Crosby Street Hotel is becoming famous and feels famous inside. It is one of NYC’s leading hotels and seems to make every ‘best of’ list. With the inimitable casual but stylish design, the cool vibe and the delicious foodie destination restaurant, it has it all.
Perhaps I felt so at home because owners Tim and Kit Kemp (of Firmdale Hotels) are known for their London successes and they bring their British charm to Crosby Street Hotel, their first American venture. With 86 individually designed rooms perfectly exuding elegance and excellence and a unique sense of character throughout the hotel it is cosy but quirky hotel which I found instantly appealing.
Food is served on the ground floor in the all-day dining room. Brightly coloured with eclectic artwork surrounding you, it is a fun place to hang out. Here they offer breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as coffee, cocktails and afternoon tea, it is a location for any occasion. We enjoyed a relaxed few hours here, eating good food, drinking nice wine and catching up with old friends. The menu covers a variety of cuisines and even after much deliberation we found it tricky to select just a few dishes.
Our chatty waitress recommended a few, and we followed these suggestions, too tired from sightseeing to make our own choices! Squash soup with coconut cream and pumpkin seed oil was divine. With a complete lack of dairy, gluten and carbohydrates, this starter is the dieter’s dream! Yet despite the healthy ingredients this soup was creamy, silky smooth and full of fragrant flavour. Smoked eggplant (Aubergine for us English), artichokes, arugula and Parmigiano was a hit too, perfectly paired components that ensured every mouthful was delicious.
Lump crab meat, squid ink spaghetti with saffron bomba was an attractive and comforting main course, whilst Lamb chops with cumin-mint scented satsumas and soft herbs was an oriental inspired alternative for keen meat-eaters. The lamb was absolutely perfectly cooked to ensure it was juicy but with a crispy caramelised edge, spicy Satsuma provided an unusual kick.
We all knew immediately what we wanted for dessert… Mexican chocolate crème brulee churros with espresso foam and citrus was impossible to resist. In reality though I found the dish a little confused, with strong flavours that conflicted… my friends loved it though!
Crosby Street serves up a great meal for guests and newcomers to the hotel. Next time I’d love to wake up in a Crosby room too!