100 Very Best Restaurants 2013: Jackie’s

What would Jackie’s be if you were to take away its hot-pink throw pillows, trade its exposed bulbs for “proper” lamps, and transport it from its row of auto-parts dealers to the ground floor of a hotel? The answer is that it would be so de-Jackied as to constitute a different place altogether. But perhaps then many diners wouldn’t persist in seeing it as merely a fun and funky night out but rather as the serious and ambitious restaurant it is.

The globally minded menu demonstrates chef Diana Davila-Boldin’s fluency in a variety of accents. (Her Mexican cooking is the finest in the area, with flavors that run deep and true.)

Of late, a preciousness has crept in and prices have edged higher. We’d hate to see Jackie’s abandon its distinctive niche—there aren’t enough restaurants as it is that take playfulness so seriously. Don’t miss: Mini-burgers with pimiento cheese; truffled cheese fries; sous-vide chicken wings; chicken Milanesa sandwich; cornmeal-fried tilapia with sweet-potato bread; grilled lobster with coconut rice; Autumn Apple dessert. Open: Monday through Saturday for dinner (cafe menu on Monday), Sunday for brunch and dinner. Moderate.