NoMad Bar
Peter Piper – Pineapple, Black Pepper, Passion Fruit, Lime, White Balsamic
Gingered-Ale – Ginger, Lime, Demerara, Sparkling Mineral Water
Salmon Rillettes, Fines Herbes, Lemon, Toasted Bread
Black Truffle Tart, Parmesan Cheese, Crème Fraiche, Mascarpone Cheese
Dry-Aged Beef Burger, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Onion Relish, Special Sauce, Sesame Seed Bun, House Pickles
Fried Chicken, Chili Lime Yogurt
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog, Black Truffle Mayo, Celery Relish, Pickled Mustard Seed, Griddled Brioche Bun
NoMad Restaurant
Gruyere Cheese Popover, Salted Butter
Foie Gras Torchon, Cherries, Miso Mustard, Brioche
Nomad’s Roast Chicken, Foie Gras Black Truffle Brioche Stuffing, Dark Meat Fricasse
Summer Bean Salad, Mustard-Brown Butter Vinaigrette
Creamed Corn, Mascarpone Cheese, Thyme
Baked Potato “Dumont”, Black Truffles, Gruyere Cheese
Milk & Honey, Honey-Oat Shortbread, Brittle, Ice Cream
Carrot Cake, Walnuts, Raisins, Pineapple Sherbet
Cherry Variations, Japanese Cheese Cake, Cream Cheese, Lime, Graham Cracker Crumble
Although The Strip remains a destination for top Toques both foreign and domestic Las Vegas’ local dining scene has grown tremendously over the past five years, so when former “World’s Best Restaurant” Chef Daniel Humm and partner Will Guidara decided to bring their NoMad brand from Manhattan to Park MGM a rush to visit was resisted, instead giving the Restaurant and Bar a chance to develop their own unique identity.
Now eight months into the endeavor, NoMad Restaurant closed on Sunday and Monday while the Bar has eliminated Breakfast in favor of weekend-only Brunch, it was beginning with 5:45pm reservations at the latter that two guests were seated, floor-to-ceiling windows bathing tables as well as couches with light while staff patrolled the well-appointed room with pleasant professionalism.
Surely an expensive project, and subject to MGM Resorts International’s frustrating policy of not listing prices online, it was with Water poured that menus inaccurate to both Park MGM and NoMad websites were reviewed, a well-mannered server happy to offer recommendations inclusive of accurate portion sizes while bearing in mind a 7:00pm seating at the Restaurant across the hall.
Eventually settling on three plates to start, staff’s promise that the kitchen moves quickly proving true with Rilettes on the table in less than five minutes, fans of Dill will be more than happy with the creamy and smoky spread while a $26 Flatbread topped liberally with Summer Truffles was good but questionably priced, and likely better saved for Winter when Tuber melanosporum comes fresh from France.
Next presented with a Dry-Aged Beef Burger, not medium-rare as requested but nonetheless impressive (at approximately $3 per bite) thanks to a decadent grind and housemade Accoutrements, it was with plenty of time to spare that two more dishes were added, the boneless Chicken beautifully brined and battered next to tangy Dipping Sauce while NoMad’s signature “Humm Dog” justifies its $15 tab with snappy Sausage, a buttered Brioche Roll and Truffled Mayo that moves in harmony with Celery Relish and pickled Mustard.
Gifted a pair of Mocktails while passing time with conversation, Beverage Manager Christian Dinello later seen at NoMad Restaurant decanting Wine for a neighboring table, it was after settling the tab that a transition was made from Bar to Parlour to dining room, a looming library with low lighting that is undeniably breathtaking and easily one of Las Vegas’ most luxurious spaces.
Equal or better than the Bar in terms of geniality, Will Guidara’s Make It Nice ethos evident from podium to paying the check, it was after a quick description of artwork in the lobby that a curved leather booth was offered, posh cushioning and supple surface offering comfort for the next two hours that began promptly with complimentary Gruyere Cheese Popovers served with a ramekin of salted Butter.
Again sticking to signatures for the evening’s back-nine, a captain plus several servers and bussers making sure guests are never for want, it was perhaps twenty minutes after seating that Duck Liver marbled with Cherries arrived, flavors reminiscent of Eleven Madison Park 2008 rekindled by peerless technique and sweetness balanced cleverly with a brushstroke of lightly-salted Mustard Seeds.
Waiting another forty minutes for NoMad’s infamous Chicken, a dish $18 more expensive in 2019 than when first tasted seven years prior, fans and first-timers alike will be hard-pressed to name a more “Restaurant-worthy” piece of Poultry than this version perfumed by Truffles and Foie Gras, the fact that Legs and Thighs also arrive complete an added bonus while a Salad of Beans and Bitter Greens serves well in its role as a palate cleanser between bites.
Further impressed by Side Dishes, small in portion but far more fairly priced than those at Bavette’s or other Sin City Steakhouses, it was after devouring every bite of Creamy Corn and heavily truffled Potato that Dessert menus were presented, Milk & Honey still a standout nearly a decade after its invention thanks to the nostalgic remembrance of Honey Nut Cheerios while Carrot Cake and “Cherry” also both dabble in reconstruction with the former tangy more so than sweet and the latter a bit dry in terms of the Cake but otherwise enjoyable with no two bites the same.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (BAR), FOUR AND A HALF STARS (RESTAURANT): Fortunate to have experienced the food of Daniel Humm as far back as 2008, visits to Eleven Madison Park following each subsequent Michelin Star and attesting to improvement at any cost, it was finally this Wednesday that NoMad played host to celebratory dinner, both Bar and Restaurant shining with Will Guidara’s brand of hospitality while Food is predictably pricey but mostly justified and delicious.
RECOMMENDED: Salmon Rillettes, Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog, Gruyere Cheese Popover, Foie Gras Torchon, Nomad’s Roast Chicken, Baked Potato “Dumont”, Milk & Honey.
AVOID: The Black Truffle Tart should be saved for Winter and a better Burger can be enjoyed on property at Bavette’s for just $4 more, at twice the size with really good Fries included.
TIP: Online menus on both websites are inaccurate, as is the one posted near a Rose cart entering NoMad Hotel from Park MGM.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.thenomadhotel.com/las-vegas/dining or www.nomadlasvegas.mgmresorts.com
