Aldea (restaurant)
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| Aldea | |
|---|---|
 Kitchen at Aldea as viewed from the dining room | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | April 2009 |
| Closed | February 22, 2020 |
| Food type | Portuguese |
| Location | 31 West 17th Street, New York City, New York, 10011, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′19.5″N 73°59′37.8″W / 40.738750°N 73.993833°W |
Aldea was a restaurant in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City.[1] The fine dining establishment opened in 2009 and closed in 2020.
Menu
The restaurant occupied two stories and had an open kitchen [2] so that diners could observe the preparation of food.[3] It was decorated in a minimalist style with birch trees in its interior.[4] Adam Platt of New York described the interior in 2009 as a "double-height, blond-wood-paneled space is set with chairs covered in plush white and blue leather, and a façade of white-striped glass filters the view of the outside world. The room is luminously lit and partitioned with sheets of more glass, which make it feel intimate and also worldly".[3]
The restaurant served an eight-course tasting menu and a small à la carte menu.[5] It was noted for combining elaborately presented dishes with more rustic, filling dishes.[2][4] The restaurant's arroz de pato was often singled out as one of its best dishes.[6][3] Mendes told Michelin Guide in 2019 that he was "a proponent of flavor versus appearance".[7]
History
Aldea opened in April 2009.[3] The restaurant's head chef, George Mendes, is of Portuguese heritage, and the cuisine of Portugal heavily inspired the menu.[2] Its name translates to "village" in Portuguese.[3] It received a Michelin star in 2010, which it received every year following its operation.[8]
Aldea closed after February 22, 2020, as Mendes planned to "take a break" [9] and noted the difficulty in operating a restaurant in New York City at the time.[8]
