GQ -- the dude magazine for dudely dudes -- went insideThe Libertine Restaurant, Todd English's brand new outpost in NYC's Gild Hall, and found it to be the perfect spot for a lovely, unusual romanticbromantic dinner. Plus, the reporter saw dead people and himself some fried chicken.
Right then!
Apparently, the place has a men's room and not a ladies' room immediately accessible. Whatevs. But it seems he wasn't quite expecting something so...over-the-top and seriously Thompson-esque with the ambiance.
While Gild Hall, Thompson Hotels's financial district property, has been open since March, guests have had to make do without an on-site restaurant. Until now.
Finally, Todd English's new venture inside the hotel has opened--The Libertine. Here's what our little bro Jaunted had to say:
The book-lined, wood-paneled restaurant looks like the study in Clue, and the creative menu is just as comforting.
For brunch there's the "NY Bene," an unlikely but totally necessary combo of poached eggs and pastrami sandwich. Lunch brings the "Adult PB&J": almond butter and Cabernet jelly on whole grain bread, with a banana milk shake shot.
There's also a raw bar, and dinner goes a little more traditional, with steak tartare and rack of lamb.
We attribute the decor to the hotel's location in the financial district. In other words, it is perfectly suited for country-clubbing, brandy-drinking suits. We can practically see Don Draper and Roger Sterling here now.
All summer long, Manhattan hotels have been capitalizing on artist Olafur Eliasson's man-made waterfalls installed along Manhattan's East River -- and the hype doesn't seem to be slowing down.
If you're late to the party on this one, maybe a Thompson hotel would be your best bet (get it? Because Thompson hotels always open late? Ha!)
If you associate waterfalls with cabins (and not so much with concrete and taxicabs), perhaps you'd enjoy checking out the waterfalls and calling the cozy, cabin-y feel of Thompson Hotels' Gild Hall your temporary HQ.
Way back in November, we heard that the new Todd English restaurant at Gild Hall would debut in April. Now that it's almost the end of May, how's that coming along? We called up to find out:
Everyone's been talking about it, so we finally went to look at Gild Hall, the new boutique property from Thompson Hotels, tucked away on an oblique corner in the historic Wall Street district. Hard to find even for those who live there, out-of-town guests might need GPS to check in.
The lobby is a "wow." Like a charming cozy little cabin retreat, it features interior wood accents, comfy leather couches, chairs, and bench seating, a knock out chandelier (either mock-wood branches or deer antlers, we weren't sure), table-top games, and a tiny but ultra-friendly front desk. The leather rhino in one corner was a real conversation piece.
We have to give Thompson Hotels credit for getting their latest property, Gild Hall, open without epic delays. But were they able to get it open simply because it's not actually finished? Yes, says one prolific Yelp user:
*This hotel is currently under MAJOR construction.* If you were like us and can literally sleep through jackhammers, then stay here. They DO jackhammer at 9am, but are done around 4-5pm. So if you are in the Financial District and will be out of the room early and out late, THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO STAY.
Because of the renovation, there is no lobby, no restaurant, no room service, no gym, no bar, no gift shop, no business center, no periodical and CD lending libraries, on-demand movies, no video games and no coffee makers.
Despite all this, I would totally stay here again.
That speaks volumes for the service and the handy location in the Financial District. Maybe there is something to that manifesto.
The latest Thompson Hotel, Gild Hall, is officially in a soft-opening phase at $309 a night and a few days early at that too. But should you book there expecting a 60 Thompson or a Six Columbus-type of experience, most of the public spaces including the restaurant won't be open until March. A source tells us that a temporary front desk is up but there is no lobby so to speak.
We also got word on the hotel's restaurant which will come from famed chef Todd English. However, don't expect another Olive's (his restaurant inside the W Union Square as well as in other U.S. cities.) Our source says this will be a new creation from Todd English and will open no earlier than April 1.
Thompson Hotels is on fire this year (unlike 2006), even Ian Schrager has complemented Jason Pomeranc's hotelier skills. So there's little doubt Gild Hall will be a stinker. With rooms at flagship hotel 60 Thompson going for over $700 most nights, even a $400 room at a half-finished Gild Hall is a deal.
The other day we mentioned that their NYC financial district property Gild Hall would be opening on December 1st but a Thompson source stressed to us that that was just a soft opening date with only about 50 of the 130 rooms available to guests. The full opening will happen sometime around March 17th.
As with all Thompson hotels there will be some sort of exciting restaurant and bar but that has not been disclosed yet. However, the restaurant will open when the rest of the hotel does in March.
Meanwhile, the DC property Donovan House is also scheduled for a March opening as well.
3 Comments - Add Yours
by Jenna
