Norma's - A Place to Indulge All Your Breakfast Fantasies
Jun 30 '01 (Updated Jul 02 '01)
The Bottom Line An elegant, all-day breakfast place which specializes in innovative brunch fare. The best (and most extensive) brunch menu in the city.
The most popular brunch places in Manhattan tend to be those restaurants that make you feel like you are somewhere else - maybe a Vermont farmhouse or a small-town diner or a French sidewalk café. The frenetic pace of the city can be a little overwhelming first thing in the morning, even for New Yorkers. Perhaps that’s why a table at Norma’s has never been in as much demand as a table at Sarabeth’s or the Popover Café.
Norma’s epitomizes big city sophistication, but in a good way. The decor is elegant and sleek, almost a cross between a cruise ship and a spaceship if you can picture that. The dining room is an interesting combination of rich mahogany wood, neutral leathery wall coverings, matte silver accents and porthole-shaped lighting. The tables are without tablecloths. The chairs are without chair pads. The furniture conveys a retro-artsy feel. On each table is a Nambé bud vase with one single perfect tulip, and a matching pair of Nambé “kissing” salt and pepper shakers. The interior design of the restaurant is the complete opposite of what you might expect from an all-day breakfast joint called Norma’s. Oh, and the fact that the restaurant is located inside the Parker Meridien, a hotel graced with sumptuous marble Italianite pillars and arches, makes Norma’s even more of a contradiction.
I like Norma’s precisely because it is surprising, not just in its style and decor, but also in its food. Norma’s takes traditional breakfast fare and adds all sorts of creative, whimsical touches. Take French toast for example. Most people think of French toast as a sweet breakfast dish, accompanied by fresh fruit and real maple syrup, if you’re lucky. The chefs at Norma’s have invented Super Cheesy French Toast with Applewood Smoked Bacon ($14) and Foie Gras Brioche French Toast with Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms ($22). Same thing with pancakes. The homemade apple sauce served with Papa’s Potato Pancakes ($13) is delicious!
Norma’s selections are incredibly vast and varied. I have probably brought my entire family and most of my friends to Norma’s at one point or another, and everyone has always been able to find something that appealed to his or her palate.
For the brunch purists: Brunch purists don’t like the newfangled, fanciful dishes that are popping up on menus all over town. Who ever heard of Foie Gras French Toast!, they would exclaim. Brunch purists are traditionalists, and they want uncorrupted brunch fare. To satisfy this crowd, Norma’s offers a first-rate Eggs Benedict ($14), Belgian Waffle (with fresh berries and Devonshire Cream) and Cheese Omelette ($13) (actually it’s a Melted, Gooey, Four Cheese Omelette). Although these dishes are not among the restaurant’s more interesting items, they are, like most everything else, expertly prepared. The Eggs Benedict is a textbook example of the dish. The Belgian Waffle has a tempting, crunchy, golden surface, and the Cheese Omelette is fluffy and virtually greaseless.
For the Speedos-sporting health nuts: Norma’s has a Light and Healthy Egg White Primavera Omelette ($17), an Egg White Frittata (with shrimp, roma tomatoes and spinach) ($17) and a variety of fruit, cereal and oatmeal selections. I must admit that I have never tried the Egg White Omelette. Any dish that has the label “healthy” attached to it scares me a bit although I do like the taste of egg whites. My mom, who prides herself on her nutritionist training, ordered the Egg White Frittata the last time I brought her to Norma’s and enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was good, but not as good as some of the other items that I mention in this review. I’ve tried the Red Berry Risotto “Oatmeal” ($10), but I wouldn’t recommend it. The oatmeal had a gloppy, glue-like texture and the sour berries did nothing to enhance the taste. The Fruit Plate ($9), on the other hand, is fantastic - so good it could almost be a dessert substitute.
For the sweet-toothed hedonists: Norma’s shamelessly seduces this group with its Light and Lemony Griddle Cakes ($14), Cinnamon-Pecan Brioche ($6) and Caramelized Chocolate Banana Waffle Napoleon ($14). Dessert for breakfast - what a lovely concept! The Griddle Cakes are one of my favorite things on the menu - the faint scent of lemons combined with slightly tangy berries and crispy crepe strings. The Cinnamon-Pecan Brioche is one of my regular sides - thick, eggy pieces of brioche, sliced like toast, studded with pecans and golden raisins, and served warm with banana brown sugar butter. Norma’s use to serve a super-chocolatey French Toast, but I think they swapped it with the Chocolate Banana Waffle Napoleon, which I will have to try next time.
For the down-home country boys: Norma’s offers an array of hearty dishes like Chicken Pop-Pie ($18), Alabama Buttermilk Biscuits served with Chicken and Wild Mushroom Gravy ($17) and Cheesy Macaroni served with Chunks of Lobster ($18). The Alabama Biscuits is probably Mr. Epicure’s favorite dish. Mr Epicure did spend part of his formative years in the South, so he can’t quite get biscuits and gravy and grits out of his blood. Norma’s biscuits are flaky and buttery, surrounded by a pool of chunky gravy. The savory pop-pie (that’s right, it’s called “pop-pie”) has a classic chicken and vegetable filling but a much lighter pastry crust. The Cheesy Macaroni - ugh! I groan just thinking about it. This is one dish where Norma’s exercise in excess becomes a little frightening. I can just imagine the macaroni pieces, floundering in the orange goop, screaming for help.
For the café-addicted Francophiles: Norma’s introduces Mr. Croque’s Open-Faced Smoked Ham Sandwich ($17), and a trio of crepes - Nutella Fruit-Filled Crepes ($15), Mango-Papaya Brown Butter Cinnamon Crepes ($14) and Granny Smith Apple and Red Pear Crepes ($12). Norma’s succeeds admirably in creating its own version of the French classic croque monsieur. Made with Brie instead of the more traditional Gruyere cheese, Mr. Croque’s Sandwich might have been too rich if not for the inclusion of sliced apples. I have only sampled one of the three crepes - the apple and pear crepe, which did not make much of an impression on me.
For Those Who Scoff at Brunch: Yes, they are a strange breed, I know, but there are actually people who oppose brunch as a matter of principle. They believe in eating “real food” if they are going to dine-out, and view brunch fare as too simple to be worth the trouble or the money. Well, Norma’s also features a few, more “serious” dishes, which one would more likely associate with lunch or dinner such as its Flat-As-A-Pancake Crabcake ($17), Cast Iron Seared New York Steak and Farm Fresh Eggs ($23) and Rare Seared Ahi Tuna with Crunchy Asian Vegetable Slaw ($17). As someone who has been known to eat breakfast food for dinner, I don’t understand why anyone would bypass Norma’s brunchy dishes for the above-mentioned selections. Of the three, I have only ordered the crabcake - crabmeat being a particular weakness of mine. While the texture of the crabcake is wonderful, and the crabmeat did taste very fresh, the Habanero peppers in the crabcake really overpower the other flavors. Perhaps someone who enjoys spicy foods to a greater extent than I do would appreciate this dish more.
Service at Norma’s is very polished and professional. The servers glide silently from table to table, speaking in dulcet, soothing tones. They happily provide recommendations when asked. Their recommendations usually parallel the recommendations on the menu, which are highlighted in orange. Those are the restaurant’s recommendations. Most of the ones that I’ve tried, like the Lemony Griddle Cakes and Mr. Croque’s Sandwich have been excellent. The portions at Norma’s are extremely generous. If you and your companions are not big eaters, two people could easily share a main dish. No one walks away from Norma’s hungry.
The major gripe that I have with Norma’s concerns their orange juice. Norma’s charges seven dollars for their orange juice. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s fresh-squeezed, but for god’s sake, it’s orange juice - a simple beverage that anyone can make. I never complain about paying a premium for dishes that require skill and creativity - cooking is, after all, an art form. But for orange juice? I don't think so. You can take those six dollar Krispy Kreme donuts back too. The French press coffee ($4) is admittedly very good though. I usually don’t even like the taste of coffee, but I like Norma’s coffee.
I also like the extras that Norma’s provides - a small tasting cylinder of their daily fruit smoothie at the beginning of the meal, and a small paper bag of dried orange slices at the end of the meal.
By the way, if you think I have included a lot of dishes in my review, then you better brace yourself before you take a look at Norma’s menu because I have mentioned only about a third of Norma’s extensive offerings. Norma’s menu is by far the most impressive brunch menu in a city where indulgence is the name of the game.
Address: 118 West 57th Street, New York, NY (inside the Parker Meridien hotel)
Telephone: 212-708-7460
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Reservations: Recommended but frequently not necessary.
Attire: Casual
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Epinions.com ID:
Epicure
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 100 members
About Me:
I generally avoid temptation....unless I can't resist it.
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