Estela has been on my list for a while as it's been on several "Best of" list for the past 3 years. While it is a somewhat casual setting, the menu always seemed a bit too stuffy for me to really put a ton of effort into checking out. Plus it's super difficult to get a reservation at a normal time - in fact, Richelle and I ended up getting a 5:30pm slot on a Friday night which isn't ideal but honestly, we ended up staying for 3 hours, so it actually turned out pretty well for us.
The menu is similar to what I had at Freek's Mill before, which is American tapas. And similar to Freek's Mill, the prices are somewhat ridiculous, even more so here at $17-37 per small plate. The waiter recommended 6 plates for 2 people, so you can do the math on that one. Richelle and I were in baller mode, so we really went all out on the menu: beef tartare ($18), fried arroz negro ($23), lamb ribs ($22), ricotta dumplings ($25), and monkfish ($32). While Richelle and I had a hard time deciding among all the dishes, the one dish we both agreed to get immediately was the beef tartare. It was really fantastic - chopped well and seasoned with capers and sunchokes, it was an excellent tartare that was perfectly executed. Next we tried the black fried rice with squid. This one had a paella like consistency with a crunchy bottom to it, which was a nice touch. I will caution you that if don't like fishy tasting dishes, this probably won't be for you. I enjoyed it but not as much as some other squid ink dishes that I've had before.
Next came the lamb ribs and they were incredible. There were 4 pieces that were herb crusted with charmoula and honey and the meat fell right off the bones. I have a love/hate relationship with ribs and this one fell on the love side. Next, we ordered the ricotta dumplings because the waiter said that they were "life changing" - those were the exact words he used. So while Richelle doesn't eat cheese, we felt compelled to get them. They were light and fluffy and served with thinly shaved mushrooms on top. I tried to get Richelle to try one because it wasn't cheese-y gooe-y in texture since it's ricotta but she wasn't having any of it. It was definitely a lovely pillow-y dish, but I can't say it was life changing and having to eat the whole thing myself was a bit of a challenge with all the other food. Next came the monkfish. We had been struggling to decide between the monkfish or swordfish and the waiter was saying that the monkfish was heartier and the swordfish was lighter. I normally don't love swordfish, so we decided to go with something heartier. In retrospect, I kind of wish we got the swordfish instead because this fish was a bit too tough for me. It wasn't flakey and it just had a toughness that I don't love when it comes to my fish - but again, it's not like I didn't know it going into it, so it's was a risk we took that didn't quite pay off. This was where our original order ended but yet we were still a bit hungry. So we hemmed and hawed between getting the swordfish, mussels, steak or desserts. We netted out at the steak ($37) and 2 desserts, the chocolate cake ($12) and a sweet potato rum cake ($12). The steak was 2 smallish pieces cooked medium rare and served with charred eggplant and leeks. The original form comes with a melted taleggio cheese sauce on top but we got it on the side for Richelle's sake. The steak was cooked perfectly and while you would think the cheese sauce would have tasted kind of weird with it, I was actually really glad to have had it because the strong stinky flavor of it really paired well with the meat. I can't explain it but it just worked.
At this point, we were drunk and full but had to get dessert. The chocolate cake came with this out of this world creme fraiche topping covered with coco powder on top. The cake was moist but had a bit of a flourless consistency to it and overall it was a very non-sweet dessert, which I like but I can see how some people might be turned off by, so just know that going into. We got the sweet potato dessert because it sounded so unique. It was basically cold shredded sweet potato sitting on top of a rum soaked cake - it was interesting but the coldness of the dish really threw me off a bit.
But what really put this dinner over the edge was the mind blowing wine (a red from Umbria) we had with dinner. Yes it was $100 but it was really something special. It paired really well with the meat dishes we had. The service was excellent with the waiter being really patient in explaining almost the entire menu for us, although I didn't quite buy his "life changing" opinion of the dumplings. The ambiance is cozy and dark but quite lively because it was incredibly packed. I'm not sure I would say it's one of the best restaurants in the world as many have stated but it's worth checking out if you're a long standing New Yorker and need a new place to cross off your list. It's definitely pricey and for that I was close to giving it 4 forks but in a head-to-head comparison of Freek's Mill, it's definitely the better choice. Total bill: $200/pp with tax and tip and lots of drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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