THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Secretes

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Secretes Restaurant Review:

When Jordy Lavanderos was growing up, his mother always told him not to play with his food. Now that this talented Mexican-Italian chef has his own restaurant and dreamed up a delectable menu of small plates, he's defying his mom in a big way. And we applaud him for doing so. This former Jean-Georges protégé (he's manned the stoves at Mercer Kitchen and Vong), who has also spent time in the kitchens at El Bulli and Arzak in Spain, serves up creative tapas dishes that reflect his roots: lobster gazpacho, served in a small glass and topped with sweet Serrano chili foam, is as complex as it is refreshing; the garlic soup croquettes, fried bite-size morsels that magically hold liquid garlic, burst with flavor when they hit the palette; and the ostrich saté with haricots verts in a pomegranate reduction is surprisingly harmonious on the taste buds. But save room for Lavanderos' encore: the dessert menu. The trio of tartlets----the daring goat cheese and Oreo cookie combination deliciously works, as does the dulce de leche with popcorn crust---is another reminder that playing with your food can yield some beautiful-tasting results.