Restaurant Review: Nada

So Nada harps itself as a contemporary Mexican restaurant in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. Yay for neat new restaurants in the heart of Cincy, but this one is what I'd call so-so.

The food was good, but not amazing. Nothing I'd crave again later. I had the tinga poblano, which is basically a chicken-chorizo stew with a tomato base and served with a side of rice. It was slightly spicy in a good way with a consistency reminiscent of a red curry. Even more so, it was $13. It was a good portion, but nothing memorable. My counterpart got the pork green chile, which he swears by. I tried a bite, and it was tasty. Heavy on the green chile flavor with chunks of perfectly braised pork.

For appetizers, we got the chips and guac. Now, seriously, I thought that the $1.50 for a scoop of guac at Chipotle was a bit much. Here, it was $7 for a basket of chips and guac that was comparable to Chipotle's self-proclaimed "silky, sexy guacamole". And the chips... oy. I think they were triple-fried and marinated in a tub of sea salt overnight. They were super crunchy, but super greasy and absurdly salt-tastic.

The atmosphere was pretty sweet, with a neat staircase to the top floor of tables (although we sat on the first floor). They also have outside seating. They were quite busy for a Tuesday lunch, with a very different mix of people. I expected all corporate downtowners on their lunch breaks, but that didn't seem to be the case: Old, young, corporate and just casual diners. But seriously, girls-who-work-at-Nada, for a Tuesday lunch, did you have to dress like you were going to a club on Saturday? Seriously?

The bottom line was: I just don't get it. Maybe it's just not my style.