Gardenia, Greenwich Village, NYC

Smokefall — at the Lucille Lortel —is about a family with a mother pregnant with twin boys, a father who says goodbye one morning and never returns,a retired colonel grandfather slipping into senility, a daughter who’s vowed not to speak and who has pica behaviors and a guide providing insightful footnotes about what is transpiring. After seeing this haunting drama, we headed to Gardënia, a Latin American fusion restaurant, in the neighborhood. We were invited as their guests.

With our cocktails, our friendly server suggested we order the freshly made guacamole topped with sumac and pomegranate ($13), served with housemade potato, yucca and sweet potato chips, and the blue-corn crusted calamari and sliced plaintain ($15) in a sweet-sour vinaigrette; and — my favorite — the vegetarian empanadas filled with corn, manchego, fresh spinach and pine nuts served with a chile amarillo sauce that contained just the right amount of kick ($15). You’ll find these goodies on their “for the table” menu.

From their “to start” listing, we tried the fried tilapia tacos ($14) topped with slaw and drizzled with that same piquant amarillo sauce; and their tender grilled octopus in a tomato sauce (anticuchera romesco) with fingerling potatoes cooked in squid ink and black olive and the chile amarillo aioli for dipping.

I’d recommend both entrees we tried. The paella negra ($29) — consists of squid ink rice cooked with calamari, mussels, chorizo, shrimp, peas, peppers, fresh kale and avocado aioli. And even better is the tender, juicy roasted chicken flavored with onion, garlic and thyme served with roasted potatoes, Brussels spouts and pepperocini ($22). We couldn’t resist ordering the sweet potato fries, too ($7).

Do save room for dessert. We sampled the three fried churros served with condensed milk ice cream, chocolate and dulce de leche that’s all doused with fresh hot espresso ($10); and the chocolate mouse cake with mango ice and pomegranate crumble ($9)