I Felt Like Eloise at The Plaza

Recently I went to the Plaza Hotel. I was there to check out The Plaza Food Hall, the new creation of celeb chef Todd English.

The reason I felt like Eloise? Simple. After taking one look around the grand hall filled with delicious eats, I decided I wanted to LIVE at The Plaza just like my favorite children’s book character. If you aren’t familiar with Eloise, she is the protagonist in a series of children’s books written by Kay Thompson. This “rawther” unique six year old lived in the room on the tippy-top floor of the Plaza Hotel with her British nanny, her dog Weenie, and her pet turtle Skipperdee. Today, you can visit the Eloise shop in the hotel.

Anyway, back to the food. The Hall is composed of several open bar stations with countertop seating serving up everything from sushi to pizza to dumplings. You could sit at The Grill station and order Prime Rib Sliders. Don’t like beef? Then sit at the Pizza station and order Golden Potato Pizza with Rosemary Crust. Sushi and Dumplings tempt you? Then order the Porcini Soba Soup or a King Crab Maki Roll. I was personally torn between The Ocean station and getting a Grilled Lobster Salad (YUM) and The Tapas Bar, where I finally ended up. My order - the Artichoke Cacio e Pepe Pasta ($9), a side of Roasted Baby Beets ($5) and an Iced Tea ($3). Total tab with tip was a only little over $20!





The homemade pasta was chock full of silky artichokes dressed in a cheesy black pepper pecorino sauce. The baby beets were served with pistachio dressing, thin slices of machego cheese and marinated olives. I was surprised at how generous the portions were, but not surprised by the deliciousness of the meal. I knew the mastermind behind Olives wouldn’t let me down.

Oh and in case I forgot to mention it earlier, there is also a Charcuterie and Cheese station with cheeses directly from Murrays Cheese Shop and breads from Balthazar bakery.

Overall was The Food Hall a little “tourist-y”? Sure. It was like the Disneyland of Food for adults...but who doesn’t like to go to Disneyland?!