With its Art Deco towers and irreproachable doormen, Central Park West can be daunting to the visitor. There’s a sort of hauteur about the avenue which keeps standards high, which is exactly what you happily find at Nougatine.
Located at Trump International Tower, Nougatine is the quieter sister to Jean-Georges, its more sumptuous sibling located right next door. In fact, following on the heels of the impeccably dressed maitre d’, it’s possible to pass through Nougatine and mistake the room for little more than a pleasing lobby lounge.
Ah, but to sit at the bar at Nougatine, and specifically after an evening at the Met or the New York City Ballet or the Philharmonic, is to feel as if you’ve penetrated one of the more elegant speakeasies still operating in Manhattan. So secluded – and yet right there for all to see. So private even in its openness. And so pleasantly filled with like-minded individuals seeking a classic cocktail, updated – and everyone on their best behavior and wearing something suitably luxe and comfortable.
Why not, then, have a bite to eat at the bar? The barman, the very model of discretion, sets a lovely table, and the barwoman knows how to shake a perfect ginger margarita. The bread is fresh and chewy, with butter that tastes as if it’s been flown in from France this very morning. S’il vous plait, monsieur, plus de beurre.
Who can resist: a winter root vegetable salad, with a side of grilled polenta, leaving just enough room for a praline bread pudding with poached cranberries and caramel gelato.
Three other couples dine at the bar, while all around this warm enclave, there’s the murmur of civilized conversation. Outside, Central Park’s lights shimmer in the frosty night. A sanctuary in the city, Nougatine is a Manhattan confection.
LINK: Nougatine
