Norma's
Top Pick, New
American
|
|
Midtown West
118
W. 56th St.
(Between Sixth and Seventh Aves.)
New York, NY
(212) 708-7444
|
|
| Breakfast is the poor
neglected stepchild of New York dining, often paid
sanctimonious lip service for its nutritional importance, or
given false airs as a "power breakfast," which has everything
to do with power and nothing to do with breakfast. In the end,
it is ignored and sometimes even abused, reduced to a cup of
coffee sipped through a torn plastic top. But breakfast has
its Cinderella moment at Norma's, a bright and smart dining
room in the Parker Meridien Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where
the specialty is breakfast and nothing but.
The breakfasts, in fact, are more fairy tale than real at
Norma's, where the 15 griddle selections include superbly
light, lemon flavored pancakes, dense blueberry pancakes with
Devonshire cream and brioche French toast that actually tastes
like brioche.
I haven't tried the foie gras French toast — I was about to
say it was too rich for my morning meal until I remembered how
much I liked the duck confit hash, served in a football-shape
iron skillet. The menu also includes more than a dozen egg
dishes, fruits and cereals, sandwiches and even a bacon
cheeseburger with fries, definitely too rich for me.
Welcome small touches include real maple syrup, free
refills of fresh-squeezed orange juice and excellent coffee.
Norma's attracts a largely European crowd, courtesy of the
Parker Meridien. One morning I noticed several tables of
Italian executives tucking unabashedly into heaping plates of
eggs and pancakes. No dry-toast power breakfast for them, but
perhaps expense accounts: Norma's breakfasts are not cheap. --
Eric Asimov
From "Diner's Journal," The Times, 6/28/02.
Meals:
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch
Alcohol Served:
Full bar
Price: $$ Moderate
Features: No Smoking
Accepted
Payment: MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express
|
.gif){kind=spacer}
