Em — Mike Palafox

EM

There’s elegance in this kitchen. But not the kind you show off. This is the quiet kind—the elegance of control, of discipline, of someone who’s sharpened their instincts as much as their knives. No shouting. No chaos. Just movement with purpose and a steady rhythm that guides the whole room.

Chef Lucho Martínez doesn’t dominate the kitchen with volume. He doesn’t need to. His presence is enough. Calm, focused, exacting. He sets the tone with how he holds a spoon, how he inspects a plate, how he carries a thought from the pass to the dish without ever saying it out loud.

What happens at Em isn’t theater. It’s something quieter and more demanding: consistency. Precision. That elusive blend of instinct and repetition that only comes from showing up every day and doing the work, even when no one’s watching.

The food reflects this same mindset. It doesn’t scream for attention—it invites you in. Every flavor is considered, every texture thought through. A plate built like a sentence: nothing extra, every word carrying weight. Smoke, citrus, umami, restraint. The punctuation is as important as the verb.

This isn’t the work of a chef resting on a single success. Beyond Em, Lucho has created El Martínez, a playful bar that wears his name, and Ultramarinos de Mar, his tribute to the ocean’s depth and grace. Different spaces, same discipline. Same pulse. Same quiet pursuit of something meaningful.

No gloss. No grandstanding. Just a man, his craft, and the calm storm of creation.