Tijuana Picnic

To breach the borders of Mexican cuisine, Acme vets Jon Neidich and Jean-Marc Houmard have joined forces with chef Alex Lopez (Kittichai), who twists flavors from his Mexico City childhood with 12 years of training in Asian kitchens. The result, a revision of Latin dishes fused with Indian, Creole and Vietnamese ingredients, is evident in the large-format pork neck with Thai-spiced chimichurri sauce and a tortilla soup bobbing with mini Chinese pork dumplings. “For us, there is something inherently fun and social about Mexican cuisine,” says Houmard. “We’re upping the quality, but there’s no formality involved—everything is casual but meticulously executed.” The bi-level lounge—brimming with hand-painted wooden tables, tequila-bottle table lamps and green-and-yellow Mexican tiles—boasts an expanded bar below ground, where NoMad drink slinger Jim Kearns narrows in on mescal and tequila. Margaritas are shaken with avocado and tomatillo, and palomas are laced with poblano peppers.