THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Archipelago

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Archipelago Restaurant Review:

Chef Hisanobu Osaka (Morimoto) blends the sensual feast of French gastronomy with the high quality, seasonality, and aesthetic presentation of Japanese cuisine. Chef Osaka brings the five senses alive with his three-course menu of appetizers, main dishes and shokuji (starches). Start with the usuzukuri, five sea bream rolls with shiso, ume, chives, yuzu pepper or jalapeño, all topped by a clam gelée and hot scallion oil, which cooks the fish. For mains, try the seared duck breast with crispy, slightly salty skin, a side of orange cumin carrots, a confit of leg and potatoes, and a sauce of shiitake duck jus. For the third course, go for the chawan mushi, spicy green curry ravioli and chicken consommé---think smooth yet spicy egg drop soup. The dessert menu also impresses with its three-layer chocolate tower of raspberry mousse, chocolate mousse and vanilla génoise---worthy of a Parisian pâtisserie. One drawback: Like many archipelagos in the world, it is a trek to get to this isolated outpost in west SoHo. But once you do, the airy yet surprisingly cozy corner eatery proves worth the walk.