Estela

Nolita

At 7:30pm, aka prime reservation time on a Thursday night in the city, nabbing a table at this iconic Michelin-starred restaurant—Estella—was no easy feat. Hence the 5am wakeup call 30 days prior just to secure our spot. But let me tell you, it was 100% worth it.

Located at the corner of Mulberry and Houston, and ascending three steps, we entered one of NYC's culinary gems. The cocktail menu is limited, highlighting a spritz and then a cocktail with each type of light spirit. I obviously went for the mezcal drink, which was spicy, smoky with a touch of natural sweetener, maybe a honey, just how I prefer my drinks.

They recommend 8-10 dishes for the table of four, and you have to put the whole order in at once. They start you off with bread, which was obviously a knockout. Then it is followed by the cold dishes.

The walnut dip was toasted walnuts, goat cheese, and croutons season and served with endives dressed with an orange vinegar dressing. It sounds unappealing but was absolutely fabulous. My next favorite dish was the scallops. My fellow diners thought differently, but I concluded the mix of silky raw scallop wrapped in a white cold crisp asparagus was a texture profile I hadn’t had in awhile and was pretty amazing.

Next come the hot dishes. Highlights were the Ricotta dumplings and the Wagyu.

This might be a weird comparison but whatever my review, my opinion. The dumplings were almost like the inside of a potato pierogi, it was ricotta, but almost mashed potatoey, and then with a beautiful butter sauce poured over. Absolutely top 5 bite of 2024, maybe top 2, I don’t even know what 1 is but it was fab.

To finish the night off we got the wagyu. Everyone needs a little red meat in their life. And if a restaurant is going around messing up a Wagyu then they should close as an establishment, but this place didn’t and it was cooked to absolute perfection.

I almost forgot! Get the chocolate cake, I am leaving this as a mystery because of how good it is, and you will never get to know unless you go and order.

This was a long one - my B - but I can’t not share this dining experience in full detail. It was something I'll remember forever.