There’s something in the food at NueveNueve that tastes, so to speak, different.
NueveNueve, a restaurant that opened its doors on 99th Street and Northern Boulevard only three months ago, has all the traditional dishes typical of Latin American cuisine – empanadas, rotisserie chicken, quesadillas, rice and beans. The difference, however, the secret, lies in their six homemade sauces.
NueveNueve customers have the opportunity to try these sauces – yellow chile, jalapeno cilantro, the nuevenueve chile – the spiciest of the sauces – BBQ honey chipotle sauce, Bourbon sauce, and honey mustard sauce – and incorporate them into their food.
The sauces come automatically with an order of the rotisserie chicken, which has been marinated over three days in a mix of nine spices, but if one orders the sauces you can dip your chicken or beef skewers, your grilled chicken breast, or even your fried yucca in these delicious gravies.
The diversity in the area of Corona, Jackson Heights, and East Elmhurst has caused NueveNueve to pay a lot of attention to the tastes of the clientele, something very visible in the menu.
“We wanted to have a Pan-American menu to reflect the community’s diversity,” said Juan Torres, who along with his partner Luis Cepeda, both Dominicans, decided that the dishes would not consist only of Caribbean cuisine, but would include all of Latin America.
For example, the customer, not the chef, chooses the sides. If you don’t want to eat rice you can order the Roasted Chipotle Potato Salad or the Sautéed Mixed Vegetables. Or if you come with a group and you want tapas, you can order sweet potato, potato or yucca fries.
This offer is particularly good with the midday lunch special. This only costs $5 and comes with a quarter rotisserie chicken and a side. For $9, you will get a quarter rotisserie chicken, a side, soup or a salad, and a drink – affordable prices for a community of mixed incomes.
During the recent grand opening of the restaurant, the chef, Hugo Ore, who has more than 25 years of experience as a professional in the kitchen, prepared special appetizers, which NueveNueve hopes to incorporate into its catering menu or as special dishes.
These included fried green plantains, called tostones, shaped like cups and filled with shrimp dressed with a mango glace. Also, a chicken with chipotle sauce served over a fried potato. The presentation of both was modern and the flavor was light and tasty.
Another appetizer served at the grand opening was the calamari with yellow chile, which leaves a sweet first impression. But in savoring a little longer, suddenly your palate will taste and feel something completely new – the heat of the chile. A very different, but very good, surprise!
The most remarkable thing about NueveNueve is the power it gives the customer to discover new flavors with each bite, a tactic that will make it a favorite spot in the community.
NueveNueve Restaurant
99-01 Northern Boulevard
Corona, Queens 11368
718-426-9099
Open seven days a week
From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover
99-01 Northern Boulevard
Corona, NY
