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Mexican Dreams

Chef Sue Torres Brings Her Dreams To Life In Sueños

A really good dream transports you to another world where every discovery is captivating and delightful. So it is with Sueños, which means “dreams” in Spanish.

Sueños reflects Torres’ love of all things Mexican. From the décor, to the selection of tequilas, to the insistence on a true cocinera, or tortilla lady, working on a comal in the main dining room, Torres pays homage to the centuries of tradition that have woven together Mexico’s flavors and ingredients. The menu’s dishes reflect Torres’ understanding of the country’s regional diversity, as well as her classical culinary training. Torres also incorporates Mexican ingredients into her dessert menu, which features lemon-lime crepes with caramelized bananas and mango sauce, and sponge cake with mixed berries, Crema de Mezcal whipped cream and raspberry sauce.

At Sueños, chiles are celebrated with their own $50 prix-fixe tasting menu featuring four courses (including dessert). The ever-changing dishes, each prepared with one chile as its star, will include fava bean and drunken goat cheese empanada with tomato-smoked jalepeño coulis; pan-seared grouper with guava-costeno puree and plantain chips; chile rubbed goat steamed with Negra Modelo, and lemon-lime crepe with caramelized banana.

To develop her beverage menu, Torres turned to nationally acclaimed beverage consultant, Steve Olson, who has shaped the wine and spirits menus of many of the country’s top restaurants. With Olson, Torres selected an array of New World wines that fit both her culinary creations and her price range. Tequilas and mezcals will take center stage at Sueños, with many that are handcrafted by small producers using 100 percent organically grown agave.

To create the right setting for her menu, Torres hired Bogdanow Partners Architects, who took advantage of the Chelsea property’s receded entrance located through a short passageway. By drawing guests into this hidden door, Sueños furthers the sense of discovery for its guests. And to ensure that the restaurant doesn’t go undiscovered, Bogdanow refashioned the storefront on West 17th Street, to display Sueños’ bustling kitchen.

Within the restaurant, guests discover not one, but three spaces, each with its own dream-like quality. A palette of colors reminiscent of the paintings of Frida Kahlo is used in the deep blue bar area, the Southwestern peach courtyard, and the magenta dining room. Within the center of the restaurant sits a glass-enclosed oasis featuring a tranquil fountain flowing into a small pond surrounded by river rocks, trees and foliage. Sunlight filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows to further brighten the peach and magenta dining areas. And as if onstage, the cocinera appears on a raised platform in the corner of the main dining room, where she tends to the comal and prepares fresh guacamole and other treats. To further evoke Mexico’s artistic styles, Torres commissioned New York artist Lucas Moran to create pine dream boxes to hang on the walls.

Chef Torres’ passion for Mexico knows no bounds, and with annual trips to cook beside some of the country’s culinary stars as well as beside her friends’ mothers and grandmothers, she is able to continually hone her knowledge of this country’s expansive culinary range.