this restaurant used to be called lucy latin kitchen, but the upgrades and changes are brand new, and the flavors are the most innovative, most delicious of a latin restaurant in a very long time in new york. the ideas are fresh without being 'fusion-y'. chef carmen gonzalez arrived from miami with a menu of innovative but simple puertorican specialties, and a friendliness that allows her to breeze in & out of the kitchen to give a hello & recipe tip to interested diners. 
as this establishment is downstairs from the dance studio, we decided in having a post-class bite there this past weekend & found that the changes to the menu (lucy latin kitchen to lucy of gramercy) will be nothing, if not well received. we ordered a small smattering of tapas, the alcapurrias, filled with white meat chicken, yuca fries with fresh garlic mayonnaise, and the finest, most perfectly seasoned garlic spinach ever. the baby spinach leaves were so delicately prepared, it was more like a salad, with toasted garlic, sea salt, simple black pepper and lemon juice. chef carmen proves here that simplicity is they key to everything. although we initially ordered one side of this beautifully dressed green, we ordered one more immediately after grazing as ladylike as we could on the first & nearly fought for the second as it arrived.
the bar is equipped with a know-it-all bartender, a wonderfully friendly mixologist, some of the best homemade potato chips ever fried and chifles to munch while you ponder the drink menu. the bottles of wine are well priced, tasting of the juicy cocktails is permitted in teensy little glasses and everyone has a sense of humor and wants to get to know your name at this place. the staff is friendly, good looking, the music is upbeat and swinging, and the food, the real star is inspired and filling, even in tapas portions. this could be the place that makes us show up more & more 4 dance class, just so we have an excuse for albariño and alcapurrias!
