaurateurs and chefs alike strive for that rating given to them by the NY Times.  It takes some restaurants decades to finally mature to that level, honing their skills year after year, until perfection is finally reached.  Once its reached, they strive for an even higher level.

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, the Chef and General Manager of 11 Madison Park, with a group of investors started the company MadeNice.  Once hearing these two professionals, two people who are truly at the top of their game in their respected fields, were planning on opening a restaurant just a few blocks away from 11 Madison, Danny had no choice but to sell.  The diamond of Danny Meyer's empire was now sold to Daniel and Will, and just a year later, they opened The Nomad Restaurant located inside The Nomad hotel.  Finally having a chance to eat here tonight, I realized Danny Meyer made a very smart decision.

The Nomad has taken casual hotel dining, elevated it with Mr. Meyer's signature hospitality warmth, and mixed it with cuisine cooked with incredibly high standards by a military-style French brigade in the basement kitchen.  Abram Bissell, the former Executive Sous Chef at 11 Madison, has been given the prestigious task of running The Nomad, which includes the now three-star restaurant, rooftop dining, and 24-hour room service.

The Nomad Hotel

The Nomad, which means "North of Madison Square Park", is located on the corner of 28th and Broadway, in a building very similarly designed to the iconic Flatiron Building located just five blocks downtown.  "The Atrium", or main dining room, is situated just off the hotel lobby, and is equipped with a skylight the same size as the dining room.  The skylight allows natural light to shine down on the dark wood furnishings, upholstered chairs, stone floor, and other forms of classic old-world architecture.

Located just off the Atrium is the bar, equipped with a dark mahogany countertop and designed to give the feeling of an old-world library.  Off in the other direction, is an actual two-story library, an area which serves small pastries and coffee.  The last section is The Parlour Room, and is a bit more intimate with red accents on the wall and a marble hearth imported straight from France.  Here, you can meet one of the sous chefs as he overlooks the cooking of small snacks and the now very well-known foie gras and truffle-stuffed chicken-for-2.

Mercedes-Benz Dinner at James Beard House/ Taqueria

At the end of October Mercedes-Benz sponsored a four-course dinner for 50 VIP guests at the James Beard House in New York City.  Chefs and cooks from ABC Kitchen, Eleven Madison Park, Restaurant August, and Locanda Verde all teamed up to create one spectacular course each for one very high end meal.

Bring on the red carpet

This was my first time inside the famous James Beard House.  James Beard was an influential American chef and food writer who passed away in 1985.  The James Beard Foundation was named in his honor, which annually recognizes and praises chefs and food writers across the country.  Peter Kump, a former student of James and founder of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), purchased the brownstone home of the late James Beard and preserved it as a gathering place for the general public to enjoy the artistry and talents of established and emerging chefs.

Not having much prep work, and having a car waiting for us outside, Chef Dan Kluger, I, and Minh, one of the chefs from 11 Madison Park took a field trip to buy staff meal for everyone.  We traveled to the lower east side to Taqueria, a favorite taco restaurant of Chef Kluger.  Taqueria has a lot of style and is real deal Mexican, even listing a photo on the wall of everything they don't offer that is stereotypical.  It's "crema fresca", not sour cream, get it right.

Taken from Yelp.com