Q & A with Chef Daniel Humm

Q. Please tell us about the experience you’re creating at The NoMad Hotel?

A. The NoMad is neither a rustic restaurant, nor is it a fine dining one. Instead, it takes elements from both of these -- a focus on individual ingredients in simpler preparations, plates made by a local ceramicist, wooden tables without tablecloths, a private champagne bottling from Billecart-Salmon, and custom dessert trolleys, to name a few.

But amongst all of the tangibles are the intangibles as well, and at the core of the NoMad is a loose and easy-going sensibility that goes hand-in-hand with a keen attention to the details of good service and genuine hospitality. The combination of all of these elements, of the rustic with the refined, of the casual with the deliberate, yields a truly unique dining experience, one that takes what people love about eating at home with what they love about eating out.

Q. Are there dishes you highly recommend people try?

A. The chicken! We do a whole-roasted chicken for two that is stuffed with foie gras and truffles and brioche. It’s just one of those dishes that you have to have.

Q. Eleven Madison Park has been recommended to Find. Eat. Drink. by everyone from Michelin-starred chefs to Master Sommeliers to brewmasters, what do you think it is that appeals to so many people?

A. At Eleven Madison Park we take a similar approach to dining experiences that a tailor takes to made to measure suits. We customize menus and dishes to each of our guests based on not only their allergies and dietary restrictions but also on what a guest feels or doesn’t feel like eating on a given day. In our menu format, we offer the surprise of a tasting menu and give the kitchen the autonomy of being incredibly creative with the most seasonal ingredients. This dialogue between the kitchen and our guests lets both parties have a pronounced voice, neither one dominating the conversation.

Chef’s 6 Things | New York City

Find | Shops & Markets

Lower East Side | Russ & Daughters

I love the places on the Lower East Side that have been here for so many generations. In particular, I love Russ & Daughters for their smoked fish.

Lower East Side | Katz’s Deli

For their pastrami. They transport me back to what I imagine old New York to be like.

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Eat | Restaurants

Prospect Heights | Franny’s

I love it -- it’s the place where I go with my family on the weekends for excellent pizza and salumi. It is very much a neighborhood spot that is very low key and has a very focused, minimalist menu. The few things that they do, though, they do right.

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Nolita | Torrisi Italian Specialties

I would take a visiting chef to Torrisi Italian Specialties in Nolita—I love their take on Italian American cuisine. They do a spectacular tasting menu that combines the charm of classic Italian American dishes with the polish of modern New York food. The setting is very familial, almost as though you’re in somebody’s home. It’s small, intimate, and just delicious. Simple but inventive, classic but new.

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Drink | Cocktails

East Village | PDT

I love that New York has so many amazing cocktail bars. My favorite, though, is PDT. They make spectacular cocktails, but they also have great hot dogs that are great late at night with a Manhattan.

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Drink | Juice

Juice Press

I love juices, especially the green ones at the Juice Press on the Lower East Side.

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Details

Details of Daniel Humm’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in New York City.

Recipes

- Strawberry Gazpacho

City Guides

- New York | Manhattan: Download

- New York | Brooklyn: Download