One of the big stories in the restaurant biz this summer was that Eleven Madison Park was closing temporarily for renovations over the summer. While the guys behind it worked on a pop-up version in the Hamptons, they also opened up this fast casual joint in the NoMad area as well. It's quite different from the fancy pants feel of Eleven Madison - you order for the counter and can either take it out or sit at one of the tables in the restaurant. There's no waitstaff and no frills. The menu here is mostly salad bowls and sides but the main star of the show is the chicken frites which is only available after 5pm and on Saturdays. Neel and I opted for the chicken ($22), a side of broccoli and one of salad type dish that is escaping my mind. But we were mainly here for the chicken. We took it to the park and made a mini picnic out of it, complete with an illegal bottle of wine.
The chicken is a half roasted chicken served with lemon parmesan stuffing, herb fries and a side of pickled vegetables. So yes, essentially it's a rotisserie chicken. None the less, I was excited because it came from the guys of Eleven Madison park and maybe it would be some mind blowing chicken. Unfortunately it was not. It was a totally fine chicken and maybe it was because we were hunched over in the grass eating it that made it a bit of a less an ideal setting but this chicken didn't change my life. Maybe it's too high of a standard but for $22 for only 1/2 a chicken, I was expecting more. It is a totally decent chicken but I've had much juicier and more flavorful rotisserie chicken from Costco - that is not meant to be a disparaging remark, they actually have fucking amazing whole rotisserie chicken for less than $10. The fries were also fine although they were bit a on the skinny and soggy side for me. The side salads were also perfectly fine although also not particularly memorable. It was nice to sit in the park and eat something a bit more high brow than sandwiches, but it just all was a tad underwhelming.
All of that being said, I'm still glad I tried it out and some of the other items on the menu like the chicken rice, khao salad, and tuna nicoise made with seared tuna all sounded like things I might come back and try if I was in the neighborhood. It's definitely not the caliber I expected from the guys who created the #1 restaurant in NYC but I guess that is a really hard act to follow, especially when you're in the fast casual space. Total bill: $23.95/pp with tax and sodas
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