 Architects

Sebastian Mariscal Studio

 Location
New York, USA
 Project Team
Sebastian Mariscal, Jeff Svitak, Carlos de la Mora
 Project Manager
Jeff Svitak
 Lighting Designer
Cooley Monato Studio
 Project Year
2009
 Photographs
Paul Rivera
Text description provided by the architects. The discovery of a finely crafted wooden box set
into an existing building on 10th Ave. immediately defines the initial intentions of this design:
mystery, discovery, and contradiction.

The visitor enters this rustic wooden box and is removed from the noisy Manhattan streets.
An exquisite marble host-table floats within the space enclosed in reclaimed wood.
However, this is only a glimpse of what exists beyond. The limited view increases the
tension and desire for exploration.

In the following space, a sparkling brass vestibule glows within a second wooden box. This
stimulating entry leads to a 40-foot, monolithic marble bar resting on a distressed concrete
floor. The bar also defines the long corridor towards another space at the end of the
restaurant, set at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Here the lights dim and one finds oneself
contained in a volume woven entirely in Ocotillo canes. A series of concrete forms
simultaneously enclose this main dining hall and integrate it with the various res- taurant
services. Once inside, the experience is no longer defined by the relationship of the
restaurant with New York City; here the magic belongs to a fantastical experience that is
characteristic of Latin America.