I'm an Upper East Side girl--I've got my favorite place for cappucino, great shops for killer shoes and a list of go-to restaurants for fun night out, but that doesn't mean I don't like to hit a downtown hot spot now and then. I recently met friends for drinks in NoMad (short for North of Madison Square Park) a little slice of recently revitalized real estate between the Flatiron District and Times Square at the stylish NoMad Hotel.
Occupying a 1903 Beaux-Arts building, the NoMad's romantic, luxurious interiors were the work on French architect Jacques Garcia. Garcia, architect of the chic Hotel Costes in Paris, created the hotel's bohemian, old-world vibe with an impressive selection of antiques from his native France and rich, opulent fabrics and furnishings.
Drinks at the hotel's stylish Library Bar was our destination. It's an imposing space housing a fully curated, two-story library designed to resemble the dark-paneled reading room of a well-read, well-heeled gentleman. The spiral staircase imported from the South of France is a stunning addition to the space.
Drinks are served at a grand 24-foot polished mahogany counter flanked by two gilded elephant statues; very old-world, very posh. The bar scene is lively and can get very crowded so we got there on the early side and at the suggestion of our knowledgeable bartender, tried the Satan's Circus, a drink named with a nod to local lore; religious reformists gave the area the name Satan's Circus in the late 19th century. A fiery cocktail made with rye whiskey, chili-infused aperol, Cheery Heering and lemon, it was sophisticated, delicious and slightly addictive, just like the NoMad Hotel.
The NoMad Hotel, 1170 Broadway (28th Street); (347) 472-5660; thenomadhotel.com.
