Rayuela
165 Allen St.
(Stanton & Rivington Sts.)
Lower East Side
212.253.8840
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Rayuela
The grime of the artsy Lower East Side may be history, but the creativity still lives in its newfound chic-ness. No better example is Rayuela, the “freestyle” Latin lounge/restaurant featuring a ginormous wine list with 200 choices housed in a wooden rolodex. The imaginative specialty drinks are from The Modern’s famed mixologist, Junior Merino. This stylish, sophisticated two-floor establishment, named after the Spanish translation of "hopscotch," fittingly lists their specials with sidewalk chalk. Splashed with plush lounge couches, the ceviche bar is upstairs, and an imported olive tree grows in the downstairs dining room. Guys, if you forget to bring flowers, Junior’s got you covered with his signature “Coming Up Roses,” a mixture of Rose pedals, limes, rose water, Bacardi Razz, and champagne. True artistry.
RestaurantSheckySwanky Bars
Categories:   Credit Card -   Date Spot/Romantic -   Restaurant -   Shecky's Pick -   Swanky Bars -   Top Beer and Wine
Neighborhood:  Lower East Side
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Reader Rating
2 readers have rated this spot.

Reader Comments
1 readers have commented on this place.


Outstanding

One of the best places I've been to in NY in years. Seductive decor goes perfectly with an exciting menu by chef Maximo Tejada and cocktails by mixologist Junior Merino. I had the Pisco cocktail which was the perfect start to a dinner that started with lobster ceviche, moved to soup, salad, an appetizer and entree. For my soup, the Blanca y Negra turned out to be a yummy black and white bean version (the two soups side by side) of Cuban bean soup with grilled chicken. The Pera con Queso, pear with cheese was a glorious testament to their 'estilo libre Latino'. Empanada de Raya, a skate filled flaky empanada was rich in flavor and quite unusual. The Pato con Arepa, a duck dish combined both breast of duck with duck confit and foie gras with yellow corn arepa for an exceptional marriage of flavors. I was thrilled.
The Watermelon-lemongrass mojito was great. The wine list is big for a new restaurant, with a really grand selection of Latin American wines that are unusual in NYC.
Romantic decor makes this a great place for a date. At every view, the place is sexy and embues its Latin origins. The live olive tree makes for a great conversation starter.
You'll love it.

Posted by: Joe
On: 6/16/2007 8:00:00 PM

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