day three- still enjoying the terrace

I know you will think that all we did on this trip was eat - and sit on the terrace drinking and you would be somewhat correct but we did walk each day at least one way to or form our meals and we got outside-

I have written before about the numerous times I and we have been to NYC even before the kids both lived there- so we really rarely do touristy things and we often just walk the city- I was struck as I took some of the photos contained in this post by how similar my subjects are here to those of when I am traveling- store windows and markets - interesting buildings or little things that catch my eye along the way-

I have long since stopped carrying a camera to NYC but that doesn't stop me from taking photos (thanks to smart phones) and so it is easy to share the experience of the city (really THE city- when it comes to the US) -

so this day we headed south to one of our very favorite spots- Gotham Bar & Grill for their lunch- they have a nice prix fixe there as well-

Phil ordered from the regular menu and started with the always fab tuna tartare-

I did the prix fixe and started with the gazpacho of heirloom tomatoes

Phil had the duck and I had a second starter of the chopped salad- although it just looks like a jumble in the photo it was very good...

Phil's Clafoutis and my chocolate cake (intense flavor but light texture)

then on to some outside time on another glorious day-

 

our view of the water tower sea...

 

this evening- we entertain Maryanne and Jeremy stops by as well-  before our 8:45 reservation at Degustation!

the entire restaurant is a sushi bar style dining experience - maybe seats 16 people max- we met Jeremy's friend Jenna at the restaurant and waited a brief time and took our places- before the incredible dining experience began- a truly worthy meal- small plates but amazing flavors packed into small packages!

ooops- I lied about the oyster at NoMad - that one had mignonette granite -  this was the one with the mignonette foam!

fluke crudo-

shrimp

risotto

the char which they graciously substituted for me and Jeremy and Jenna instead of the lamb-

the lamb-

cheese course-

palate cleanser of pop rocks (yes you read it correctly) and a berry-

the amazing dessert of French toast brulee (I will come back for this a thousand times- oh yum yum yum!) oh and the best thing- it was served with smoked maple syrup - kind of a bacon-y sort of flavor- OMG!

you can't see so much in this photo but the three chefs prepared everything right in front of us- the grill chef was at our end of the "bar" and the sous chef was just down a bit and the guy who worked the fresh stuff beyond him-  they worked with an incredible focus and it was like a ballet to see them prepare the meal for us... really great dinner!

so back "home" tomorrow is another day- good weather predicted and good food continues....

glorious weather!

kept us outside for most of our six days in NYC!

we arrived late afternoon on Wednesday and found that our upgrade request had come through and for 35 bucks a night we had a balcony overlooking the Empire State building and a sea of water towers (LOL)

our dinner the first night was scheduled for NoMad (a step child kind of restaurant to 11 Madison Park) the food was excellent, the service exemplary and I doubt we would ever go back again- the place was tragically hip... the music so incredibly loud in the main room that we asked to be moved to the side room (the parlor)...

they won't mind us not returning because we definitely did not fit the age cohort of their target market.  but as I said the meal was really great and the wine excellent- the sommelier was a lovely and thoughtful young woman, all the staff were friendly and welcoming... lots of positives

so I will stop and post a few photos- the room- itself was nothing fancy- not even a chair or couch, except for the one at the desk

it did have a kitchen area but only a frig and micro- no glass ware or plates or anything to eat with or out of...

but this was what the upgrade really gave us- our own NYC terrace!

with a view of the Empire State building-

sunset over the Hudson-

the ESB bathed in sunset pink light!

on to NoMad- selected for the reviews and the convenience of being just blocks away from our hotel-

we had the seafood platter/tower (Fruits De Mer "le grand plateau")  which I artfully removed from the tower so you could see all the items- the best one was the king crab leg in the middle it was stuffed with an incredible custard crab concoction that was so full of flavor but so creamy that it basically melted in your mouth... the oyster had mignonette foam and the scallop a citrus butter- the caviar was served in a panna cotta was amazing as was the lobster meal on the slice of a claw- an all around winner!

then the waiter brought our chicken to the table to show us before the carving- this is THE dish to order and is four two people so our meals were identical (easy to remember- LOL) "Chicken whole-roasted for two: foie gras, black truffle, brioche"

the chicken was served two ways - the roasted breast with a hint of creamy mashed potatoes and then a casserole with chunks of chicken in a delicious slightly sour preparation with the crispy skin chopped up and folded into the mixture- I really liked this prep but Phil wasn't crazy about it so I traded him my roasted breast prep for his casserole style and we both were happy!

our wine could have used some aeration as it got more and more delicious as the meal went on and it had time to open up- an excellent match with the rich chicken preparations.

we both chose the same dessert- Chocolate malted ganache with chocolate fondant & malt ice cream

so while we agreed the place was far too hip and chic for us- the food was excellent and the service spot on... if you go definitely ask for a table in the parlor and save yourself a move- we saw several others (even the young people) move into the quiet space as it was the only place you could carry on conversation... but overall- a thumbs up on the food and service and a slight thumbs down on the atmosphere....

back to our room- oh I forgot to mention that in the first hour of our arrival I sent Phil out to Burgundy Wine Company around the corner to buy some provisions for enjoying our terrace- so we had opened a bottle of white in the room before leaving for dinner...our 9:30 reservation meant that by the time we were done with dinner and the short walk "home" we had called it a day both in terms of the calendar (after midnight) and our activities of to and from airports and all that entails....

but before we end the first day I will add one more hilarious photo from the room- which mind you was simply a hotel room except for the terrace with the stupendous view- here is the "legal rate sign" from the back of the door-

I wouldn't pay 1/10th of this rate but maybe some idiot would actually spend that amount on a room at a mid-level Doubletree in Chelsea--- LOL