In LA, everyone’s a carpetbagger — born in a faraway land, venturing West for fame, fortune and outrageous tanning. Why should our bastions of leisure, like Downtown’s NoMad Hotel, be any different? The NoMad looks like another hoity-toity New Yorker who’s decided to give LA a try, but this East Coaster has game. The hotel restaurant is the love child of superstar chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara. Humm and Guidara’s other famed project is Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, which happens to have been named the World’s Best Restaurant back in 2017. The NoMad is housed in a renovated 1920’s bank: venture downstairs to discover the former vault, whether or not you need to use the bathroom. Given the pedigree and location, you would expect the NoMad restaurant to be a stuffy affair. But you’d be wrong. The sunlight-filled interior feels more like a velvety lounge than a fine-dining establishment. You’ll recline on plush, richly hued velour sofas and chairs so comfortable that post-meal napping will be hard to resist. Menu highlights include a bright green fava bean hummus, kanpachi ceviche, a wonderful milk & honey dessert, as well as the most famous roast chicken in America. At brunch, options include lemon-poppy pancakes with a cloud of whipped ricotta on top, eggs Benedict, and chocolate or baklava croissants. A ride on the ancient elevators will take you to the rooftop, where most of the menu is also available. Soak in the California sun and pretend you’re pampered movie star. Just don’t tell anyone from New York about it, or they’ll move out here too.
Style: Fine dining
Address: 649 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014 (Downtown)
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 7AM-9:30PM, Friday-Saturday 7AM-10PM
Price: Small plates $9-19, entrees $17-98
Menu: thenomadhotel.com
Reservations: (213) 358-0000 or OpenTable
This review was written by In The Loup contributor Steve Dones