Nada

Since I am in grad school, it is rare for me to go to a restaurant knowing I will likely spend more than $10-15.  However, it’s always fun to go out for a nice dinner every now and then, as long as the experience is worth the price.  I recently dined with a friend at a more upscale Mexican restaurant called Nada.  I enjoyed the dinner, but I am not sure if it was worth the pretty penny.

Nada is located on 21st Avenue, towards downtown.  The restaurant does not have its own parking lot, but they do offer $3 valet parking at the Kimpton Aertson Hotel next door.  I took advantage of this deal, but I was still not wild about having to pay for parking at a restaurant where I knew I was already going to be spending more than usual on my meal.

My friend and I went to Nada on a Sunday night, and I was afraid there might be a long wait, so I made a reservation online.  It ended up not being crowded at all, so we would have been immediately seated anyway. However, I was happy we were easily able to make a reservation just in case.

The restaurant was spacious and open with low-lighting, and it was decorated with tiled floors and walls — very aesthetically pleasing to say the least.  This made me even more excited to see the menu.  Everyone knows you can’t go to a Mexican restaurant without getting queso, so my friend and I ordered some as soon as we sat down.  This queso was not just any queso; queso at Nada is “fully loaded” (pictured above).  The waitress bought out a bowl with pico de gallo, black bean puree, rajas (whatever that is), and their house-made habanero “kreeper” salsa and poured a pot of melted smoked gouda cheese on top.  I was afraid it might be too spicy for my liking because of the habanero, but the combination of flavors made for the most perfect tasting dip, especially when paired with the most perfect textured tortilla chips.  The chips must have been house-made because they were unlike any I had ever encountered before.  They were thick, yet flaky, and had just the right amount of salt.  I was glad everything tasted so good because the dish rang in at an alarming $10.

My friend and I devoured our first basket of chips, and our waitress brought out a second.  We soon made it down to the bottom of the queso bowl.  This is where problems began with our waitress.  She assumed that since the bowl was almost empty, she should take it AND the still half full basket of the best tortilla chips I have ever tasted away.  She did not even ask if we were finished.  This made me a little mad, but I soon forgot all about the fiasco (or finasco if your name is Hannah Ann — s/o to all The Bachelor fans out there) when she brought out our meal.  The tacos were perfectly plated.  The only problem was my friend’s order was incorrect. The waitress had some how written it down wrong, even after she had an extensive discussion with my friend about which tacos she should try if she did not want anything spicy.  The waitress then proceeded to take the plate back after my friend had already touched one of her tacos before realizing the mistake.

While the waitress was back in the kitchen violating all kinds of health codes, we went ahead and tasted the sweet chili-glazed cracked potatoes with scallions & crema my friend ordered as a side (pictured above).  The only negative remark I can make about the potatoes is that we were given a very small portion for the price of $6.  They were baked beautifully—slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  The sweet chili sauce and crema only added to the perfection.  

The waitress soon returned with my friend’s correct order, and we began taste testing our street tacos (which appear deceivingly large in the pictures above).  My friend and I both ordered the, “Mexico City Pastor,” which was composed of chile-marinated pork, onion, & pickled pineapple, as well as the, “Caramelized Cauliflower,” which had garlic-whipped goat cheese, scallion, macron almond, & fresno pepper.  I also got the, “Grilled Mahi,” with herb-marinated mahi, corn relish, & lime crema, and my friend tried the, “Amish Chicken Carbon,” composed of chicken, chile de arbol salsa, crema, & chihuahua cheese.  I was not disappointed with any of my choices.  The pork taco was a little hot, but the pineapple complemented the spice very well.  The goat cheese on the cauliflower taco was too overwhelming for my friend.  I had to agree it added a strong flavor, but I actually enjoyed it.  I think my favorite was the grilled mahi taco because of the delicious corn relish.

I opted for the street tacos ($3.75 each) so I could sample multiple flavors, but there are several other options on the menu, as long as you are willing to fork over some cash.  There are three salad options including a roasted beet & fuji apple salad for $14.  There are also two soup options, butternut squash & tortilla, each costing $7.  The, “communal cravings,” portion of the menu includes dishes such as jalapeño cheddar cornbread with whipped butter, sea salt, & honey for $13, and a peruvian shrimp ceviche with coconut milk, ahi amarillo, blistered shishito, onion, serrano, sweet potato, & peanuts for $14.  The “plates” portion of the menu is the most expensive.  It lists dishes such as braised chicken enchiladas with sweet corn, black beans, chihuahua cheese, & couscous for $19 and the Allen brothers skirt steak fajita with poblano pepper, guacamole, chipotle, crema, & chihuahua cheese for $26.

Overall, my experience at Nada was fair.  I have to rank the chips & queso as my favorite of any mexican restaurant I have been to before; however, the oddness of our waitress, combined with the expensive prices for very small portions of food, and the fact that I had to pay to park did not leave me wanting more.  It is a great place to try once.