From the same team as the guys from Eleven Madison Park, which is probably the single most famous and acclaimed restaurant in all of NYC, comes the Nomad Bar, the more casual corollary to the also lauded Nomad Restaurant. Given this, it has a a lot to live up to. And it lives up to it beautifully. It’s more casual in the sense that it really is a bar first and an eatery second, though that absolutely does not mean they didn’t prioritize good quality food. But certainly it’s the place to go for a good, creative cocktail. The room is anchored by a large, lovely bar, with seats around it and plenty of other spots to congregate once you order your drink and find that the bar stools at the bar are all inevitably taken.
There are several booths and tables surrounding the bar at which to dine and also a second level atrium with a few more tables at which to eat or drink. Reservations cannot be made, which is not a problem, of course, if you are just drinking because there will always be somewhere to stand. But it could be a problem if you’re eating, because you’ll just have to wait for a table to open up, and there are not many of them. Somehow through a series of confusions and proactiveness, we were able to nab a great table at prime time for dinner.
The menu is short and it’s best described as an upscale bar menu. Several of the dishes are also influenced by the menu at the Nomad itself, but in more casual form. For instance, the Nomad’s famed chicken-for-two (with foie gras and black truffle) is reintroduced at the Nomad Bar as the more down-to-earth (but very elevated) chicken pot pie. As an appetizer to split, the most popular option is the Charcuterie Board with a selection of cheeses, toasted bread, pickled vegetables, and several spreads like stone ground mustard and olive jam.
But what’s really not to be missed are their burger options – you are technically at a bar after all, and what could say bar food better than a burger? Well, perhaps chicken wings, but the Nomad Bar has rightfully drawn a line well above that. They have three burger options: beef, chicken, and veggie.
The first is a dry-aged beef burger with cheddar, red onion, and special sauce (yes, the same special sauce that is always called special sauce). The chicken burger comes with foie gras, crispy skin, and black truffle mayo. And the veggie burger consists of a patty made with lentils, cremini mushrooms, and quinoa, and is served with a piquillo aioli. The three burgers are served on a cheddar chive bun, but in keeping with their exemplary service, they are highly flexible and are happy to provide other options, including a gluten free bun, and even white or wheat toast.
We tried the beef and veggie burgers, and I took them up on swapping out the bun for toast and boy was it a fantastic move. The bread was thick cut, hearty, and super seeded. And the burgers themselves were amazing. The beef was so flavorful and moist and the veggie burger was as tasty as a veggie burger could ever be – flavor explosion in the best way. Though incredibly delicious, the veggie burger seemed as though it had taken a salt bath, and when I pointed this out to the server, he immediately offered to have the kitchen make a new one. Turns out that they generally add salt not only while making the patty itself, but also to the top and bottom of the patty while searing it. When it was remade, they added no extra salt to the top or bottom and served it with just the salt in the patty itself, which was perfect. Once the overpowering salt flavor was removed, the veggie burger was able to shine bright. One of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever tried and I doubt there are many meat eaters who wouldn’t love it. It had a texture surprisingly similar to meat and though the beef burger was delicious, the veggie burger was even more flavorful than the beef burger.
Now it is undeniable that the burgers are somewhat comically-sized. We did wonder if maybe they were under the impression we wanted a sample of a burger instead of an actual burger itself. But hey, you know, it’s fancy and what not.
And to end your meal (or if you want to skip the meal and cut straight to the chase), you’ve got to try one of their amazing desserts. The most popular option is the Cookies & Cream, which consists of balls of vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate cookie crumbs. It’s charming, whimsical, and delicious.
When our check came, we were informed that the veggie burger would be on the house as a result of the incredible inconvenience. We were shocked! And what inconvenience were they referring to? I’m sure many people preferred the veggie burger exactly as they made it the first time, with the additional salt, and I was the exception asking for it to be reduced. And they remade it immediately, without any trouble, so there was really no reason for it to have been excluded from the bill. Eventually, their insistence to remove it from the bill proved more emphatic than our insistence to pay, an extremely gracious gesture that shows the real quality of the place.
The Nomad Bar is a class act with good quality everything. The decor is lovely, the food delicious, the drinks creative, and the service top-notch. If you’re not inclined to try the Nomad Restaurant for whatever reason, then this is a perfect choice. You are guaranteed a great quality experience.
