Food tripping (again) in NYC

THE AUTHOR at Southern Hospitality, with Nikki Renee Daniels, Jeff Kready and their baby Lena. Facebook/Jeff Kready

If there is one pleasure that I invariably find in New York besides watching Broadway shows, it’s food tripping. Every time I head to the city, I try new restaurants with friends. The cuisines differ, but the experience always leads to happiness and my clothing size going up a tick or two (but it’s so worth it).

Over the last few years, I’ve found amazing food in some great places.

NoMad

This casual dining restaurant at the NoMad Hotel on 28th and Broadway has the same chef as Eleven Madison, its fine-dining counterpart, and boasts an exquisite ambience. We went on the night of a thunderstorm and heavy rain pelted the glass ceiling above my seat.

Appetizers were a strawberry salad with cucumber, basil and goat cheese; and a slow-poached egg with toasted quinoa, asparagus and Parmesan cheese. For main course, there was a beautiful roasted chicken with black truffle, foie gras, white asparagus, brioche and a soft-poached egg. The meal was accompanied by Tanzen Dame Riesling. It was divine (thank goodness the wine was sweet). There was no room left for dessert.

This is a meal best enjoyed in the evening when one has a lot of time, as service tends to be on the slow side (perhaps intentionally; it’s not good to eat too fast). The rainstorm—one that had to be waited out—added to the ambience.

Viv Thai

This one was recommended by my Broadway little brother, Telly Leung, and his partner Jimmy Babcock. It was a quiet 4th of July with a cooler-than-normal breeze blowing. I was in the mood for good Thai food, so Telly said to meet them here, on 9th Avenue and 49th Street, at

6 p.m. Like a true theater professional, he arrived early, with Jimmy.

They waited for me at the bar, consuming fragrant cocktails. Once we had a table, we found some great possibilities on the menu: short ribs, fried tofu with chili sauce and spring rolls for appetizers; then some rich Massamun curry for the main course. We had fried bananas for dessert.

Highlight of the dinner, more than the hearty food, was the conversation. We caught up on each other and mutual friends; shows running, shows that closed, shows that might be coming in (including “Allegiance”). We parted ways at around 8, with plenty of daylight still. Telly and Jimmy were off to another catch-up session with another friend. I went straight home.

Norma’s

I received a lovely invitation for Sunday brunch, from my “Allegiance” director and great friend, Stafford Arima, to this restaurant at the Parker Meridien hotel on the west side. He had asked by e-mail what I was in the mood for. I wanted normal brunch fare—Eggs Benedict, fresh-squeezed orange juice, good coffee. We had all these, and much more.

Norma’s Eggs Benedict comes with mini buttermilk pancakes instead of English muffins (yummy!). We also ordered the lobster mac and cheese (it’s a heart attack waiting to happen, so it’s good that we shared it!), and Stafford had corned beef hash.

Stafford is one of the smartest people I know, and certainly one of the kindest. I have never heard a cross remark from him, not even under the most stressful circumstances. We enjoyed this long, beautiful meal together, at the end of which, we exchanged big bear hugs, knowing that our paths will cross again.

Southern Hospitality

Finally, I must make a special mention of Justin Timberlake’s 9th Avenue restaurant, Southern Hospitality, where I went with a charming family—Nikki Renee Daniels, Jeff Kready and their adorable daughter Lena. Nikki and Jeff are friends from “Les Miz,” which is where their courtship began. We enjoyed a catch-up dinner of barbecue, cheese grits, mac and cheese, and a very, very tall frozen strawberry margarita.

Lena was the centerpiece of this meeting, as it was the first time I was meeting her. Such a sweet little girl! Her parents report that, at just over a year old, Lena is already matching pitch. Both parents are ridiculously talented Broadway performers—she plays Nabulungi in “Book of Mormon,” and he’s Tom Cooper in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”

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With New York constantly changing, I wonder what the next food trip will bring.