the buzz

“Now Open: Aldea”

Chef George Mendes has worked under some of the most renowned chefs in the world—from his mentor David Bouley, to Sandro Gamba at the three-star Lespinasse in Washington D.C., as well as Alain Ducasse, and Martin Berasategui, the highly acclaimed Basque chef, at the three-Michelin star Restaurant Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian, Spain. And, after three years as chef de cuisine at the wonderful Tocqueville, it’s his turn to cook the way he wants, paying homage to his Portuguese roots with the kind of place you’d stumble onto during a Mediterranean vacation and dreamily tell all your friends about when you got home.

Mendes, a first generation American born to Portuguese parents, has created Aldea with this sort of place in mind, designed by Stephanie Goto (Morimoto, Corton) with natural elements such as wood and concrete. His Spanish and Portuguese inspired menu sounds as inviting as a seaside Mediterranean town (appropriately, as Aldea means “village” in Portuguese).

Dishes include a selection of petiscos, or small bites, all priced $9 and under (like chicken tenderloin skewers with smoked sea salt, shiitake and perilla). Seasonal appetizers include dishes like sardines with Madeira raisins and bitter almond milk ($11), and entree choices sound spectacular: house-cured salt cod (bacalao) with ramps, morels and melon-Serrano jus ($21); arroz de pato with duck confit, chorizo, duck cracklins, and olives ($20); or Bev Eggleston’s pork shoulder with littleneck clams, nugget potatoes, and spring vegetable pickles ($19)

Aldea is located at 31 West 17th Street, 212-675-7223.

—Susan Kane Walkush

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