Norma’s New York City – The Secret Is Out

Norma’s is no longer a secret.  I was watching the Weather Channel the other morning and low and behold Sam Champion told the entire world about one of the best secrets in the city!  Norma’s is a NYC classic, James Beard award winning breakfast joint inside the Le Parker Meridien (one of my favorite hotels.) I’ve been going to Norma’s for years and when Sam said it was a one-of-a-kind experience, he wasn’t joking.

With choices like Hot Chestnut Pancakes Topped with Candied Chestnuts and Brown Sugar Sauce or Mango-Papaya Brown Butter Cinnamon Crêpes, Foie Gras Brioche French Toast With Asparagus and Mushrooms or the James Beard Award Winning Potato Pancakes With Homemade Cranberry Apple Sauce and Sweet Carrot Payasam,  you can’t go wrong.

Normas breakfast

I decided to go for the Lox & Lox of Bagels topped with Caviar. The breakfast started with a complimentary smoothie – my smoothie was a blueberry mango smooth that was very refreshing on a hot New York morning (at 9:30am, the thermometer was already reading 90!).

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The Lox & Bagels lived up to their name and came piled high topped with a massive amount of caviar. The bagel was sliced into thirds, toasted and topped with cream cheese and fresh dill. There was a cucumber in the center of the bagel and mounds and mounds of lox layered throughout. The dish was garnished with fresh red onion and capers (I got mine sans tomato!).

Normas Lox and Bagels

There’s no way to eat this type of breakfast without making a mess. The lox was perfectly sliced and the three types of caviar made a great topping. The amount of food was so enormous that I had plenty left over for a late lunch!

Norma’s is well known for one of its signature dishes, The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata with 1 oz of Sevruga Caviar for $100 or 10 oz of Sevruga Caviar for $1000 – yep, a Lobster Frittata with Sevruga Caviar for a grand! No one ordered it while I was there, but I can imagine it would be a sight to see.

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Norma’s isn’t going to become your daily breakfast joint – it’s way too pricey – but it’s an amazing Sunday brunch or special occasion spot for breakfast lovers!  You can bet next time I’m back in NYC I’ll swing by Norma’s. Tip – reservations are a must! There’s a line every day.