THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Chinoiserie

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Chinoiserie Restaurant Review:

Chinoiserie takes another step toward making basement dining in a hotel ultra-trendy, as the Mercer Kitchen did at the Mercer in SoHo. Descend into the bowels of Hotel Giraffe and find yourself in an of-the-minute spot where Asian-like light fixtures cast a dim glow over the glittering beautiful people who've made Chinoiserie home, at least until the next chi-chi opening. Oversized round tables are made of poured concrete with wells in the center where candles and colorful flowers float, and the color scheme uses black and red liberally. The overall effect is something like a post-modern opium den. Though Mark Murphy, a young, talented chef who made a name for himself at La Fourchette (an Upper East Side place now closed), mans the kitchen, early indications suggest our young culinarian is not living up to his potential. The menu balances French and Asian influences more or less equally and they often appear to be in competition. Examples include seafood spring rolls with tarragon essence, Szechuan crab and cod cake, lamb with tamarind essence and grilled mahi-mahi on smoked tofu. For now, we'll continue to enjoy Chinoiserie's white-hot scene and, hopefully, once Murphy hits his stride, we'll go for the food, too.