Ofrenda

NYC's maxing out on Mex these days, with of a slew of new and upscale south-of-the-border spots like Cascabel and MXco. The latest gringo: Ofrenda, from the same folks behind Café Condesa. Although the menu's foundation is decidedly Mexican, chef-owner Luis Arce Mota throws a coupla curve balls: Pomegranate sauce punches up a pork milanesa, anchovy boquerones are doused with black-live puree, and crab chimichanga is paired with tamarind sauce. No shocker there: Mota, a Le Cordon Bleu grad who worked at both Bouley and Carmine's, uses French techniques to anchor his Mexican cooking. He also adds "a little bit of Italian," he jokes, by using loads garlic, which he loves: in his sherry-wine caramones, in his flounder veracruz, in his mashed potatoes. And in a nod to Stateside palates, he's even got a "burger"—but this one's made with Serrano ham, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli.

See more: West Village restaurants, Mexican restaurants