THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Marisol

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Marisol Restaurant Review:

HURRICANE KATRINA: this establishment is currently closed. For a New Orleans Travel Update as well as resources, information and help click here. In an era when restaurant food sometimes is valued more for its ability to surprise than for its innate goodness, Chef Peter Vazquez is --- usually --- a godsend. Behold here a chef who takes lunch as seriously as dinner; there's always an endless antipasto buffet, pressed sandwiches and ethnic explorations that vary with the day. Chef Pete goes all-out Spanish during a tapas happy hour Wed.-Fri., and an eclectic international thread runs similarly through his dinner menu, such as in the appetizer parfait of house-cured salmon, wild Tasmanian salmon tartare, wasabi tobiko frappé and salmon caviar; and also in the signature Thai crab and coconut soup, which is one of the ever-changing menu's few mainstays. Occasionally novelty does take precedence here, and in those circumstances rare European cheeses may be inedibly over-aged, and potted foie gras may be too fraught with sinews to cut, much less chew. While the wine list is anything but encyclopedic, it contains a more-than-ample supply for pairing with the dishes, and service is fun and efficient without being overbearing. Beyond the bright, window-lined dining room lies a lush garden, with a half-dozen-or-so tables shaded by trees, flowering plants and shrubs.