Damian’s fish tartare tostada with avocado, furikake and fresh herbs.

DAMIAN BEGAN as Mexico City-based chef Enrique Olvera’s grandly announced entrance to the L.A. market but has settled into a restaurant that feels intentionally engaged with the city, with progressively delicious results. In a region already rich in Mexican food culture, Damian’s leadership team, led by Jesús “Chuy” Cervantes, seems to ask through its cooking: What can we bring to the conversation? Answers come in the forms of a modernist tlayuda tiled with squash and huitlacoche; elegant duck “al pastor” served with caramelized pineapple butter and hand-formed corn tortillas that taste as if they’re made of sunshine; plus a masterpiece centered around a meaty bulb of celery root that has been nixtamalized, baked, then braised in garlic, lemon and butter.

At brunch, don’t book a reservation expecting a rundown of egg dishes. Go for pastry chef Josh Ulmer’s crunchy-soft blue corn conchas and the Korean-inspired fried chicken, sheathed in a batter of rice and white corn flours.

Housed in a former Arts District warehouse, the interior is mod and moody, though the terrace is especially stunning. Architect Alonso de Garay and designer Micaela de Bernardí have turned the area — amid industrial decay, offset with fresh planters built above winding banquettes — into something exhilarating: part art installation, part urban haven.

• 2132 E. 7th Place, Los Angeles, (213) 270-0178, damiandtla.com