The plush Library at the Nomad Hotel.
Recently I stayed at the NoMad Hotel in NYC and after a morning luxuriating in Frette Sheets, my daughter and I ordered the grandest room service breakfast I’ve ever had. This is taking into account well over one hundred luxury hotels in over 60 countries, where breakfast in bed, like Eloise at the Plaza, is my favorite test for outstanding service.
The NoMad exceeded our expectations. And we are frequent diners at our local Westport deli, Gold’s, (Julius Gold started Newman’s Own with Paul years ago, and we are loyal.)
So the NoMad’s “bagel with a shmear” had a heaping serving of Nova, and savory New York bagels toasted to perfection. Justine, 20, is leaving for a study abroad program in Spain on Monday, so our stay at the NoMad was a last bit of bonding before she flies the nest. Justine caught the travel bug from her mom, whom she fondly calls “the hotel maven,” and agrees that room service is the ultimate indulgence and worth its weight in gold. (This one was $99 dollars, sans tip, and worth every penny.)
We dined the night before in the hotel’s restaurant and, as a reluctant vegetarian, I veered off course and ordered the signature dish – a roast chicken, infused with foi gras and loads of butter. (I sipped alka seltzer on the rocks before desert, but it was worth it.) The presentation was quite a feat. The waiter brought out the dish replete with thyme and rosemary displayed as the chicken’s tail. Since the serving was actually for two, I brought home the other half for my better half to enjoy the next night. The chicken was truly sublime – there is no other word for it. It melted in my mouth and I savored every bite.
Admiring the room’s leather headboard
As my husband is an architect of high-end homes both in the New York metro area and abroad, I invited him for lunch in my guest room during my first stay at The NoMad. David loved it. He ran his hand over the undulating wall, which hides the WC and shower, admiring the brocade in teal. And he pointed out the exquisite detailing on the leather headboard on the bed. As I was busy preparing for an event for the press at Eleven Madison, lunch was a bit hurried, since I had to run out to media train our Martin Miller’s Gin media spokesperson, Kathy Casey. It was still a bit of peace in the day that we relished.
Luckily, my new son-in-law’s office is right across the street from the NoMad. That way we can all meet up for drinks in the NoMad’s awesome library after work! And today marks the day that Justine landed her first Big Apple summer internship – at the Trade Desk, which happens to be where Jed plants his feet every day.
When duty calls and I’m spending time in the City that never sleeps, the NoMad is a place I am quickly starting to call my “home away from home.” The doorman, Tim, greets me by name. That’s one of my top criteria for a well-run hotel.