Nelita

Elevated Italian. São Paulo, Brazil.

Apr 24, 2024

Visited 23 April 2024.

Helmed by chef Tássia Magalhães, Nelita is nestled amongst restaurants and bars on a lively street in the Pinheiros neighborhood of São Paulo. It has an inviting atmosphere, with warm lighting and exposed brick, the open kitchen set about 2/3 of the way into the restaurant, with a few tables at the back. A counter runs along the kitchen area where you can watch the chefs as they prepare your meal.

I was sat at the counter and was welcomed by Deborah, one of the many chefs commanding the female-only kitchen. She said she’d tell me about the dishes as they came and invited me to sit back and enjoy.

Beside me, a Cuban-American from Miami now living in Mexico City asked if I were getting the tasting menu. She was debating; she had come from a work happy hour and wasn’t sure if she was quite ready for the commitment. Ultimately, she decided against it; she comes for work a few times a year and there’s time enough to do it another night.

As the dishes came out, one of the standouts was the beetroot with yogurt. I told Deborah how much I loved it and she said that when they transitioned the chef said they had to keep that on the menu. It was bright but perfectly balanced, and I had to stop myself from licking the plate. The ziti was my second favorite dish, the cauliflower giving the dish bite, the cassava extra body. If I had one nit to pick, it’s that I wish the pasta dishes had a bit more bite to them. But then I like my pasta al dente.

Melody and I talked about Latin America and food and the nomad/expat lifestyle. We talked about meeting people and forging relationships in various parts of the world; how and when and where to establish communities. We both expressed some dismay when we meet people we connect with to find that they’re only visiting for a short while with no intention of returning. She said she recently made a friend who was living in CDMX for a month but now that they’ve gone she’s not sure if they’d ever connect again.

She told me she also heads to Buenos Aires regularly for work and as our dinners concluded we bid each other adieu with the thought that perhaps we’d meet again someday. In Mexico City, Buenos Aires, perhaps again in Brazil.