This was the first stop on the farewell NYC tour. Certainly one of my favorites and one of the places I miss the most.
crudite
snow pea chiffonade with pancetta, pecorino & mint
beef tartare, horseradish & cornichons
dry-aged beef burger, cheddar, red onion & special sauce
Hmmm dog, bacon-wrapped with black truffle & celery
I certainly couldn’t eat this meal too frequently but this Sunday dinner series at the Nomad Bar was delicious. All excellent versions of classic dishes. The mammoth chicken parm was maybe the best I have ever had and was just as good the next day.
Nomad Bar
Of course there had to be pre-dinner snacks at Nomad Bar. For once I exhibited a bit of willpower and did not have the hotdog so I could chalk this up as a success or a failure.
Beef and tuna tartares
Olmsted
I followed Olmsted pre-opening as I tend to do every time a chef who has spent time at Alinea opens their own place. A very solid market driven menu and I assume that by now the menu has changed several times over. My favorites were the fried fiddleheads and the snap pea sushi (and no I have never met a pea dish that I didn’t love). If I had one small complaint it would be the 5 pieces of the pretzel puffs for a party of 3. I understand if the serving cannot be adjusted based on the amount of food prepped but if possible I wish we could have the option of paying more to even out the serving size when dishes are pretty much impossible to split up. Well that and that I never saw the awesome Santimetre studio glasses that Chef Achatz had a day later, although other items were fantastic. I’m very much looking forward to a return visit and it takes a lot for me to go to certain neighborhoods. Congrats on all of the recent great press. Extremely well deserved!
Charcuterie Pretzel Puffs
Fried Fiddlehead Ferns
Snap Pea Sushi
Crawfish Boil Crackers
Thai Beet Salad
Grilled Hake, Rhubarb, Brown Butter, Bok Choy
Harbison “Fondue”
Old School Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla Creme Fraiche
Grand Army
I have been meaning to get to Grand Army since it opened and happy to now have another reason to get back to this part of Brooklyn.
Nomad Bar
It wouldn’t be my birthday month without at least one Humm dog would it?
Tuome
Very happy to put Tuome back on my radar after too many months. The dishes that I have had before (Egg and Pig Out) are still outstanding and the watermelon salad had me at farro.
Egg – deviled, crispy, chili
Watermelon – ricotta, farro, chrysanthemum
Tartare – wagu beef, three hour yolk, lemongrass
Snow crab – noodle, summer squash, dashi butter
Pig Out – berkshire pork, spicy peanut noodle
And of course another birthday dessert
ABC Kitchen
I must keep reminding myself to get back to some of my old favorites. This is one of my favorite dining rooms in NYC especially mid day. The food is always bright and just feels healthy. Well at least until the carrot cake but it was fantastic. 
Shaved raw fluke, crushed olives, dill, lemon and chilies 
Mushroom toast, pecorino, lemon and herbs 
Cured meats and local cheeses 
Roast carrot and avocado salad, crunchy seeds, sour cream and citrus 
Kale salad with lemon, Serrano chilies and mint 
Brown butter carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
The Nomad Bar
When I recently found myself here twice within 24 hours I started to wonder if I had a bit of a problem. But at some point you have to play favorites. On this day it was the perfect stop for pre-theatre drinks and snacks.
Clams baked with bacon, garlic & breadcrumbs
Crudite 
Estela
I finally have to admit that I disagree with just about everybody else and do not understand any of the hype around Estela. I’ve given it second chances but maybe was less impressed than previous visits. Maybe I have aged a few decades, but it was so dark that we had to use our iPhones to read the menu. And while it was maybe cute the first time, I just don’t get why every dish is camouflaged with a layer of something. When dishes are meant to be shared, the dish has to be almost completely disassembled to determine what is underneath and how to best split it. And in near darkness this is almost impossible. And while everything is very good I suppose I just don’t find anything on the menu to be that interesting. I hate to be in the minority, but I just don’t get it. Sorry!
Mussels escabeche on toast
Waldorf salad with yogurt and pistachios
Burrata with salsa verde and charred bread
Steak with spicy marmalade, potatoes, and taleggio
Ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and pecorino sardo
Ten Bells
We finished the night with new friends, quite a few bottles of amazing wine, and pizza after closing time (which of course always seems like a good idea at 3am!).
Of course back at the Nomad bar yet agai!. I may be becoming predictable in NYC. Fantastic as always and for once I exhibited some self control and didn’t have the hot dog for dessert.
Evil Twin Nomader Weisse served w/ traditional syrups
Bay scallops
Broccoli rabe salad with anchovy & Parmesan
Squash toast with ricotta, maitake & apple
Brussels sprouts roasted with smoked lentils & Parmesan
Burger
I know I can’t keep writing about the same places but this has quickly turned into one of my favorite spots. Perhaps because of the convenient location, perhaps because it’s hard to find this quality of food, drinks and service in one location in NYC. Or maybe it’s because I could eat the hot dog everyday (even though I have never had any previous interest in hot dogs).
I admit I do not get the fuss over the Canlis salad (on the menu for 2 weeks originating from Canlis in Seattle). It was tasty and perfectly executed and I can appreciate the nostalgia of a classic, but still……
Jungle Bird (not the reserve one!) and Forbidden Dance
Scotch olives – lamb sausage & sheep’s milk cheese
Tuna tartare – pine nuts, apple & mint
Hair Trigger – Venezuelan rum, fernet, ginger, lime, cucumber
The Shaman – pisco acholado, salers, pineapple, lemon, cinnamon, angostura
Canlis Salad – romaine, bacon, mint, oregano & Romano cheese, dressed with lemon, olive oil & coddled egg
Bay scallops – marinated with yuzu & pistachio
Burger – dry aged with cheddar, red onion & pickles
Charlie Watts – aged rhum agricole, Guyanese rum, Batavia arrack, black pepper, apricot, lemon, pineapple
iwillmakeualist 