Paula Patton is powering up for 'Disconnect'

• Paula Patton plays one-half of an emotionally distant couple in %27Disconnect%27
• The film explores how technology can both help and hurt society
• In reality%2C Patton limits her screen time and that of her 3-year-old son

NEW YORK — The challenge, by no means a weak one, is finding authentic, hearty Mexican food in gourmand-challenged Midtown, an area populated with sterile corporate dining havens.

Paula Patton, who plays a tech devotee in her newPaula Patton is powering up for 'Disconnect' drama, Disconnect, surveys the handhelds lined up in front of her in a stack that includes the brand-new AT&T Facebook phone and numerous Windows devices, then picks up the new BlackBerry Z10. She's a hungry actress on a mission.

"My favorite app is Yelp. I love to eat. I eat a lot. My husband and I do. On the app, it tells you what's open and what's closest to you. And I think the ratings are pretty accurate," Patton says as she scrolls through the offerings the app turns up.

The top contender is Toloache, which has steady reviews and is mere blocks away. And it's open. "No offense, but California has New York beat on the Mexican food, so this way, we can find out where it is here," she says. "After this, I'm having some lunch."

The ebulliently outgoing Patton is vastly different from her character in Disconnect, which opens Friday. She plays one-half of an emotionally estranged couple whose dirty laundry is aired online after they become the victims of identity theft. "It's a drama and a dramatic thriller about the new digital age," says Patton, 37. "I love the character of Cindy. I always want to find someone new and fresh, because playing myself holds no interest for me."

Plus, it didn't exactly hurt that buff Alexander Skarsgård would be her better half, something that didn't bother Patton's own husband, crooner Robin Thicke. "I knew Alex would be my husband. It's a win-win. My husband is a pretty confident man. We share and read whatever each one of us is doing. It's not like we're making Fifty Shades of Grey. This is about a couple that's very disconnected."

To avoid that same fate, she and Thicke limit their screen time at home. Patton says she unplugs when she's with son Julian, 3, and leaves whatever gadget she's using in her purse. And they regulate Julian's online time as well, allowing him to play a few favorite apps, including Monkey Lunchbox, in small doses. Mostly, she uses the Internet for research and to do a little shopping, and her phone to memorialize her son's cutest moments.

"I think we need to take some pictures. Feel that. Work it. Get it," she announces, holding the Samsung Galaxy camera in front of her. "I mostly take photos and videos of my son."

She adds: "I don't Google myself anymore. It's a bad idea. The couple of times I've done it, it ended up with me having a hangover the next day and a good week of hating myself."

She's equally tough with her toddler and says she's the stricter parent. "But we're on the same page. I tell my son that I'm doing this because I love you," she says. "Your son might be annoyed for a second, but he loves you just the same. He's my best friend. I can take him anywhere."