Fiorito

At Little Haiti's Fiorito, food is cooked and served by the owners, a rarity in our chef-idolizing town. Brothers Maximiliano and Cristian Alvarez gutted a Haitian cafeteria and filled it with coiled light bulbs, red-brick walls, and photographs. Cristian reigns from the kitchen. Maximiliano helms the front of the house as runner, busboy, server, and, occasionally, sommelier. Things can move slowly, but don't mind the wait. Try the simple salad with arugula, pickled cabbage, and cherry tomatoes, plopped atop pan-seared Pacific corvina, its flaky flesh steaming and dripping. Get the homemade flan served with a dollop of dulce de leche. It's all delicious, so take your time. After all, a meal at Fiorito is nicest when you forget your watch.