Ruxbin

Alter Ego Form partner Davide Nanni has repurposed everything from movie-theater seats to apple-juice crates to leather jackets to turn this teensy BYOB into a glowing, energetic mind-funk. Chef Edward Kim (who owns the restaurant with his sister Vicki and friend Jenny Kim) takes a more understated approach to the food, levying subtle tweaks on contemporary American fare. The menu changes seasonally, but the "K-Town empanadas" (filled with kimchee and Oaxacan cheese), crispy eggplant (tossed with honey-cardamom yogurt) and pan-seared trout (served with addictive date-studded tabbouleh) seem to have become the restaurant's year-round signatures.