Richard Sandoval’s first New York restauarant in seven years, Zengo (622 Third Ave., 212-808-8110)—which opens Tuesday in Midtown—may finally redeem fusion cooking from its trendy pitfalls. On the Latin-Asian menu, dishes like charred tuna tacos with a crispy wonton shell and halibut ceviche garnished with shiso leaf challenge even the most jaded palates. Sandoval grew up in Mexico, while chef de cuisine Ahktar Nawab, formerly of Elettaria, knows a few things about Asian flavors and a fusion approach. (Need more star power? Placido Domingo is a partner.)

“All of these dishes were developed for my first Zengo restaurant,” says Sandoval, who also has locations in Denver and D.C. “I sat down with [Nawab] and had him put in a little tweak from his side.”

The tri-level former Wild Salmon space has been decked out by the design wizards at AvroKO (Double Crown), and includes a mezzanine sake lounge as well as a subterranean tequila library called La Biblioteca. It’s a splashy return for Sandoval, who launched his career in NYC with Maya and Pampano but has since opened restaurants as far away as Dubai. Here, he gives us a tour of both the menu and the stunning space.

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