THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tangerine

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tangerine Restaurant Review:

In the hot-this-minute nightclub district, Tangerine is the only restaurant, and it's become a lunchroom of sorts for the Xers who work there. Nevertheless, the amazingly narrow room feels comfortable, at least at the dinner hour, for Boomers and others who come for a bite. Décor is, simply, not. Two television sets run an old Abbott & Costello movie, to the sound of Las Vegas lounge music. Chairs, giant hands cupped to cradle a derriere, give an opportunity for dozens of bad jokes. The menu changes bi-weekly; we suspect the kitchen god has a tendency to low-salt and maybe even occasional low-fat ideas, although this is neither bragged about nor apologized for, just not mentioned. Drinking is important here; both the cocktail and wine list are to the point and alluringly priced. Excellent margaritas come in various colors. Several salads are made with good greens, perhaps topped with warm new potatoes and artichoke hearts. Huge dolmas hold a loose underspiced rice filling that awaits a sharp yogurt-curry sauce. There's one fish entrée, a perfunctory gesture, but the heart of the brief menu comes from dishes like a trio of spinach-corn-potato enchiladas in a green chile sauce or stuffed cabbage, barely steamed, filled with a portobello risotto that needs salt, but otherwise manages rather well. Catered desserts lack passion.