The NoMad

Stepping into the NoMad is like time travel to the Gilded Age. The sumptuous, five-room restaurant occupying the ground floor of a new hotel of the same name is the sort of place where Edith Wharton and Henry James would quietly sup. The glass-enclosed Atrium is fashioned like a European courtyard and the Library looks straight out of Dublin, with a spiral staircase and mezzanine catwalk lending access to floor-to-ceiling books. From breakfast through teatime, it's the place for a light repast. As for dining, it's all about Daniel Humm (also the chef at Eleven Madison Park). The menu reflects his Swiss background as well as time spent in San Francisco and New York: salmon rillettes with sorrel and crème fraîche, roasted lobster with potato chips, whole-roasted chicken for two with brioche, foie gras and black truffle stuffing. The cocktail, wine and beer program is outstanding. Despite the elegant trappings, it's more fashiony than fussy.