Some restaurants are just more fun than others.
It’s hard to say exactly why that is, but I’m often asked, “What’s a fun restaurant to go out to in the city?” Now, I can definitely add Nomé to that list.
Nomé is a Nikkei restaurant but it’s not quite limited to the traditional definition. Nikkei cuisine is the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food that began just over 100 years ago when Japanese immigrants imparted some of their techniques on the local cuisine in the Peruvian capital of Lima. But at Nomé, Chef Santiago Chiuz (who hails from Honduras) told me that he uses that framework to fuse together many Central and South American cuisines with those in East Asia.
When I was invited to Nomé, I first admired the atmosphere of the place. It was elegant, yet not too fancy, while also being both inviting and cozy. It occurred to me that Nomé would be a pretty good spot for many types of people, and that part of the draw might be that it’s the only upscale restaurant in that part of Manhattan. I witnessed a birthday party with a surprise costumed guest while also seeing a few people come in alone after 10 p.m. and order an appetizer and a drink at the bar.
The bartenders were vigorously shaking drinks as a kind of show (put that on the “fun” list) and the list of cocktails offered was quite extensive. That said, some of the drinks may have looked even more impressive than the bartenders did making them.
Back to the appetizers, you can’t walk into Nomé and not order the Tri Color Ceviche. Likely the first dish that everybody hears about when discussing Nikkei cuisine is ceviche. The three colors in this version are provided by slices of tuna, salmon and corvina, and the leche de tigre (a mixture of citrus juice and seasonings) is made with blood oranges. First of all, the blood orange is an inspired choice as you can really taste that distinct combination of bite and sweetness. An underrated part of the dish are the plantain chips that make for great crackers to put the fish atop.
Speaking of fish, it might seem pricey, but try to figure out a way to order the Crispy Red Snapper. It’s on the appetizer menu labeled “shareable for 3-4 people” and that’s certainly one way to do it. Honestly, if you really like fish, there’s no reason that two people couldn’t have this as their only app. And it might seem unconventional, but if this really seems up your alley, just order this for yourself as your entrée.
The fish comes to your table with a unique presentation. It has already had all the filets stripped, cut into chunks and fried tempura style using a beer batter
made from a craft beer. The carcass has been deep fried for display purposes (though you can eat parts of it if you don’t mind the bones) and it is served with the chunks of fish, a pile of shredded pickled vegetables, and plantain chips along with both tartar sauce and a yellow aji sauce. I’d recommend dragging the fish through the aji and eating the pickled veggie slaw with the plantain chips. Though made with the famous spicy peppers, the aji sauce is actually rather mild while keeping the signature flavor. The slaw is so perfectly sharp that you’ll eat all of it, even if you run out of the crunchy plantains.
Another appetizer that features that fabulous aji sauce is the Beef Bao Buns. Though they are making their way onto more menus recently, these bao buns are different than the usual as they are filled with lomo saltado, a famous Nikkei dish. A stir fry usually consisting of beef, tomatoes, onions and potatoes, the lomo saltado in this case substitutes the bao for the potatoes (or rice).Combine that with the aji sauce that comes with the buns and you have most of the flavors that make up a full on lomo saltado without the restaurant making anything that will burn the taste buds out of the average Ashkenazi Jew’s mouth.
If spicy is what you’re looking for, I’d suggest you order Nomé’s most popular dish, the Bang Bang Chicken. The two “bangs” are the duo of spicy drizzles that the chicken is topped with. The first is a hot honey, giving it a little sweetness so that the dish isn’t all spice. The second is a spicy mayo which gives you the slight cooling from its creaminess alongside the heat. Needless to say, these are some great bites. There’s a reason they are the most popular dish on the menu. The chicken is tempura battered in that same mixture as the red snapper, giving it a crispy but light crunch on the outside. Don’t skip these.
Last but not least of my appetizer recommendation list are the Filet “Mignon” Strips. Are these delicious? Yes. But they are also a showpiece for the restaurant. They bring the very thin sliced beef to your table raw before heating up an iron skillet and flambéing them in sake. You get to see and taste the meat, but the rest of the restaurant gets to hear and smell it. The sizzling of the meat and the smell of the aromatics will really drive other tables to think about ordering this dish for themselves. The meat comes out exceptionally juicy and tender and can satisfy your craving for steak without you having to go big before you go home.
If however, big is a direction in which you are distinctly intending to go, the Prime Cowboy Steak is there for you. Served sliced over a bed of mashed potatoes and surrounded by streaks of both yellow and red ahi sauces, this outstanding steak is cooked in a house cowboy butter by the chef and the result is a nice infusion of flavors that upgrade the usual profile of the meat. Once again, make use of those aji sauces as they are unique, tasty and there to enhance your experience.
So whether you want to go out with a big group and share a bunch of appetizers, or if you just want to grab a steak with some unconventional yet delicious sauces, Nomé might be the place for you.
Fusion may be a genre of a restaurant, but so is fun. And Nomé is both.
Nomé
Meat – Nikkei – Waiter Service
Sunday: 10:30 a.m.–11:45 p.m.
Monday–Wednesday:
11:30 a.m.–11:45 p.m.
Thursday: 11:30 a.m.– 2 a.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Saturday:
1 hour after Shabbat–1:30 a.m.
(212) 419-8889
127 4th Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Orthodox Union (OU)
Nati Burnside is a freelance writer living in Fair Lawn and is a man of many interests. He can be reached at [email protected].
