THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Ruby Lounge

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Ruby Lounge Restaurant Review:

Slip into your chartreuse sweater set and black capri pants to meet the hip crowd on its own ground. Otherwise, come as you are to dine well at one of mid-town's rising stars. The team of David Smith and chef Mary Soto took over recently, and they've really put the gloss on the Lounge's day-for-night aura. Catch the full buzz of a chrome-yellow-meets-midnight-blue interior on the lower level, or head upstairs to ruby-walled environs for a moodier feed. Chef Soto draws on her checkered past---an Italian mother, a Mexican father, a stint in coastal Florida---to turn out a vibrant, worldly menu. Add Smith's great eye for value in fine wines and you've doubled the fun. A crumb-stuffed, roasted poblano pepper topped with toasted cheese sits joyously astride its clutch of greens. The lagniappe platter of crisply fried calamari, oysters, and curried-cream stuffed wontons will satisfy a crowd. Grouper topped with a crab and corn relish dotted with pecans sports a gossamer white wine and lemon sauce, while a double-cut pork chop plays the carny beneath a slick of chipotle-spiked barbecue sauce. Sides of slaw and black beans and rice bring that dish on home. Lighter fare, too, exhibits a confident hand, whether the variously topped brick-oven pizzas or a homespun meatloaf sandwich with fries.