Oficina Latina: Nolita's Latin American Oasis

Paolo Votano and Maurizio Busato forged their partnership and friendship more than a decade ago in Italy's thriving food landscape. Votano, an award-winning mixologist and consultant in Milan, met Busato while consulting at his famed Gasoline Road Bar in Venice, a Route-66-themed restaurant. Busato's concept was later acquired by Heineken and successfully franchised across Italy. Now the two have brought their expertise to Nolita's Oficina Latina, which is inspired by the Carretera Panamericana, the famed Pan American highway that crosses the Americas. Drawing on the cultures along this vibrant Latin American route, Oficina Latina offers approachable, authentic dishes and libations that reflect the diverse tastes on this culinary road map.

The space itself transports you to a romanticized roadside "pit stop", warmly adorned in eclectic accents and Pan-American souvenirs that tell stories of their cultures. Each detail is lovingly curated by the owners, from the tin ceilings to the garage-inspired work lights, integrated into a fluid, cozy dining space where recycled wood and antique fireplaces are set off by imported, vintage fixtures with a warm Latin feel. As you enter the dining room, a narrow, subway-tiled communal table extends from the bar - an invitation to blend the bartending space with an exciting dining experience.

Start your engine with something from the cocktail list, conceived as both "easy" and "particular" by lifelong drink specialist Votano. Eschewing cocktail revival trends in favor of pure flavor and fresh ingredients, Votano infuses his spirits in-house, and shakes up surprising twists like an Avocado-Cilantro Margarita, a beguilingly lush puree of the traditional tequila cocktail. Feeling fresh? The Kumquat Caipirina takes Brazilian cachaca on a tart, balanced and tangy turn. Or make it smoky with a daring Chipotle Mezcalita, an extremely spicy, sophisticated dose of firewater garnished with a dried chipotle pepper - it's smooth going down, but with a beautiful burn. And if you're not distracted by the incredibly long list of tequilas, rums and cachacas, turn to beers, imported from up and down Latin America. Brews include classic Mexican drafts alongside exotic bottles like Nicaragua's golden-clean Tona lager, or Brazil's smooth black Xingu.

Of course it's the food that heats up the eclectic dining room, drawn from all parts of Latin America and interpreted with New York flair. Under the advisement of Venezuelan-born Consulting Chef Ilma Lopez, a veteran of both elBulli and Cafe Boulud, and Mexican-born Chef de Cuisine Abraham Trinidad, the menu charts a fiery roadtrip of taste. Start off sharing tapas like the elevated Arepas, Venezuelan street snacks turned refined in spinach masa pockets bursting with black olives, avocado and queso. Ecuadorian-inspired pear and Tuna Kebabs blend sweet and savory to seared perfection, while bright and fresh-flavored Peruvian lime-poached calamari and scallops are met with an unusual pineapple-cilantro twist - surprising and tangy. Don't miss the decadent fried blood sausage, with a little crema to mellow it down.

Tortas provide sandwich-style comfort, like the huge Chivito Uruguayo, a classic Uraguayan sandwich-stand-staple seldom seen outside of its homeland: a brioche bun piled high with grilled steak, ham, bacon, olives, lettuce, tomato, cheese and even a fried egg. A chic, deconstructed Feijoada turns the black-bean peasant stew into more than the sum of its parts, each perfectly prepared element - pork leg, spinach, bacon, plantain - served separately for you to mix in a coconut bowl. Other mains,
like Mexican braised lamb shank with plantain puree, are perfect to share - or keep to oneself.

Wines from Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uraguay, Mexico and even Baja California provide the perfect accompaniment to your meal, whether by the glass or b