How’s the Breakfast at the Equinox Hotel New York?

The hotel The first link in a planned hotel chain from Equinox fitness clubs, the Equinox Hotel’s plush tower in Hudson Yards is the closest you’ll get to Canyon Ranch in New York, albeit with free-flowing craft cocktails.

The restaurant The best way to be wowed by Electric Lemon, a classic Rockwell Group creation perched on the 24th floor, is to start with a good look at the restaurant’s most striking feature: the bar. Think Park City-on-the-Hudson with acres of wood and glass, a sleek, gas-jet fireplace and inviting club chairs. Breakfast awaits in the dining room, a spacious feast of taupe punctuated by pale wood floors and buttery leather banquettes that’s serenely formulaic but delectably comfortable. The towering windows overlook Hudson Yards’ multi-story shopping tower and a Gothamesque cityscape muted by acres of wheat-colored curtains.

Electric Lemon pancakes at the Equinox Hotel  — Overnightnewyork photo

The breakfast The menu reflects Equinox’s health-meets-leisure-meets-sybarite vibe with a choice of pork or turkey bacon and an emphasis on local sourcing. The surprise: just one vegan offering (granola, dried fruits and oat milk). I opted for the flaxseed pancakes, which sounded more dutiful than decadent but were delicious and artfully presented — two plump cakes dusted with flaxseed, nestled on a handsome Jono Pandolfi stoneware plate manufactured across the Hudson in Union City, N.J.  Soft, wonderfully spreadable butter accompanied them along with fresh raspberries, blueberries and New York maple syrup, each in its own stoneware container set atop a raw wood tray, like a Japanese still life. The coffee was excellent with refills poured generously. The bill: $30 including tax and tip.

The vibe Lively with a mix of business people, tourists and gym members fresh from a workout, most of them freshly showered. I sat between a chatty millennial couple from New Orleans (farm omelet for him, avocado toast for her) and a job interview for a tech position at a large bank (two coffees, no food).

The caveat The bill arrived before I had finished eating.

Bonus The restaurant opens onto an 8,000-square-foot terrace that wraps around the building. In good weather, you can eat and drink here (if you can get a table), breathe in jaw-drop views of the Hudson and surrounding buildings, revel in the serenity of the reflecting pools and admire the art, including an eye-popping Jaume Plensa sculpture. Or you can enjoy the views on a post-breakfast stroll like I did on a cold, wintery day. I felt like I was on top of the world until my teeth started chattering.