Vela

Vela
55 W. 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
P: (212) 675-8007

Cuisine: Japanese/Brazilian Mix
Price: I’m a New Yawka

As we walked in, I believe we were all thinking the same thing: cool bar, but for dinner?  Seems a bit off… the atmosphere and decor were definitely more conducive to drinking, though this would be one of the few times that I refrained from alcohol during dinner (as I like to try drinks at all of these trendy places).

The person who greeted us seemed a bit surprised to see us, despite us having a 5:45 reservation.  He turned out to also be our waiter, and he never ceased to be surprised (including when one of us requested a fork- she was eating rib eye- as the tables were set with chopsticks and no other utensils) by our questions.  “Can we please see a dessert menu?” was met with a blank stare and the final response, “Well, it’s in my head, actually.”

Service is graded POOR, inattentive, and lacking.  There were long gaps between our courses which were more annoying than anything else.

The food was not outstanding, and with prices like those, you expect more.  Though my dish (Brazilian Lobster with Sea Scallops over Forbidden Rice) was quite enjoyable, I didn’t find it to be a standout or wildly amazing by any means, nor did my companions (two of whom ordered the same).

The bathrooms and the decor in general were very cliche and done, again, nothing outstanding, though not ugly.  The desserts, we all agreed, were made poorly/incorrectly, and not true to form.

All in all, a nice experience, but not one I’d repeat.

Yvo says:  Maybe if you can expense it, even though it’s not that expensive, it just doesn’t seem worth the price.  Also, they seemed to really slow down when more people arrived.

***Click on any picture to see full-sized.