Aldea
31 W 17th St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-7223
Official Site
The recipient of a 2 star rating from The New York Times, a one Michelin Star in 2011 and great reviews from the online community, Flatiron District’s Aldea and its owner/Executive Chef George Mendes (Top Chef Master contestant and one of NYC’s hottest chefs) have been the cause of much buzz in the food scene. This highly rated restaurant serves Portuguese cuisine with Iberian influence, Chef Mendes’ cultural heritage. Besides bacalao and the similarity to Spanish cuisine, my experience with Portuguese food is very limited so I was excited to experience first-hand the cause for the buzz.
Having had both lunch and dinner at Aldea, I was impressed with the consistency of the high caliber food and service. Among the appetizers, I tried the Soft Shell Crab; the Kroll Krest Farm Egg – bacalao, black olives, potatoes; and the Sea Urchin Toast – cauliflower purée, mustard seed and lime. The Soft Shell Crab was delicious, being that it was my first Soft Shell Crab ever, it was a great start. The sea urchin and the Kroll Krest Farm Egg were exquisite. The presentation of the Kroll Krest was impressive with the appearance of the bacalao having been scooped out of an eggshell covered in foam. The Sea Urchin had a distinctive taste and texture that was very appealing.
Among the entrées I’ve tasted the Free Range Chicken Breast – baby potatoes, thai basil, tomato, curry broth; the Skate A La Plancha – escabeche jus, zucchini ribbons; the Creekstone Farm’s Hanger Steak – sweet baby onions, fushimi peppers; and Wild Striped Bass – Iberian butter beans, Sea Island red peas. All of the entrées were cooked to perfection highlighting the incredible flavors, textures and qualities of each dish. Finally for deserts I’ve had the pleasure of indulging in the Sonhos “Little Dreams -” chocolate hazelnut, rhubarb compote, salted caramel; the Strawberry Yogurt Parfait – strawberry – lemon verbena sorbet, warm strawberries, sable Breton; the Blueberry Peach Bread Pudding – crème fraiche sorbet; and the Pavlova – fresh berries, passion fruit, coconut sorbet. All were solid desserts especially the Pavlova, it might be my favorite dessert among them. I also enjoyed wine with my meals.The Vina Mein, a Spanish white wine with a fruity and acidic taste was my favorite, a great compliment to the meal.
A three course lunch is available for $24.07 a five course dinner for $90, and the a la carte menu is available for both times with varying prices. For a highly regarded restaurant like Aldea the prices are reasonable.
I like the restaurant’s modern sophisticated, quiet and clean interior. Its long narrowed bi level space is walled off with blurry glass that obscures the view of outside onlookers creating a more tranquil atmosphere separated from the outside world. A long narrow light colored wooden bar with high chairs covered in sleek white leather welcomes guest as soon as they enter. The walls on the opposite side are colored in blue stretches throughout. The colors of the restaurant’s interior are blue, light blue and white – signifying the sky, the sea and the air – a reflection of the Iberian peninsula’s coast. As you make your way through the dining room with uncovered tables, booths and banquet seats, the open kitchen is seen at the end. Diners can request to be seated by the counter in front of kitchen and watch Chef Mendes at work preparing their meal.
As I mentioned earlier, my dining experiences with Aldea have been amazing – from the food to the service. It’s a sophisticated setting where an unpretentious crowd can enjoy a great meal but not break the bank. Definitely buzz worthy. If you want to try Portuguese cuisine stop by Aldea and make sure to request a seat by the counter to witness all the action upfront.
For individuals who are ordering medicines online, there are several significant factors that must be considered. Internet is an ideal practice to get medicaments. Several medicaments are antifungal medicines. There are at least some medicaments for each sicknesses. Levitra is a curing prescribed to treat few ailments. What do you have to view about cialis vs viagra? When you buy remedies like Levitra you should ask your pharmacist about viagra vs cialis. Many drugstores describe it as viagra or cialis. Many probably sure the forcefulness of Levitra is well documented. In complement, there are some of explanations and pharmacists are mostly able to pinpoint your problem through biological tests. Ordinarily the treatment options may switch on erectile malfunction medicaments or counseling. Your generic is for you only. Never give your drugs to other folk even if their state appears to be the same as yours.