A family friend of mine has been opening various restaurants around New York City for years, but when she told us about her latest restaurant opening, we were a bit shocked and confused. She mentioned is was called Nelson Blue, and it served New Zealand food. Whenever I hear of New Zealand, the first thing that comes to mind is my favorite HBO show, Flight of the Conchords in which two New Zealanders flock to New York City to gain popularity for their band, but I never heard of a New Zealand restaurant. My mom, a friend, and I had to check it out.
Nelson Blue, located on 235 Front Street is actually the first New Zealand, or as the natives like to call it, "kiwi bar" to exist in Manhattan. The bar regularly shows rugby games, the most popular sport in New Zealand. Surprisingly, the food was not very foreign, and thei signature kebabs were amazing. Nelson Blue is considered mostly a wine bar, but with lots of small plates to share and nibble on. Due to technological errors, my camera punked out before I got to document these tasty treats, so I will try to depict their deliciousness by words.
The wine was great at only $8 a glass, and the atmosphere was very warm and inviting. Since the restaurant is located in Southstreet Seaport, the restaurant was very sea decorative with a wooden ship hanging above a long table and long wooden benches that accompanied the tables. Since we wanted to try a bunch of different items on the menu, we ordered a bunch of appetizers, sides, and of course, the kebabs. We ordered the popcorn shrimp with remoulade sauce ($12) which was sized well for the three of us, and the popcorn shrimp crunchy yet fresh tasting. We mix and matched a bunch of skewers (who wouldn't at only $4 per kebab?). The salmon with curry mayo kebab practically melted in our mouth, the chicken with spicy peanut sauce kebab had a great peanut buttery flavor, and the shrimp kebab with lemon herb mayo was delicious. The dipping sauces really made the kebabs, as well as our side order of french fries with herb salt ($4) where the herb mayo mixed great with the fries.
We also heard great things about the five spiced crushed cauliflower ($4) so we had to order it. The flavors were great and the cauliflower texture was reminiscent of mashed potatoes. With ordering 6 kebabs, 2 side orders, an appetizer, wine, and a $6 chocolate flower cake for my roommate, the bill came to $70! A great suggestion would be to head over to Southstreet Seaport ASAP to try to fare and also because Southstreet has great holiday festivities for Christmas.
Go to Southstreet Seaport for the weekends, and you can see their treelighting celebration and the Big Apple Chorus sing christmas songs in front of the tree. They play 45 minute shows at 6 and 7 pm on Fridays, and 3 and 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Be sure to catch a Christmas chorus show, go Christmas shopping in the Southstreet Seaport mall, and eat up all the New Zealand grub you can handle!
Until next time, happy eating!
Bianca
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment