"Carnal is sneakily a fine dining experience, even if it brands itself as a casual spot. This small Oaxacan restaurant from the Simón chef is somewhere you go for run-of-the-mill plans like hangover brunch with your friends, but the food looks (and tastes) worthy of a special occasion. Familiar Mexican ingredients are spliced together in ways that get your feet tapping under Carnal’s long communal table: fatty tuna tlayudas sprinkled with chile-dusted grasshoppers, a vegan mushroom ceviche negro that jolts your mouth, and a pink-in-the-middle duck breast that your server dowses in smoky mole negro. And just when you start to question if Carnal is all that “casual” after all, the chef’s cousin offers you a humble café de olla in a ceramic mug because it’s good for digestion. Take them up on it." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce, cathy park
