"At first blush, there doesn’t appear to be much to BRUTØ. The snug corner space it occupies in the Free Market downtown is mostly taken up by an open kitchen, around which a two-sided chef’s counter is lined with 18 seats, supplemented by a lone four-top. But when that kitchen is cranking right in front of them, the guests filling those seats will discover there is indeed very much to BRUTØ. Chef Michael Diaz de Leon’s six-course tasting menus reflect myriad inspirations and influences: his Mexican heritage, for one, as well as broader Latin American and Asian cuisines. Your meal might start with a duo of panipuri filled with stone fruit–chile broth and corn panisse alongside corn, bean, and squash chow chow or heart of palm–Pink Lady apple ceviche in coconut leche de tigre. It might end with a spice-dusted, funnel cake–like buñuelo garnished with persimmon caramel or slices of confit delicata squash and hibiscus-poached pear. In between, you might receive braised bison short rib atop mole negro–infused congee in a black-garlic demi or roasted-cauliflower birria accompanied by housemade tortillas, an array of pickles inspired by Korean banchan, and refried adzuke beans." - Ruth Tobias
