Todd English Food Hall NYC

Food halls seem to be the trend these days, ever since Eataly opened on 23rd Street. Since then, high-end food hall The Pennsy at Penn Station came along, as well as City Kitchen  in Times Square. Even Chef Anthony Bourdain is working on his own international food hall, Bourdain Market. But the one I happen to visit earlier this year was Chef Todd English's resident food hall at The Plaza Hotel - Todd English Food Hall.

I should confess that I was here for a private event, in which case the hall was open without any crowds (or lines!). I liked the light decor, considering that we were below street level (I'm guessing, based on the escalator I took down to get here). The main room was modern and inviting in its mostly white decor (marble floors and ceramic backdrops combined with wood panels), but also gave a kind of urban farm-to-table feel. I liked the open view behind the counters so that one could see how their meal is being prepared. 

For this particular event there was a display of what I think should be called "the rustic table" composed of meats, fruits, nuts and cheese. It's so European-ly light, yet probably enough to suffice for dinner depending on how hungry you are.

Not being familiar with the "features" of this food hall, I found out all the gourmet foods here are indeed European-inspired. The hall was meant to have a dine-around experience with different food stations: Ocean Grill & Oyster Bar, Noodle & Dumpling Bar, Pasta Bar, Sushi Bar, The Grill, Taqueria, Pizza, Cheese & Charcuterie, Wine Bar and Patisserie. And of course, there is a shop in tow for souvenirs.

I have to admit, this seems very similar to Eataly by Mario Batali and Lydia Bastianich, except that Eataly has more of a marketplace ambiance. Todd English Food Hall is just as sophisticated but more intimate. The room where our event took place is available for private events. Off the top of my head, I think cooking demonstrations or lessons would be great here. Also, any kind of tasting event would work. Really, any kind of event with a culinary feature would work here. 

Oh...by the way...did I mention that Todd English was also at this event? :)

For more information, visit: http://www.theplazany.com/dining/the-todd-english-food-hall/

Click on the "Events" tab. 

Too-da-loo!

~T~