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- Nearest Transit:
-
Elmhurst Ave (G, R, V)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
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$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Best Nights:
- Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
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- Neighborhood:
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3 reviews for Nuves Tapas Lounge
So we went in at 10PM and it was empty. Heck, the lights were still on. To our dismay, we were told the party and the music would not start until 11PM. But we were there for a birthday and so we sat our kabooses down. However, after asking politely, they started playing reggaeton AND salsa for us. As the night progressed, the crowd became bigger and bigger and the music better and better. We danced salsa, merengue, bachata, hip hop, pop, EVERYTHING. It was extremely fun and I'd definitely go back!
Easy on the eyes, but hard on the stomach..
The Drinks: Every special drink we ordered from their drink menu tasted like it belonged in a Mad Scientist's lab. Unexpected bursts of bitterness where sweetness was expected and sweetness where tartness was desired and wild tropical flavors mixed with low budget well alcohol meant that there would be a one drink maximum for us.
I SWEAR one drink consisted of Purple Kool Aid and rubbing alcohol..
The Food:
Flagrant abuse of powerful seasonings and a pathological need to make every dish sugary sweet versions of their original are the chef's signature tastes.
Here are the dishes we tried:
Yuca Brava - A crowd pleaser. These are fried yuca sticks sprinkled with diced red peppers in a sweet sauce. The only welcome use of sweetness in the menu... Well recommended.
Mar Y Tierra anticucho - (shrimp and beef skewers) Shrimp was essentially flavorless, but the thin beef was smoky and savory. Not worth it. Pass on this one.
Homemade crab cakes - Beautiful presentation but a heavy handed use of cinnamon (yuck! What was he thinking?!) overpowered the dish. Run from this dish as fast as your legs will carry you...
Mofongo relleno - Thoroughly unappealing presentation and the heretical use of sweet, over-ripe mashed yellow plantains instead of green plantains RUINS this Dominican staple.
The queso fresco smelled and tasted anything but "fresco" and the shrimps were flavorless.
The shredded chicken was surprisingly delicious, but buried in this vile concoction, was a nonstarter.
Shrimp Ceviche - Again, the chef, a.k.a. Captain Cotton Candy goes ape with the sweetness and produces a saccharine and surprisingly bland ceviche, lacking all the acidic bite of the lemony/vinegary original and turning this into little more than cold, sweet and sour shrimp. Pass on this pile of poo poo.
Empanadas - It's kind of hard to ruin this standard Latin favorite, but the chef somehow manages to rise the challenge by dousing the chicken empanada SOOOOO MUCH CUMIN, I had to double check to make sure I wasn't in an Indian restaurant. It was actually BITTER with cumin and not recognizable at all as a Latin dish.
The ground beef empanada was a dry, flavorless affair reminiscent of (but not as good as) the homemade Ortega tacos from when you were 5 years old and didn't know any better.
The Good: Swank, red interior brings Manhattan's meatpacking district lounges to mind and after 11, the place supposedly turns into a salsa, reggaeton, merenge, and house niteclub for the Gen Y crowd.
The Bad: Friendly yet somewhat inattentive staff is hard to get a hold of at times.
The Ugly: The food is a hot mess. Eat before you go and pre-game with your own booze at home.
On second thought, just don't go...
I gave it two stars rather than one because the ambience is just so damn sexy, tapas bars are a rarity in Queens and the food menu and presentation show some creativity.
It's a shame that so much of the menu is so sub par. This place has the potential of being a huge hit amongst the hipper, trendier crowd for the ambience alone, but they need a new chef and a new drink menu/bartender.
This is my favorite place to go to, especially Fridays because its less crowded than Saturday. They play all types of music, especially Spanish like from the tropical islands, south and central America. The drinks are great and the atmosphere is great as well. Lost of ladies for the men. VIP section for bday parties. Its a must place to go spend a good night at.
