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Dining Review: Colors

A mini restaurant row of sophisticated, upscale restaurants has developed along Lafayette Street. Among them is Colors, which has a pedigree and story unlike any of the others. It?s an inspiring tale of survival, perseverance, and triumph: Colors is owned and operated by former employees of Windows on the World, the restaurant atop the World Trade Center before it was destroyed on 9/11.

These worker-owners from 24 different countries raised $2.2 million (including a $.5 million equity investment from a group of Italian cooperatives) to create a memorable worker cooperative with a diverse international menu. Many dishes stem from the family recipes of the restaurant?s staff. Yet no one need dine here out of sympathy or support for its hardworking crew -- this eatery is comfortable and cosmopolitan with warm brasserie touches and serves exceptionally diverse food at fair prices.

The staff is diverse, too, from Jean Emy Pierre, its gifted Haitian executive chef, to the deferential Indian waiters; Asian, Latino, and African-American workers; and personable hostess of Swedish lineage.

The uniformly superb dishes create culinary echoes of Italy, France, Mexico, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Thailand, and India, as well as traditional barbecue ribs and steak selections. Standouts among the 18 tapas are a sinfully creamy pumpkin risotto laced with Parmesan, saffron, and chestnut bits; a spirited, cilantro-colored pozole verde (Mexican shrimp soup) alive with tomatillos, radishes, red onions, and Chihuahua cheese; a smoky tuna, mayo, caper, and topiko creation combined with crisp taro chips; and tender, fall-from-the-bone barbecue pork ribs. A tequila-powered ceviche shooter, packed with shrimp and scallops, and a no-filler crabcake accompanied by an apple-and-jicama slaw also make a favorable impression.

The curried goat, with its lentil rice cake, will make believers of the skeptical: Think pulled pork or mellow, slow-cooked pot roast. The Dominican-style pork tenderloin boasts sweet plantain and spicy tomato-salsa nuances; browned jumbo sea scallops receive unexpected enhancement from beets-and-orange marmalade; and pan-seared duck breast also benefits from its daikon, juniper, and ginger platemates.

For dessert, the crème brulee and molten chocolate cake are all that they should be while the warm spiced donut, stuffed with dulce de leche, the robust passionfruit cheesecake, and wafer-topped citrus pana cotta are even more than that.

417 Lafayette Street

between Astor Place & 4th Street

212-777-8443;

www.colors-nyc.com