“I was a little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds
Tight pants, points, hardly renowned.”
Along with owner, Danny Merkel, it was Bob Seger who greeted us when we arrived at Nudol last week. You see, you go to Nudol for two reasons. The vittles and the vinyl. And Seger was making “Night Moves” when we stepped through the glass doors.
It brought back memories of how uptight I was when, last year, I first opened those doors into Nudol’s Asian food bar. It was filled with 20- and 30-somethings except for at the back where there were turntables and DJs.
Now I’m a guy who struggled to stay up to the end of The Grammies. And not because I was tired. I was simply tired of listening to the same repetitive rhythms and unintelligible lyrics.
So how did I react to the music at Nudol? I loved it. The Stones. Eurythmics. Bowie. Aretha, Roxy Music. This was my kind of music. At my kind of volume. My ears were as happy as my tongue.
Don Day’s Wife and I were on a date night when we visited last week. Date night usually means an early evening, just the two of us, not too much alcohol, and a sharing some appies dinner which Nudol is almost ideal for. The food bar is very good for side-by-side conversation but, unless you’re outside, not the best for a family dinner.
Before I get into more of what’s good about Nudol, I’ll share one thing that’s not so good.
When you go, do not forget your iPhone. And I don’t mean forgetting it when you leave. I mean forgetting to take it there in the first place. For, without the magnifying feature on the phone’s camera, you may find the charming appearance of the little menu is not so charming when it comes to trying to read their wine list.
OK, back to what’s good about Nudol because, actually, the rest is all very good.
I don’t know how much emphasis you put on atmosphere when you dine out; I tend to take it for granted. Unless there’s something special. I’ve already mentioned the sounds of the mostly seventies/eighties soft rock. With sound goes light and, come sundown, most of Nudol’s light comes from candles. Especially delightful on date nights.
Another thing that’s pleasing to the eyes is the ceramic tableware. It’s classy and it partners well with the Asian cuisine.
OK, finally, what about the food that goes into those fancy dishes.
The menus in most Asian restaurants are long and often bewildering. Nudol’s menu is short and reasonably simple. The dishes are divided into four groups which I’ll call starters, noodles, bao and ramen. Nudol makes them very easy to share by supplying extra plates and utensils without a shrug or a frown from the server. We chose one dish from each page and, if your partner has a palate as wide as their smile like mine has, you might just want to duplicate our order.
The sauce on Nudol’s juicy chicken wings was syrupy without being overly sweet. The green onions and sesame seeds added a nice contrast to the poultry’s taste and texture.
The chubby fried pork-filled gyozas were in tasty wheat wrappers with a gentle crisp.
I asked Danny Merkel if there were any significant changes since our last visit. There was. Something I’d never ever seen another restaurant do. Nudol now offers a half size order of their ramen. Brilliant!
If I eat a whole order of ramen, I’m done for the day. But sharing a half order of Nudol’s shio. Perfect. Bring on another course.
I was more than thankful of cutting back on the soup when I saw how much pork belly there was on what Don Day’s Wife said might be the most delicate bao buns ever.
It was time for the sometimes nasty part of dinner dates. The cheque. And this is where I really like Nudol. By ordering “small plates” and sharing them, we were full but our wallet wasn’t empty. Not counting drinks and tip, our dinner date was 670 pesos. I think that was the tastiest part.
“Pick-up’s washed and you just got paid
With any luck at all, you might even get laid.”
DJ Bruno Landis’ needle was on Jimmy Buffett’s Rancho Deluxe as we made our exit. I almost hated leaving.
Look for the two bright lights and number 53 to the left when you’re looking for Nudol. The address is 53A Salida a Celaya in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open from 3:00 to 9:00 pm, Sunday and Monday; 3:00 to 10:00 pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; 3:00 to 11:00 pm, Friday.
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