New York City (November 2014)

My spouse and I visited New York City in November of 2014 for a 2-night stay following the Thanksgiving holiday. We stayed at the Doubletree Chelsea. We started off with drinks at The Breslin, followed by lunch at The Nomad. In the afternoon, we visited the outside of the 9/11 Memorial, but it was extremely windy and chilly. (We had planned to visit inside as well, but we had no idea of the types of crowds that we would encounter. Because it was already late afternoon, we would not have adequate time for a visit.) We had happy hour drinks at Pioneers Bar next door to the hotel. We had pre-dinner drinks at Le Bain at The Standard in the Meatpacking District. It was neat to see a little outdoor ice-skating rink set up on the hotel property when we exited our taxi. We also peeked into the more formal bar at The Standard, which we should have chosen to visit instead of Le Bain, where the crowds were younger and we didn't quite fit in. We had dinner at Scott Conant's restaurant Scarpetta, where we had tried to dine for years, so it was nice to finally have the opportunity to eat there. Another great NYC visit!

Hotel:

• Doubletree Chelsea Link to my review

 
Restaurants:

• The Nomad Link to my review
• Junoon Link to my review
•  Pioneers Bar Link to my review
• Le Bain at The Standard Link to my review
• The Breslin Link to my review
• Scarpetta Link to my review

Activity:

• 9/11 memorial (outside)

New York City: Doubletree Chelsea (November 2014)

My spouse and I stayed at the Doubletree Chelsea for one night in late November 2014. (Note that there are several Doubletree properties in New York City: this one in Chelsea, and others in the Financial District, Midtown, Midtown East, and Times Square.) We reserved our room online using the Hilton website, and we remitted HHonors points for a free award stay. We reserved a standard room with a view, from which we could see the Empire State Building.

This property is located in the Midtown West/Chelsea area of Manhattan, on West 29th Street between 7th and 6th Avenues. Many shops (not high-end, though) and restaurants are nearby, as is the Fashion Institute of Technology. The hotel holds 236 rooms spread over 26 floors. Reportedly, the penthouse suite features high ceilings and a terrace. Self-parking is affordable at $25 per day (or $45 for valet), although we did not use it. The hotel allows pets with a deposit remitted for possible damages. Check-in time seems late at 4:00 pm; however, the hotel balances that time with a check-out time of 12:00 noon. (We sometimes see a 3:00 pm check-in and 11:00 am check-out.)

The hotel building sets back from the sidewalk/curb of West 29th Street, which allows room for outdoor patio dining in front of the hotel in warmer weather. The lobby is small, with just enough room for the front desk, a small podium for the tour desk/concierge, and a small seating group of two chairs, a sofa, and some end tables. Restrooms, the business center (two computers and one printer), and the fitness center (five machines, a water dispenser, and towels) are located in the basement. The hotel restaurant, called Chelton’s Bar & Grille (CBG), contains a small bar and seating in the bar area, as well as additional seating in a glass-enclosed atrium. This hotel has two elevators, and we always seemed to wait for a ride.

Our room was undersized, even by Manhattan standards; it was only wide enough to hold a king-size bed with a small nightstand on each side. (I read in a previous review that the standard rooms are only 200 square feet.) A free-standing wardrobe held a smaller-than-normal ironing board and iron and a few hangers, as well as a large (non-charging) safe. Next to the “closet” was a console that held the flat-screen TV, and beside that was a small desk with rolling chair. Because our room held no lounge chair, there was nowhere to sit to watch TV other than on the bed. The TV console held coffee-making supplies and an ice bucket in one of the drawers. (Vending machines are located approximately every fifth floor in this hotel.). Our room was on the 23rd floor, which is one of the floors dedicated for HHonors members (although no additional privileges accompany those rooms). As Platinum HHonors members, the front-desk clerk offered us the choice of breakfast for two the next morning, or an additional 1,000 points (we requested the points because we had other meal plans). The size of our bathroom was adequate, and it contained a combination bathtub/shower unit, toilet, and small sink/vanity. The vanity was small, but because the faucet was positioned in the corner, it seemed larger than it was. A shelf above the toilet held complimentary toiletries - two soap bars, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion). (Although Doubletree used to supply Crabtree and Evelyn toiletry products, that brand has been phased out for something less recognizable.)

Honestly, we will not stay at the Doubletree Chelsea again, unless we reserve the penthouse suite! With so many other Hilton properties in the city from which to choose, we prefer a room that is not so tiny.

New York City: Junoon (November 2014)

My spouse and I dined at Junoon for brunch on a Sunday afternoon in late November 2014. We made a reservation online using the Open Table reservation system. Junoon, whose name means “passion”, is open for lunch and dinner daily. Restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj owns Junoon.

Junoon is located in the Chelsea/Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan on West 24^th Street between 6^th and 5^th Avenues. As guests enter the front door, they encounter a huge decorative steel basin with candles and a Tree of Life painting in the vestibule before they pass along a 50-foot walkway lined with candles and Tree of Life sculptures toward the two main dining areas. One room, called Jaipur, features a 200-year old arch from the Jaipur Palace in India; the Jaipur room is more private than the main dining area. The main dining room features neutral fabrics and soft lighting and adjoins the open kitchen area. Restrooms are downstairs, past the Spice Room where the restaurant freshly grinds the spices that they use each day. Off the lobby is the Patiala Lounge, which contains an L-shaped bar and regular dining tables, two tables of which are Jhoola swings (glass-topped teak spice tables). The lounge is named after a famous maharaja who loved to eat and drink.

The menu at Junoon includes contemporary Indian food arranged in categories that showcase the five elements: tandoor (clay oven), tawa (cast iron), sigri (open fire pit), handi (curry), and patthar (stone). The menu features a variety of appetizers, main courses, and side dishes for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Although my spouse and I are Indian food novices, and even though the menu choices (and pronunciations!) were unfamiliar, we chose to order from the regular a la carte menu rather than partaking in the $25 tasting menu (where samplings of six dishes are served concurrently on a curved metal tray) or the $25 three-course prix fix menu.

We shared a layered chicken and lamb kebab as a starter (Noorani Kebab), accented by a fennel-mint salad and yuzu gelee. The restaurant plates this kebab dish served in slices, not on a skewer. For entrees, we ordered a chicken dish (called Hydrabadi Chicken Korma, featuring chicken with a cashew gravy) and a goat dish (called Patiala Shahi, containing goat with a tomato yogurt curry). Both entrees arrived in small copper serving pots. We also ordered a side dish of basmati rice (accented by cardamom and bay leaf) and a specialty bread called Aloo Paratha (wheat bread stuffed with Yukon gold potatoes). For dessert, we shared the rice pudding, which was a complex dish featuring cooked rice, ginger ice cream, caramelized banana slices, almonds, and rum glaze, and topped with a fig slice.

Our lunch at Junoon was an overwhelming success, so much so that it encouraged us to try more Indian cuisine. Junoon holds a Michelin star, and it is easy to see why with the quality food and the exemplary service.

 

 

 

 

New York City: Scarpetta (November 2014)

My spouse and I dined at Scarpetta for dinner on a Saturday evening in late November 2015. We made our reservation online using the Open Table reservation system. The restaurant called us the morning of our dinner to reconfirm our booking. Scarpetta is open for dinner from Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday); however, the restaurant begins serving at 2:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, times that could be suitable for a late lunch. 

The name Scarpetta means “little shoe”, which refers to the shape that bread takes on when it soaks up a sauce. Besides the location in New York City, Scarpetta has additional properties in Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. The NYC location opened in 2007, was nominated Best New Restaurant in 2009, and has been awarded three stars by the New York Times. Scott Conant is the chef/owner of this Scarpetta, which is part of the LDV Restaurant Group that operates 20 properties in the United States.

Scarpetta is located in the Chelsea/Meatpacking neighborhood of Manhattan on West 14^th Street between 9^th and 8^th Avenues. The restaurant space consists of a large front room that contains a long wooden bar with two high-top tables, and several regular-height tables positioned near the front windows. The rear dining room is more cozy and intimate than the front dining room. Because we did not realize the design of the restaurant, we did not initially request to be seated in the rear (more formal) dining room, and therefore, the hostess sat us in the bar dining area. We asked if it was possible to move to the back dining room, but it would have required an additional 15-minute wait. (We had already waited at the bar for 15 minutes, despite arriving on time for our reservation.) Patio dining is available during the summer months.

As we perused the menu, our server delivered a delicious bread basket filled with two types of bread, and two kinds of Stromboli bread. The restaurant serves the breads accompanied by a trio of accompaniments: mascarpone butter, chunky tomato spread, and olive oil. We ordered two appetizers: short rib risotto and truffled mushroom polenta. It is difficult to decide which appetizer was tastier! We expected the short rib to be shredded and mixed throughout the rice, but instead, a hearty chunk of beef was plated atop the rice – a pleasant surprise for the presentation! For entrees, we ordered short rib and bone marrow agnolotti and duck and foie gras ravioli. Again, it was a heated competition on which dish was more delicious! For dessert, we shared an order of coconut panna cotta covered with a guava “soup” – another enjoyably unanticipated plating! Portions were plentiful, and every dish was mouthwateringly delectable. 

Service was excellent. The quality of the food and the standard of the service makes us wonder why this restaurant does not have a Michelin star.

We enjoyed our dinner at Scarpetta. We have seen Chef Conant on television many times (particularly on the show “Chopped”), and we have wanted to dine at his restaurant for some time. Our meal at Scarpetta was worth the wait!

New York City: Le Bain at The Standard (November 2014)

My spouse and I stopped at The Standard High Line for drinks on a Saturday evening in late November 2014. The Standard High Line is located (surprise!) at the base of the High Line elevated walkway in the Meatpacking/Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The property is located on Washington Avenue, which runs parallel to (just one block south of) West 13^th Street between 10^th and 9^th Avenues. (Another Standard Hotel is located in the East Village.) When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by a small ice-skating rink that the Standard set up on the street level of the property (in the summer it holds outdoor seating). Adjacent to the skating area is an outdoor bar / après-skate area called Kafeeklatsch (with heaters); the indoor portion of the bar is located inside the hotel and off the lobby. The Standard property features additional dining venues: a German Biergarten, the Standard Plaza, and The Standard Grill, besides two additional drinking venues on the 18^th floor (which is where we were headed). When we stepped off the elevator on the 18^th floor, we waited in line with other guests to check in. At the podium, the hostess asked us whether we wanted to visit the regular bar or the rooftop bar. She also checked our clothing to make sure that we were not wearing any athletic wear, before she directed us to check our coats. We were dressed in business casual attire, but we still passed her test. Most other guests were dressed fancily for a night out on the town; most guests appeared to be tourists and not locals. We chose to visit Le Bain Discotheque because it also had a rooftop terrace (on the 19^th floor). Le Bain is more casual than the Top of the Standard venue. Le Bain is dark, with minimalist décor except for 20+ rotating mirror balls hanging from the ceiling. The rooftop area must shine in the summertime, when the hotel lays down faux green carpeting, rolls out the mod furniture, opens and outdoor creperie and an indoor plunge pool. (Unfortunately, we visited in the late fall when the area functioned primarily as a smoking deck.) The views both uptown and downtown along the West Side Highway are tremendous, as is the view across the Hudson River to Hoboken and Jersey City. We shared two rounds of drinks, which decently priced by Manhattan standards. One fruity drink and one beer cost approximately $18. The bartender served the mixed drink in a real glass with better-than-average ice, but he poured the beer from its bottle into a plastic cup, which seemed a bit tacky. Why the difference in serve ware? We peeked into the Top of the Standard before we left, and it was tasteful, classy, and glitzy; a contrasting atmosphere to Le Bain. The crowd at Le Bain was more youthful than we are, yet we can see why Le Bain is popular with the younger crowd, as well as why it is popular for any guest in the warmer weather. However, in retrospect, the Top of the Standard would have been more our style.

New York City: Pioneers Bar (November 2014)

My spouse and I spent an hour at Pioneers Bar one Saturday afternoon in late November 2014. We were staying nearly next door at the Doubletree Chelsea. Pioneers is located on West 29^th Street between 7^th and 6^th Avenues in the Midtown West/Chelsea area of Manhattan. Pioneers opened in 2012. This establishment was previously called the Comedy Bar. The bar is long and the room around it is spacious, with several televisions to watch above the bar back. Wi-Fi is complimentary; just inquire about the password. The back of the establishment contains open space with some tables, several comfortable furniture groupings, and a stage area. On the afternoon that we visited, an open-mic comedy session was taking place. (Regrettably, the comedians were not terribly funny.) Restrooms are located in the back of the space near the stage. (Check out the funny signs above the doors to the two individual one-hole unisex restrooms.) Pioneers has several games available for guests to borrow and play; they are giant oversize versions of games such as Jenga and Connect Four, in addition to several pinball machines. At each end of the U-shaped bar is a “hydration station” where patrons can help themselves to a glass of water instead of asking the bartender. A limited food menu of pizza, hot dogs, and nachos is available (which we did not try); the kitchen appears to be located in the basement. Prices were not as inexpensive as we had hoped (although some daily specials are available). One of our party drank beer (Pioneers offers 19 beers on tap, and gives you a free one on your birthday), and the other drank soft drinks served from a “gun”. We matched beer for soda round for round, and when we requested our check, we were surprised to find that we were charged per refill on the soft drinks. Granted, this bar is located in Manhattan, and granted, most bars and restaurants do not even offer fountain beverages. (Most restaurants serve soft drinks in tiny glass bottles, in which case we expect to be charged per drink.) However, this bar serves soda in plastic cups that are reused every round; the cups are not always replenished with ice, nor is a new straw provided each time. Still, Pioneers provided a mostly uncrowded spot to spend an hour on a chilly late-fall afternoon.

New York City: The NoMad (November 2014)

My spouse and I dined at The NoMad for Saturday brunch in late November 2014. We made a reservation online using the Open Table reservation system, and the restaurant called us a few days prior to reconfirm. The NoMad serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner daily.

The NoMad restaurant and hotel are located in the Chelsea/NoMad (North of Madison Avenue) neighborhood of Manhattan. The hotel features 168 rooms and suites. Guests must pass through the hotel to reach the restaurant; there is no direct restaurant access from the street. (The main entrance is located on Broadway between West 27^th and West 28^th Streets.) The restaurant is comprised of a series of rooms arranged around a glass-enclosed atrium. In the atrium, which is the focal point of the restaurant, tables are arranged closely together, with tables for two placed in the center of the room, and tables for four set around the perimeter. A bar and a library (the latter of which features a two-story space with a spiral staircase that leads to the balcony) offer additional seating for a quick drink or snack. Restrooms are located in the basement.

Restaurateur Will Guidara owns The NoMad (as well as nearby restaurant Eleven Madison Park), and Daniel Humm is the chef. Humm is Swiss-born, beginning his career in Switzerland and later working in San Francisco before settling in NYC. Eleven Madison Park (EMP), under Humm’s expert hand, has received three Michelin stars in years past, four New York Times stars, and has received votes for Outstanding Service and Outstanding Restaurant. Many of those exemplary qualities are visible at The NoMad as well. We dined at EMP in October of 2012 (see my separate review). The NoMad currently holds one Michelin star, which is evident in their food quality and service standards.

Service was fantastic! Our server was young, but he was professional and knowledgeable about the menu items, and he offered suggestions and opinions when we asked. Be sure to inquire and ask details about the menu options! Because we dined previously at EMP, we knew the chef’s potential, and guessed that some of the menu selections might be more elaborate than what they first seemed.

We ordered the pear salad to start, which featured thinly sliced pears alternating with thinly sliced daikon radish, topped with crumbled hazelnuts, and finely shredded pecorino cheese. When our server delivered the dish, we almost told him that we had not ordered it, for the chef plated the dish to look like what appeared to be an omelet. Next, we shared the scallop entrée, accompanied by parsnips four ways (pureed, halved, crisp, and raw). We also shared three side dishes: rectangles of thick pork belly, Brussel sprouts and leaves mixed with lentils, and wild mushrooms in a light cream sauce. For lunch service, The NoMad offers only one dessert: their signature creation called “milk and honey”, which includes components like oat shortbread, honey brittle, milk ice cream, honey drizzle, and dehydrated milk foam. If a restaurant is only going to offer one dessert, then let it be a phenomenal one like milk and honey!

We loved our brunch at The NoMad, and the culinary talents of Chef Daniel Humm that we previously experienced at EMP were just as impressive here.

New York City: The Breslin (November 2014)

My spouse and I stopped at The Breslin on a Saturday morning for drinks in late November 2014, prior to a lunch reservation at the nearby NoMad restaurant. We did not make a reservation at The Breslin, although the restaurant accepts bookings using the Open Table reservation system. The Breslin serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner daily.

The Breslin is located in the Ace Hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (FYI: The Ace Hotel does not own The Breslin, however.) Besides The Breslin, the hotel also features on-site dining at the John Dory Oyster Bar; Chef April Bloomfield runs both restaurants. (She also operates Salvation Taco and the Spotted Pig in NYC.) The Breslin is named after the original hotel space that it occupies; it is not named after Jimmy Breslin, the Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist. You can enter The Breslin from the lobby of the Ace Hotel, as well as directly from West 29th Street (between Broadway and 5th Avenue).

The restaurant space is dark, with lots of wood (floors, tables, chairs, molding). The outdoor fall-themed décor for both The Breslin and John Dory was gorgeous! Inside, all manner of trinkets and knick-knacks with animal and hunting themes adorn the walls. Overhead lighting resembles that seen in my childhood church, lending a personal feel of nostalgia for me. The bar area is located towards the front of the restaurant, with dining at the rear on two floors. In the winter, The Breslin employs one of those thick curtains at its door, as well as a temporary vestibule outside to keep the indoor space nicely climate controlled. The street-level dining area contains a partially open kitchen, and additional seating is available on a second-floor mezzanine area.

We ordered a few beers, as well as a non-alcoholic cocktail that contained cucumber, celery, soda, lime, and bitters. The bartender muddled some of the ingredients in front us before pouring the drink over quality, perfectly shaped ice cubes and garnishing the glass with a cucumber slice. He told us that the restaurant/bar is often so busy that regrettably, he does not always have time to hand-craft the cocktails to order, so we were glad that we visited at a non-demanding time. The brunch menu for the restaurant is less interesting to us than the dinner menu. Dinner (and weekday lunch) features items like a terrine board, sausages, pork belly, Cornish hen, scotch eggs, and beef & Stilton pie that are not available during brunch time. Even more attractive are the large-format meals available during dinnertime for groups of 8+ people, such as the whole suckling pig dinner (or alternate meats such as duck, beef rib, fried chicken, and curry), served with appropriate sides and accompaniments. (Guests should reserve/pre-order the group meals in advance.) The various puddings available for dessert sound deliciously appealing.

The Breslin features a funky, casual atmosphere, and we plan to return someday for weekday lunch or dinner, or ideally, with a group of friends to partake in one of the large-scale meals.