An Asian standby rises again

Great originals occasionally warrant a remake -- Ocean's 11 became a smash by subbing Pitt and Clooney in for the Rat Pack, and Willard proved audiences never get tired of Crispin Glover controlling packs of rats. Coming at you bigger, better, newer – Madame Tong's REDEUX.

After the previous incarnation fell victim to its former owner's well chronicled financial blunders, MT's been brought back for a second go by the owner of the UWS's Prohibition and a French-trained chef boasting kitchen experience from Singapore to London; new steez includes Brazilian cherry floors and a dark mahogany bar, but Asian accents've been held over, from standing Buddhas, to Chinese lanterns, to Fu Dog dragons -- leave 'em alone at home, and all your stuff may get (man)chewed. The menu's been overhauled 100%, starting with simple snacks of steamed bok choy or stir-fired veggies before shifting to apps like handmade pork/veggie dumplings w/ soy-scallion sauce, tamarind glazed spare ribs, and tuna & beet tartar w/ pomegranate ponzu drizzle, which unlike ponzi drizzles won't suck all the sauce out of you. Sushi rolls run from Alaskan lump crab w/ spiced "Harichi" mayo to tempura-fried lobster knuckles/claws, while less rice-y fare includes crispy Long Island duck breast, Thai chicken in coconut lime curry, and a tuna-steak-topped vegetable stir fry called the Tuna "Ching Chong Chew", satisfying Rosie O'Donnell's voracious appetite for racism. And food.

In addition to the interior bar, the outdoor sushi stations have been converted into sauce stands, all to sling four variations of mojitos (each made with a different kind of infused rum) and margs like the watermelon/jalapeño-infused tequila/agave/lime Pink Orchid -- so tasty you'll ask the bartender to remake it again and again, at least until you run out of cheese.