We had both a dine-in and takeout breakfasts from Felice 15 Gold, an Italian restaurant located on street level of Gild Hall, a Thompson hotel by Hyatt in the Financial District. The food was good, but service could've been better. Nice boutique atmosphere.
This restaurant is part of the Felice upscale restaurant chain which has 11 locations in New York (mostly in Manhattan) and two in Florida (Miami and West Palm Beach). This location is named after its address: 15 Gold St in Lower Manhattan.
We found out about Felice 15 Gold because we stayed at Gild Hall this past weekend. Each night of our stay came with vouchers for complimentary breakfasts at Felice 15 Gold: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-11:00am and Saturday-Sunday, 8:00am-11:30am.
Each voucher was "redeemable for: American Breakfast, Yogurt Parfait, Crostone con Avocado, Felice Oatmeal, French Toast or Frutta Fresca only; served with Orange Juice and Brewed Coffee or Tea." The serving sizes for the voucher versions of breakfast are smaller than the serving sizes of breakfast ordered from the regular menu.
Using vouchers, my wife and I had the following:
* Crostone con Avocado - chopped avocado, poached eggs, toasted bread, pepperoncino, lime zest
* Felice Oatmeal - warm organic oats, fresh blueberries, honey
Both items were delicious. My wife liked that the Crostone con Avocado came with two eggs. There was a generous amount of avocado and it was fresh. This dish is essentially avocado toast. According to the regular menu, the non-voucher version also comes with roasted potatoes and mixed greens.
I really enjoyed the Felice Oatmeal. I've eaten a lot of oatmeal in my life and I thought the texture of Felice's oatmeal was pretty much perfect. It came with just the right amount of honey on the side and the blueberries were ripe, sweet, and not too tart. The bowl was filling and satisfying.
One of our friends, who was also staying at this hotel, ordered the oatmeal too. She had the same opinion as me regarding its texture -- not too soggy and not too dry. She got hers with maple syrup instead of honey.
My wife and I also ordered a side of bacon and breakfast to go and paid separately for it:
* Bacon ($9)
* American Breakfast ($21) - two eggs any style (I requested scrambled) with bacon, roasted potatoes, and toasted bread
* Frutta Fresca ($16) - seasonal mixed fruits
The bacon was good. Crispy and crunchy. I think there were four strips. Any less than that for $9 would've been a ripoff, so I'm glad they gave us at least four pieces.
All components of the American Breakfast were quite tasty. I scarfed it down inside our room. The scrambled eggs were rich and flavorful. There was more of that yummy bacon. The potatoes weren't over-seasoned, which I appreciated. The bread came with butter, but the slices were so tasty on their own, they didn't need it. I think the bread was grilled instead of toasted.
The Frutta Fresca consisted of honeydew, pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries, red grapes, and strawberries. Aside from the grapes and blueberries, all of the fruit was cut into small, bite-size pieces. I often buy fruit bowls from Publix; the Felice fruit was cut smaller -- so there was a bit of a more delicate touch. As for the fruit quality itself, it was fresh and standard of a cut fruit bowl you'd get at a decent grocery store.
Both the dine-in and takeout dishes were plated and presented beautifully. Dining in, they have nice dinnerware. The Crostone con Avocado was served on a floral-decorative plate. Felice's takeout containers have Felice-brand stickers on them, which I think is a nice, elevated touch. Consistent with the presentation, the restaurant interior is chic and stylish. There are two compact floors of seating with multiple bars and dining rooms. White tablecloths, button booths, rustic chandeliers, and an intimate wine bar/library vibe. There's a single unisex restroom upstairs.
This is just speculation, but I think the staff treated the "paying" customers better than the hotel guests who were there for the "free" breakfasts. Also, I think they seated the hotel breakfast guests in the front bar area and the non-hotel, "paying" customers in the back.
We were served coffee, but were never asked if we wanted cream. We had to flag down our server, who seemed quite busy, for cream. When we got the cream, it was a very small amount, so we had to ask for more. We also never got the OJ as printed on our vouchers. I wanted OJ, but it seemed like it would be a hassle to ask for it. So yeah, service wasn't the best. The staff was kind enough, though. Our to-go order was originally brought out as dine-in. They had to take our plates back to the kitchen and pack them up. Not a big deal. The breakfast plate was still delicious.
We ended up not using some vouchers to try other breakfast options in the neighborhood. We had a $100 American Express credit/benefit for the items we paid for.
Felice 15 Gold opened on October 3, 2012. read more