Sunday was another beautiful day. We had a brunch reservation at noon at the NoMad Hotel in the Flatiron District, and had intended to walk part way and taxi the rest. But we were forced to jettison our taxi and make our way around New York City's annual Gay Pride Parade, an exhilarating diversion.
We'd had dinner twice at Daniel Humm's stylish restaurant in the NoMad; this was our first time for brunch. We were seated in the ornate glass-ceiling atrium, and instead of ordering one of the inventive "Bloodys" from the brunch menu, we ordered a mezcal based cocktail we'd enjoyed on our previous visits.
Reposado highlands tequila, amontillado sherry, apricot liqueur, mezcal, lemon
Reposado highlands tequila, amontillado sherry, apricot liqueur, mezcal, lemon The menu was composed of standard brunch offerings with Daniel Humm twists. We shared the Benedict and the Chicken Sandwich.
Benedict crab, tarragon & hollandaise
Chicken Sandwich brioche, black truffle & foie gras The crab was a nice addition to the standard Eggs Benedict formula. The rich hollandaise was yummy; the entire dish was excellent. Daniel Humm's roasted chicken for two is the star of his dinner menu, and his chicken sandwich took center stage at brunch. Served on a buttery braided challah-like brioche, the tender chicken smothered in black truffles and foie gras was delicious. We devoured it. We will return to the NoMad for brunch and for Daniel Humm's chicken sandwich. From the NoMad we walked to the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd where we had tickets to the matinee and final performance of of Long Day's Journey Into Night.
Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical masterpiece ran three hours and forty-five minutes, with one intermission. It was wonderful. Jessica Lange's Tony Award winning performance as Mary Tyrone stole the show; she was much better than Vanessa Redgrave, who we'd seen in 2003. Gabriel Byrne, as James Tyrone, and Michael Shannon, as Jamie, were also excellent. Unfortunately, John Gallagher, Jr., who we loved in the HBO series Newsroom, couldn't keep up. His Edmund lacked intensity and sophistication. These days, whether in New York or St. Louis, theatre performances uniformly get standing ovations, deserved or not. A handful of audience members near the front stand, and others grudgingly follow their lead. As the curtain came down on Mary Tyrone's final words in Long Day's Journey, the audience thunderously rose in unison. Our Sunday evening dinner reservation was at Ignacio Mattos Estela, an intimate space on East Houston Street that once housed John Zorn's Knitting Factory.
Before opening Estela in 2013, the Uruguayan born Mattos was mentored by South American grilling master Francis Mallman and by Slow Food legend Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. His Mediterranean inspired small-plate menu offered unique dishes. After ordering our own unique mezcal-caipirinha cocktails, we ordered five small-plates to share. Unlike other small-plate restaurants, where dishes come out as they're prepared, often stepping on each other and flooding the table, Estela sequences them one at a time a much better pace to explore and enjoy the intricacies of each dish. First out was the beef tartare, served with thick slices of toasted wheat bread. Fried sunchoke chips were folded into the raw meat, giving it a nice crunch. We consumed every bite of the perfectly spiced beef, sans bread. It was delicious.
Beef tartare with sunchoke Next out were the mussels. Four plump crustaceans were lightly pickled and served on top char-grilled bread with cilantro jus. They were light, refreshing and left us wanting more. We soaked up the yummy cilantro with the uneaten bread from our tartare.
Mussels escabeche on toast Next was the burrata, which sat like whipped cream on charred bread. Soaking into the bread and pooling around it was a green liquid pressed from lovage, sorrel, celery and other foliage. It was a generous portion; it all disappeared.
Burrata with salsa verde and charred bread The ricotta dumplings were out next, swimming in a mushroom and leek broth, and covered with discs of pecorino sardo. The dumplings were incredibly light and delicious; we fought for the last one and slurped up the broth with our spoons.
Ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and pecorino sardo Last out were the lamb ribs. Spicy pesto-like charmoula and sticky honey coated the decadently fatty lamb, which fell off the bone. An outstanding dish; Francis Mallman couldn't have done better.
Lamb ribs with charmoula and honey Estela was sensational from start to finish. There were many more dishes on the menu to sample. We'll return to do so. Copyright © 2016 TwoForTheTable.com |
