ABC Cocina - Jean Georges Vongerichten's Hot New Spot

Just try to dine at ABC Cocina without ordering the guacamole.

Almost before you settle into one of the fetching banquettes at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's comely follow-up to ABC Kitchen, your waiter will be all over you, proffering a bowl.

Let him or her foist. Pelted with sunflower seeds and English peas, hooked on the side with a big wedge of lime and joined by warm, crunchy tortillas ($11), this guacamole is as satisfying a vehicle as any we've had for inhaling avocados (get the recipe here).

The dish is also a welcome buddy during the ordering process, and a bridge to carry you across each wave of Spanish- and Latin-inspired small plates.

A word of warning: We do not consider ourselves meek of mouth, but the chile heat of some dishes here comes on like a bullet train.

A sugar snap pea salad with citrus dressing and sour cream ($10) sounds serene. But this light, bright salad conceals an off-putting blitzkrieg's worth of chiles. Same goes for the spring pea empanada with green chile yogurt ($6).

But most of the dishes we had were soul-satisfyingly on point. Try the arroz con pollo, with bits of crackling skin and lemon zest ($19); gooey, spicy ham-and-cheese fritters ($10); and the patatas bravas, with a spicy-tangy sauce and rosemary aioli ($8).