PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

I'm usually wary of overly presented and overpriced Mexican food, much preferring the working-stiff stuff I can buy from the taco trucks in east Harlem. Pampano, however, does things with Mexican ingredients, especially seafood, that no taco truck I know has ever done before -- and the lovely, lush town house location is much more comfortable. You might want to venture from the fish on the menu, but I wouldn't recommend it. Start with the tasting of either three or four ceviches; they are all spectacular, especially the mahimahi bathed in lemon juice, cilantro, chilies, and avocado. For a rare and special treat, try a lobster taco -- you won't find that at your local taqueria. Of the entrees, it would be difficult to order anything but the fantastic pampano adobado, sautéed pompano with creamy black rice, roasted garlic, and chile guajillo sauce, but you won't suffer too much if you settle for the memorable pan-fried baby red snapper in a chile de arbol sauce. Save room for chocolate flan for dessert and maybe a cleansing shot of one of the restaurant's many excellent tequilas. Pampano is a scene, but a festive one with a lively bar and a beautiful upstairs dining area.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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