Having made its mark on casual gourmet hotel dining in Seattle and Portland, this boho hotel chain saves its best debut for NYC. The Ace Hotel isn't new but its 1-Star Michelin award for The Breslin at its New York restaurant is. The granola-meets-rocker Ace Hotel chain that started in the Pacific Northwest and spread eastward last year has been on a roll with its uber-hip bar scene, outpost of Opening Ceremony boutique and Spotted Pig redux known as The Breslin by chef restaurateur Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield. Visitors and business travelers unfamiliar with Ace Hotels shouldn't come expecting Per Se, instead a purposely retro restaurant mixes original hardwood floors and dark wood paneling with exposed concrete ceiling and industrial fixtures that play-up the bohemian vibe in space that wouldn't look out of place in a working class London borough.
The Food
Open from breakfast through dinner, dining at The Breslin is serious gourmet business with morning breakfasts of poached eggs with curried lentils, skirt steak and eggs or just your everyday grilled 3-cheese sandwich with fried egg. Lunches of 3-baked cheese sandwich with corn soup, lamb burger with thrice-fried fries and grilled tongue sandwich will likely have you returning to the office with over-satiated palette and fragrant breath. Dinner mimic the lunch menu but with additional appetizers like blood sausage with crispy duck egg, oxtail with pumpkin fritto or private chef’s feast with suckling pig.
Last Word
Don’t judge this hotel eatery by the creators of the Spotter Pig by its rustic pub styling and quirky décor, The Breslin is a foodie destination for all-day dining that just happens to be within a hotel. Just make sure you like meat.
