Introducing: Valdez, the new Latin American restaurant from Top Chef Canada alum Steve Gonzalez

The Drinks: Tequilas and mescals, as well as several kinds of pisco (a South American liqueur). Cocktails are Latino spins on bar classics, like the Estilo Viejo old-fashioned made with mescal and a mojito muddled with cilantro instead of mint. Three beers and two house wines are also available.

The Place: The corridor space is designed by Ian Rydberg, the guy behind La Carnita’s graffitied aesthetic. Chairs and elm-topped tables painted in flashy reds, yellows and blues warm up concrete floors and grey steel fixtures.

The Numbers: • 50-foot emerald green marble bar • 400 imported Spanish tiles on the underside of the bar • 4000 pounds of steel and 2000 pounds of oak used to furnish the interior • 8 people required to haul the five-foot flattop into the open kitchen • 5 different kinds of ceviche on the menu