The open culinary theater inside L’Amico by Laurent Tourondel: twin roaring copper-clad wood-burning ovens casting a golden glow over chefs plating wood-fired specialties.
When celebrating New Year’s Eve in Manhattan, your dining strategy dictates your sanity. Midtown around Times Square turns into a barricaded grid of frozen sidewalks and $500 prix-fixe seatings where servers rush you out before the champagne even settles.
Maureen and I took an entirely different path.
Anchored in Room 1604 at the Cambria Hotel New York - Chelsea on West 28th Street—a 5-night holiday redemption funded by 144,000 Choice Privileges points earned during our hospital engineering mission in Northern British Columbia—our culinary game plan combined three distinct experiences:
- An intimate, wood-fired Italian dinner at L’Amico by Laurent Tourondel on Sixth Avenue.
- An authentic neighborhood morning run to Bagel Pub on Seventh Avenue for classic New York deli fuel.
- A private New Year’s Eve banquet staged on our executive desk with Chinatown wok specialties, ice-chilled Veuve Clicquot, and midnight rooftop cocktails framing One World Trade Center.
Here is our firsthand dispatch from the table.
1. L’Amico by Laurent Tourondel: Fire, Copper & Italian Soul
On Monday evening, December 30, after checking into Room 1604, Maureen and I walked two short blocks north through the Flower District to Sixth Avenue and West 30th Street. Our destination was L’Amico (849 Avenue of the Americas), Laurent Tourondel’s acclaimed Italian-American restaurant at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi.
Arriving on Sixth Avenue: the glowing illuminated canopy of L’Amico by Laurent Tourondel and heated sidewalk pavilion on a brisk December evening.
Stepping inside, the aroma of burning hardwood, toasted flour, and simmered plum tomatoes greets you instantly. The heartbeat of the restaurant is its open kitchen pass, dominated by twin custom copper-clad wood-burning ovens. Roaring hardwood fires cast an amber glow across the marble counter where pizzaiolos work their peels.
A close-up look at the copper hearth station with hanging pizza peels and seasoned firewood stacked neatly in the background.
Seated at a warm blonde wood table with a clear view of the hearth, we started with drinks. I ordered a tulip glass of local amber craft ale with a thick foam crown, while Maureen chose a signature pink coupe cocktail balancing bright citrus botanicals with a velvety finish.
Our first round at L’Amico: a golden tulip glass of local craft amber ale alongside a handcrafted pink coupe cocktail.
The holiday buzz in the room was contagious, yet the floor team was attentive, relaxed, and remarkably fast.
Maureen smiling at our table at L’Amico as the restaurant fills with holiday energy.
Gene Salvatore at the dinner table at L’Amico, with the craft beer, cocktail, and the glowing copper pizza hearth in the background.
Baked Meatballs & Wood-Fired Garlic Focaccia
Our server pointed us toward the baked polpette, and it proved to be a masterclass in comfort food.
The dish arrived bubbling in an oval enameled gratin skillet: tender braised beef and veal meatballs submerged in slow-simmered San Marzano marinara, crowned with fresh watercress and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Resting across the skillet were two thick slabs of house focaccia, toasted blistered-hot in the wood oven and soaked with garlic herb butter.
The signature starter: tender baked meatballs simmering in San Marzano marinara, crowned with giant slices of wood-toasted garlic focaccia.
The meatballs were delicate and light, packed with sweet ricotta and parsley. Dragging that crunchy, wood-charred garlic focaccia through the rich red sauce was pure bliss.
Plating the meatball on individual china: savory marinara, tender crumb, and charred garlic crust.
Wood-Fired Sausage & Fennel Pizza
Next came the centerpiece: the Sausage & Fennel Pizza, pulled straight from the stone hearth.
It was served on custom parchment printed with the L'AMICO by Laurent Tourondel logo. The crust achieved textbook Neapolitan perfection—crisp, charred blister bubbles along the puffed rim, with a tender center that folded neatly without going soggy.
The centerpiece wood-fired pizza: house-made Italian sausage crumbles, sweet shaved fennel, molten mozzarella, and cracked black pepper on branded L’Amico parchment.
Crumbled house Italian sausage, sweet shaved fennel, fresh mozzarella, and rosemary created a harmony of savory and herbal notes, lifted by genuine woodsmoke from the hearth.
Holiday Ambiance & Verbatim Audit
Before leaving, we admired the private dining room, where a floor-to-ceiling illuminated wine cage was decorated with a sparkling holiday wreath.
The back dining room at L’Amico: a floor-to-ceiling custom wine cage illuminated with warm amber backlighting and a lighted holiday wreath.
Stepping onto Sixth Avenue, I posted our immediate review:
“Dinner was delicious, and the service impeccable!”
(Gene Salvatore, December 30, 2024)
Our total tab came to $164.50, charged to our American Express Gold Card for 4x Membership Rewards points. For Tourondel quality during peak Manhattan holiday week, that is outstanding value.
2. Bagel Pub: The 7th Avenue NYC Deli Benchmark
On New Year’s Eve morning, we craved a proper New York breakfast. We walked three blocks west to Bagel Pub (350 7th Avenue, between W 29th & W 30th Streets). Established in Brooklyn in 2012, Bagel Pub has earned legendary status for its hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels.
The unmistakable Bagel Pub takeout bag featuring their heraldic twin-lion crest and kettle-boiled bagel shield.
The front counter smells of garlic, toasted sesame, sizzling bacon, and roasted espresso. Wire baskets behind the grill were piled high with warm bagels, flanked by a refrigerated case displaying dozens of scratch-made cream cheese spreads.
The bustling front deli counter at Bagel Pub on Seventh Avenue: wire bagel bins stacked high, staff working the grill, and gothic architectural arches.
We ordered and carried our food up the iron staircase to the second-floor mezzanine. With deep hunter-green walls, tufted burgundy leather booths, and arched windows looking down onto Seventh Avenue, it is one of Chelsea’s best-kept secrets for a peaceful morning bite.
The relaxed second-story mezzanine dining space at Bagel Pub, outfitted with deep hunter-green walls, vintage pub artwork, and tufted banquettes.
The Bacon, Egg & Cheese on Brioche
While Bagel Pub’s kettle-boiled bagels are stellar, on this visit we opted for their hot Bacon, Egg & Cheese on a toasted brioche roll.
Wrapped in heavy foil, the sandwich was perfection: thick, smoky hardwood bacon, tender folded eggs, and melted American cheese layered inside a sweet, buttery brioche bun.
The ultimate Manhattan breakfast: crisp hardwood bacon, fluffy folded eggs, and molten American cheese on a toasted golden brioche bun.
At $28.75 for sandwiches, coffees, and a dozen bagels to go, it set the bar for Midtown morning value.
3. The New Year’s Eve Room 1604 Banquet & Rooftop Midnight Toast
By Tuesday evening, December 31, Manhattan had become an impassable fortress of crowd control barriers and police pens. Rather than subjecting ourselves to that madness, Maureen and I staged our own private celebration in Room 1604.
Prepping for the evening: our soft-sided travel cooler packed with ice cubes, chilling bottles of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut and Veuve Clicquot Rosé in Room 1604.
We packed our travel cooler with hotel ice, chilling bottles of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut and Veuve Clicquot Rosé. On the window credenza, I built a craft bar station: Ketel One Vodka, Cointreau, Bulleit Bourbon, Simply Cranberry juice, and fresh limes.
The cocktail bar setup on the room credenza: Veuve Clicquot, Ketel One Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon, Cointreau, Simply Cranberry, and fresh lime garnishes.
The Desk Banquet Feast
At 6:30 PM, we covered the glass executive desk with crisp white linen and unpacked our Chinese takeout banquet:
- Savory Pepper Steak with sweet bell peppers and onions in rich gravy.
- Fragrant Roast Pork Fried Rice with char siu pork.
- Crisp Chicken with Broccoli in garlic sauce.
- Hot fried chicken wings and egg rolls.
Our private New Year’s Eve banquet spread: Chinese takeout favorites paired with an open, chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne on the executive desk of Room 1604.
Enjoying hot wok favorites and chilled French champagne in your quiet room while watching Times Square coverage on television is unvarnished road warrior luxury. Before finishing our dinner, I raised a flute of sparkling Veuve Clicquot to toast the new year with Maureen.
Gene Salvatore raising a crystal flute of chilled Veuve Clicquot champagne in Room 1604, toasting to the arrival of 2025.
Midnight on the 19th-Floor Terrace
Just before midnight, we rode the elevator to the 19th floor.
We walked past the indoor lounge out onto the open-air paver deck. Under warm string lights in the crisp midnight air, we had the outdoor terrace almost entirely to ourselves.
I shaken up two chilled Cranberry Cosmopolitans—Ketel One, Cointreau, fresh lime, and cranberry—and poured them into stemless martini glasses at a patio table.
Midnight on the 19th-floor terrace of Cambria Hotel Chelsea: our cocktail shaker and two Cosmopolitans framing the illuminated blue spire of One World Trade Center.
Directly south, rising over the Chelsea rooftops and water towers, the 408-foot spire of One World Trade Center burned in vivid electric blue. As midnight arrived, we toasted 2025 above the city lights in absolute peace.
4. The Loyalty Engine: How Northern BC Paid for New York City
Every dollar of our Manhattan stay was powered by an airtight travel rewards arbitrage loop executed across 2024:
Stage 1: Terrace, BC (Apr/May 2024)
├─ 15 Nights Dual-Room Deployment (Mills Memorial Hospital)
├─ Booked Quality Inn Sunshine Suites via Rakuten to ChoiceHotels.com
└─ Captured: 144,000 Choice Privileges Points + $440.44 Rakuten Cash Check
│
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼
Stage 2: Scottsdale, AZ (Nov 2024) Stage 3: Manhattan, NY (Dec 2024 / Jan 2025)
├─ JW Marriott Camelback Inn (7 Nights) ├─ Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Status Match
├─ $440.44 Rakuten Check Wiped Out 100% │ └─ Matched to Choice Privileges Diamond
│ of Mandatory Resort Fees Folio Billed └─ Redeemed 144,000 Choice Points
└─ Net Out-of-Pocket Resort Fees: $0.00 └─ 5 Nights Peak NYE at Cambria Chelsea
└─ Net Room Cost: $0.00 (Saved $3,500+)- Stage 1 (Accumulation in Northern BC): On a 15-night hospital engineering mission in Terrace, British Columbia—where zero Marriotts exist—we booked dual rooms at the Quality Inn Sunshine Suites through Rakuten to ChoiceHotels.com, generating 144,000 Choice Privileges points and a $440.44 Rakuten cash check.
- Stage 2 (Cash Arbitrage in Scottsdale): In November 2024, that $440.44 Rakuten check was applied to our checkout folio at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, wiping out 100% of our mandatory resort fees down to $0.00 out of pocket.
- Stage 3 (The Holiday Payoff in Chelsea): Using my Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite status, I secured a Choice Privileges Diamond Status Match. We burned our 144,000 Choice points for a 5-night New Year’s Eve stay at the Cambria Hotel New York - Chelsea, evading peak holiday rates ($600+/night) for $0.00 in room charges.
Read our complete Multi-Level Loyalty Arbitrage Blueprint: Terrace, Rakuten, Camelback & Cambria NYC for the full playbook.
5. The Verdict: Chelsea Flavor Done Right
Chelsea and NoMad offer some of the greatest food in Manhattan, but real travel mastery is knowing how to balance your experiences:
- L’Amico by Laurent Tourondel (
9.6/10): Twin roaring copper ovens, blistered sausage and fennel pizza, legendary baked meatballs with garlic focaccia, and flawless service. - Bagel Pub Seventh Avenue (
9.3/10): Quintessential NYC deli craft. The hot bacon, egg and cheese on brioche in the upstairs green mezzanine is the ultimate neighborhood breakfast. - Room 1604 Desk Feast & Midnight Rooftop (
9.8/10): Zero crowds, cold Veuve Clicquot, hot wok takeout, and a private midnight Cosmopolitan toast overlooking the glowing spire of One World Trade Center.
When you fund your hotel nights through disciplined loyalty arbitrage, you can put your budget where the quality truly shines.