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MEXICAN. Sue Torres, whose imaginative Mexican cooking created fireworks at Hell's Kitchen, the West Side restaurant where she used to be head chef, is now working wonders at Sueños, in Chelsea, which she owns. Sueños, in Spanish, means "dreams." It's an apt name for the place, since Torres has dreamed up more than one way to put an original spin on a cuisine rich in tradition.

Her respect for that heritage is evident. In one corner of the magenta-hued dining room is a raised cooking station, where a young woman makes tortillas the way a Mexican home cook would. Those tortillas end up in many dishes. Some are cut into triangles and fried into crisp chips, served at the bar with a fiery green tomatillo salsa. Have a few with a "watermelon wonder" from the exotic drink menu. Made with fresh watermelon nectar, tequila and Grand Marnier, it lives up to its name.

To kick off the meal, our waiter brought a plate of warm fried cornbread triangles with a corn and bean dip. Everything on that plate disappeared within seconds. Also quick to vanish was a delightful appetizer of smoked duck breast mini tacos served with fingerling potatoes and an ancho vinaigrette. Oven-smoked pork picadillo empanadas with a refreshing jicama salad made for a satisfying start. I was somewhat let down by the lobster and corn fritters, which came with a smoked jalapeño cream sauce and citrus salad. Yes, it was good, but with Torres, you expect a certain spark, which was lacking.

That spark was present and accounted for in an entree of tamarind-glazed sirloin, the meat juicy and succulent, accompanied by a marvelous plantain-goat cheese pancake and nopales (cactus leaves). And there was plenty of verve in the chorizo and potato quesadilla, accompanied by a Macintosh apple salad, cool and spicy-hot. Coriander-crusted tuna was rare, as ordered, sliced into large squares arranged around a salad of organic greens, a mound of black beans and avocado alongside. And I loved the tortilla-crusted Chilean sea bass served with a chile rajas tamale, Mexican comfort food with a jolt.

Four of us were too full to manage more than two desserts. Lemon lime crepes with caramelized bananas, folded into little purses, were gooey and gratifying. Better yet was a wonderful bittersweet chocolate cake paired with cinnamon ice cream and cherry compote.

Servers, many of whom are Latin American, were helpful and considerate. This is the kind of place you'll want to know about, one with a hip, upbeat ambience and a reasonably priced menu. Appetizers run $5 to $10, main courses $17 to $23 and desserts, $7 to $8.25.

Of course, if you were so inclined, you could spend a lot of money - especially on drinks. The menu offers one $69 potion called "la bebida de sus sueños." It may very well be the drink of someone's reveries, but, at that price, not of mine. The food, however, I still daydream about. -- Joan Reminick

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Chelsea restaurants, Manhattan restaurants, Mexican restaurants