August Lull

One of the pleasures of being in NY during late August is that restaurants that normally require a couple weeks foresight to book magically open up. With a sizeable portion of the city's food cognoscenti out east, I was able to secure a reservation at Aldea, an Iberian restaurant in the Flatiron on 24 hours notice. Another benefactor of positive reviews, Aldea has been open for a few months now. If you don't know, having lived in Spain, I have an automatic bias toward anything remotely Spanish (though Aldea is a mix between both Spain and Portugal), so this was a treat.

A foodie friend of mine and I met at 7 sharp and had a wonderful meal. While perusing the wine list, I noticed bottles of wine starting at $25! This is practically unheard of at finer establishments in New York, but this is indicative of restaurateurs being mindful of the more frugal diner in the face of the "recession." We ended up splitting a Bordeaux blend and ordered the foie, shrimp, arroz de pato, and scallops.

The atmosphere of Aldea struck me as a little strange. The restaurant itself is very nicely apportioned and I found the noise level perfect (i.e. between library quiet and 27th street club deafening). The space was rather narrow and it sort of felt as if I was dining in a wide hallway. That being said, it had a lovely open kitchen which added nice theatrics to those diners seated nearby.

We started with the foie terrine and the shrimp alhinho. I found the foie to be a little on the bland side. It came with cocoa nibs and a fig sorbet. The sorbet complemented the foie well but I still did not get enough of the richness I would expect from the PETA-maligned delicacy. The shrimp alhinho was lovely. It had a smokiness and taste that took me right back to Spain. It reminded me of the pulpo I used to eat from tapas bars near Puerta del Angel. It was cooked perfectly and was a perfect opening course. My friend actually preferred the foie to the shrimp, so on the appetizers it was a tossup.

The big guns came out for the entrees. The arroz con pato (duck rice, top pic) was simply awesome. First off, duck confit is basically a kryptonite for me. I'll eat it at any occasion. Sidetracking, when Duke lost to UNC in 2006, my friends and I commiserated at L'Express. I'm pretty certain I took to duck confit to console myself over this embarrasing defeat. The rice comes with duck confit, duck crackling, and chorizo (!). The rice itself is worth mentioning given its expert preparation. It was crunchy in the best possible way, but still tender and full of flavor. The chorizo married well with the duck and the drops of sauce off to the side added a soft flavor to counter the proteins. My only quip, and my companion agreed, is that this dish is not best suited to a warm August night, but rather a chilly November evening, when winter is fast approaching.

The scallops, which I did not adore as much as the arroz, were the more seasonal option, and still pretty delicious. The scallops were seared nicely, though a tad gritty. From watching plenty of Top Chef, I have learned that cooking scallops well is something I should not take for granted. What really made this a standout dish for me was the faro that the scallops rested on. I first took note of faro during a dinner at Al Di La in Park Slope last December. Faro is certainly more unique than rice, couscous, or even quinoa and trickier to execute. I once made the mistake of taking a faro salad from a cold buffet at midtown restaurant and suffice to say it was like eating stale jelly beans. Anyway, this faro was nice and aldente and flavored ever so softly with orange. By the time entrees were cleared, Aldea had won me over.

Dessert menus were brought. One of the items I gravitated toward was the Strawberry Tasting (bottom pic). Some may decry strawberries as pedestrian, but I still adore the fruit. It essentially was Aldea's take on strawberry shortcake (the quintessential summer dessert). The semifreddo was smooth and light and had a familiar taste which I unfortunately could not place. Also on the plate was a biscuit sheathed in strawberry hibiscus jam. Both items were very unusual in flavor but both positively refreshing. My friend ordered the sonhos (aka donuts) which came with three delightful saucing options: spiced chocolate, apricot with paprika, and hazelnut. It is hard to mess up donuts, so no surprise that these were a hit. The sauces added more complexity to the dish, elevating them from ordinary to delectable.

When the check arrived, I was not surprised by the total, but needless to say, it was steep for a Wednesday night. That being said, we ordered a significant amount of food and a nice bottle of red, so I'd say the restaurant was fairly valued. Splitting an appetizer, getting two entrees, and splitting a dessert, no alcohol, and you could escape for about $40 / pp (with tax and tip). All and all, Aldea met my somewhat lofty expectations. The arroz con pato wins the gold medal but I think there are plenty of other interesting and savory options on this menu across the spectrum of courses.