Rivera Restaurant (CLOSED)

While chef John Rivera Sedlar’s Downtown restaurant may be modern Latin—three distinct environments make up the space: the Spanish Sangre room, South American Samba bar and the Mexican-inspired Playa Bar—you’ll find updated riffs on unmistakeably South-of-the-Border flavors and instant classics. Flan de elote ($11) is a sweet, delicate corn custard with black quinoa and squash blossom broth cooked a corn husk, while clam tamale holds tender cuts of the bivalve baked in the shell with masa, Poblano chiles, corn, garlic and oregano. Other gussied-up Mexican plates include Yucatán-style pork pibil ($26) that’s wrapped in banana leaf and sous-vided and obligatory tortillas ($8), made with housemade nixtamal, pressed with decorative flower and paired with "Indian butter," aka creamy avocado. Don't leave without a round of one of the signature cocktails from bar maestro Julian Cox: Barbacoa layers smoky mezcal with chipotle, jalapeño, ginger, agave and a decidedly hipster garnish—beef jerky.