Nuela
43 W. 24th St., Chelsea, NY
map & more
It was obvious, even before dining at Nuela, that this wasn’t going to be an Infatuation go-to. These massive, ultra-stylized restaurants aren’t typically our thing, which is precisely why we don’t have a Perfect For “People Who Like Buddakan” tab on the site. Regardless, we read some recent reviews and decided to see for ourselves – especially since the menu has a good selection of ceviches and something called Foie Gras Croquetas on it. Might as well get in now while people are talking about it, because after seeing all those open tables on a Saturday night, there is a good chance that nobody will be saying anything about the place in a few months.
As we mentioned (and as you can probably tell from the photo), Nuela is an absolute monster of a restaurant, far better suited for the Meatpacking crowd than our Immaculate kind. It’s got the feel of a hybrid restaurant/nightclub: thumping music, big cushy booths, and severely over-thought decor that’s so cheesy it makes your head hurt. Generally, the food isn’t bad…it’s just not particularly exciting, and often underwhelms. This review was spared a Wasting Your Time and Money designation only by a few solid appetizers and well executed ceviches. Knowing what we knew going in, we were hoping this place could be a good option for drinks and some light food, but the $13 specialty cocktails we sampled were flat out terrible. Maybe we’re spoiled by the Death & Co led cocktail renaissance in NYC lately, but if you’re spending $13 on a vodka drink, that thing better not taste like jungle juice. At least not cheap jungle juice.
Food Rundown:
Spicy Tuna
A different spin on spicy tuna, as the tuna is covered with crispy rice. It looks cool, but it just didn’t taste like much.
Foie Gras Croquetas
Another rather genius concept that could be amazing if the execution was better. This is essentially a doughnut hole with a liquid center of foie gras. They’re fun to eat, and you should definitely order them once, but just know that they aren’t as amazing as they might sound. They are, however, probably still better than the Dunkin’ Donuts Sausage Pancake Balls.
Octopus & Pork Belly Anthicuchos
One piece of octopus, one piece of pork belly, both on a skewer, neither of which are very good. The octopus is a little on the rubbery side. I’d skip this next time. No need to waste an order even though it sounds good.
Oxtail Empanadas
Solid, but not life changing empanadas made with red wine and bone marrow.
Tuna Ceviche
Make sure you focus on the ceviches, as this is what Nuela does best. The tuna is spicy and delicious with Thai flavors and coconut leche. I love ceviche, and this definitely delivered.
Hamachi Ceviche
This was the single best forkful of food I had all night. The flavor combination of sour orange, basil and black garlic gave this hamachi a memorable and exotic taste. Definitely order this.
Arroz Con Pato
This paella style serving of crunchy rice is served in a huge pan with all kinds of different duck parts – crispy breast, confit thighs and gizzards, roasted foie gras and soft duck eggs. The presentation is great, as the pan takes up the entire table, and is ideal for sharing. Unfortunately, the rice somehow lacks flavor, and the duck breast is really the only standout element of the dish. You can definitely find better use for $64.
Churrasco
For $25, this is actually a pretty nice piece of steak. Sure, it’s hanger steak, which isn’t exactly the best part of the cow, but it’s cooked nicely and had good flavor. It’s also hard to not like any steak smothered in chimichurri.
Dessert
I don’t know if we were spotted (which would be a first) or if the manager just had a boner for one of the girls at our table, but for whatever reason, the entire dessert menu was sent to our table to sample. Some of the sweets were pretty good. Our favorites included the very interesting Choclo (tres leches, dulce de leche ice cream, popcorn) and the Goat Cheese Cake (pineapple sorbet, spice cookie, ginger vanilla gelee).
try instead
L’Artusi
West Village,
NY
Terroir Tribeca
Tribeca,
NY
The Mulberry Project
Little Italy,
NY
