Last night, my friend and I headed to dinner at
Rayuela in the Lower East Side. I had been there last year for my sister's birthday and was happy to go back, especially after hearing they had updated their menu. As we entered, we were greated by a handsome and welcoming host and we decided to sit at the bar for a drink while we waited for a table. I apologize in advance for the pictures- they do not do the food justice!
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| Inside Rayuela |
The atmosphere of the restaurant was very chill, with warm lighting and a multi-level space, the walls and stairs wooden with white curtains hanging from the ceiling to separate tables. A large tree stood in the center of the room, seemingly real, with lights hanging from its branches.
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| Pisco Sour with Lovely Fingernail Accompaniment |
The menu is described as "Estilo Libre Latino" or Freestyle Latino so the dishes are a Latin Fusion, with influences from Peru, Mexico, Spain and their surrounding countries. As we perused the extensive cocktail menu, all drinks with at least 5 or so ingredients it seemed, the bartender explained some sort of fancy passionfruit cocktail as the special drink of the night. We had trouble understanding his thick accent so we stuck to the menu and I had a mojito (original I know) and my friend had a Pisco Sour (something exotic with egg white. Scary but delicious) and then sat at our table.
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| Hamachi Ceviche- Not as Scary as it Looks! |
We were first presented with some sort of croquette with goat cheese and it was paired with a Cava. The flavors were tasty and the wine complimented them perfectly. We then moved on to a Hamachi Ceviche with raw yellowtail, blood oranges, red onion, grapefruit, and avocado in a citrus sauce with lemon seafoam on top. It looked a little scary at first, but I know what they were going for having watched Top Chef. It was light and refreshing, like a little fiesta in your mouth. This was paired with another white wine. I don't recall the name, but it was explained to us that they use a predominately Latin based menu for their wines to keep the flavors authentic.
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| No, We are not professional photographers... |
For our main course, we feasted on beef tenderloin, one of their most popular dishes, which was accompanied with peruvian potatos, mushrooms and foie gras in a thick red sauce. It was heavenly and incredibly filling. This was paired with a red wine of some sort.
Dessert was the kicker, and what my friend described as possibly her favorite dessert ever, a chocolate roll filled with bittersweet, white and milk chocolate, accompanied with ice cream. It tasted like a heavenly mousse covered in amazingness. This was accompanied by another white wine, described as a very very sweet Riesling.
Overall, it was an excellent experience. The waiters were all very attentive (doing that folding napkin thing when my friend stepped away for a minute), the wine pairings were all spot on, and the food was super good. The menu offered a nice variety of seafood and meat, nothing was spicy (a fear of mine) and the options were unique and innovative. The space also would be good, on the lower level, for a more romantic and intimate dining experience, while the upper floor can seat larger parties for a livelier atmosphere.
