Rayuela Restaurant Review
165 Allen St. (Stanton St.) 
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New York, NY 10002
212-253-8840 | Make Restaurant Reservations
Cuisine
Open
Dinner nightly, Brunch Sat.-Sun.Features
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Outdoor dining
- Open late
- Casual
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 At first, diners can’t help but feel that the owners behind this spot are playing games. The name means “hopscotch” in Spanish, for starters. And the tri-level setting feels somewhat like a glorified tree house. An olive tree grows right through the middle of it, in fact, stretching from the clubby ground floor lounge up to the second floor dining room, where sheer drapes flow around moss-green couches and raw wood and stone accents complete a rustic hideaway tone. How seriously are we supposed to take a cuisine coyly coined “freestyle Latino” anyway? But despite all the fun and games, the kitchen isn't joking. Eleven distinct offerings of ceviche, for example, are as skillfully balanced as the lounge’s cocktails, from tiny bay scallops in kiwi juice perked up with radish and crispy Serrano ham to lobster with pineapple, jalapeño, coconut water, lemon grass and ginger. Mofongo balls---rounds of moist mashed plantain, dotted with bacon and served with shredded fried pork---and spongy, slightly sweet arepas (corn cakes) slathered with tart goat cheese aren’t flippantly conceived. And homespun entrées like lamb served two ways--in stew-like shreds stuffed in a red pepper and tender chops--offer enough high points to create a worthy playground for the palate.
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