(From November 2009) Chef-owner Marco Wiles’s first-rate Italian restaurant—his flagship—can satisfy a multitude of appetites. One of us started with a sinfully rich black truffle risotto and followed that with a thick veal chop topped with a bit of olive oil, some roasted tomatoes, and arugula. The other began with burrata cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes followed by a grand slab of seared Alaskan halibut in a light tomato broth. We shared a side dish of great garlicky spinach. Beer & wine.

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(From November 2009) Thank goodness we got in one last visit before chef-owner Andrew Weissman announced the closing of Le Rêve. (He’s now focusing on new venture Il Sogno and is brainstorming other ideas as well.) Our last meal included a slider, but one with élan, i.e., foie gras, a bit of mango gelée, and oven-roasted tomato on a tiny brioche bun. Yes, we ate it with our fingers, even in the midst of the elegant surroundings. More-substantive items were just as enticing, like a melt-in-your-mouth pepper-crusted filet of beef and a rack of lamb deboned into a photo-worthy presentation with a fruit-studded pyramid of coconut curry couscous. Surprises like this have kept us coming back to this little jewel box perched above the river for eleven years—Le Rêve, we’ll miss you! Beer & wine.

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(From November 2009) As always, innovation is Avner Samuel’s trademark at this swank dining room. Atop a cool slice of watermelon, fresh crab flavored with sweet curry and bits of Fuji apple was graced with arugula, frisée, and a tangy citrus-balsamic dressing—the perfect light appetizer. Seared red snapper surrounded by an assortment of small golden beets and fingerling potatoes wasn’t as dazzling as that first course but was nonetheless perfectly acceptable. Dessert was the real tour de force: a dark chocolate bombe with fluffy layers of passion fruit and chocolate mousse hidden within and sprinkled with crumbled pralines. Bar.

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(From November 2009) There are spices at Indika that are not for the faint-of-palate, but the servers at this contemporary, colorful spot are happy to point you toward mild dishes. New to us items included the grilled paneer with pickled parsnips, Swiss chard, and heirloom tomatoes and the crisp samosas loaded with crabmeat sided by papaya-ginger chutney, endive, and mango salad—both excellent. We liked both our shrimp curry with cardamom and chana dal and a luscious roasted eggplant stuffed with paneer and cashews. Bar.

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(From November 2009) If you’re offered fresh truffles, say yes; they made our paglia e fieno (Italy’s famous “straw and hay” pasta dish) sinful in the extreme. In fact, Tony’s can always be trusted to get the finest ingredients and treat them well, whether it’s buttery flounder with lump crab meunière or a hunk of beef stuffed with black truffle butter. Even first courses get assiduous care: A Bosc pear salad sports red and yellow endive, and burrata cheese, creamy and rich, elevates lovely heirloom tomatoes. Choose the intimate bar area for a more casual meal. Bar.

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(From November 2009) The sushi at this little orange cottage is pretty darn exotic, with the likes of tako pops (grilled baby octopus dusted with red pepper) and carpaccio of madai (red sea bream) sliced so thin you can see the shiso oil through it. Serious wine list too: In August, wine steward June-Ann Rodli was named Texas’s best sommelier at the annual Tex-Som contest. Beer, wine, & sake.

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(From November 2009) Bruce Auden, in his comfortably classy dining room overlooking the river, orchestrates dinners that sustain high notes from A to Z. We started with our favorite, smoked salmon nachos (such fusion typifies the menu), only to have them bested by exquisitely flavorful habanero jerk scallops with “Cheesy Grits,” a celestial blend kissed with spice. Rack of lamb, substantial yet delicate, with fennel, “Expensive Mush-rooms,” asparagus, and goat cheese, proved exemplary, while complex eleven-spice axis venison brought the meal to its high point. Bar.

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(From November 2009) Some of the simplest dishes here remain the best at this casual old house, like a brisk salad of arugula and roasted tomato and truffle egg toast (pricy at $12, especially when your fellow eater takes more than his share). We enjoyed our spaghetti with mussels, leeks, and white wine (though the dish was not improved by the addition of chewy chunks of pancetta) and a thin-crusted pizza layered with prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, and arugula. Our servers, though, were overwhelmed (as were we) by a nearby party of 25 high-spirited diners. Bar.

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(From June 2008) A seat along the back wall of this stately dining room is prime for watching the white-coated servers move through the room in a sort of elegant dance. We were dazzled by a creamy lobster crêpe atop a wonderful tangle of Bibb lettuce with shaved radishes and lumps of lobster tucked inside. Short ribs proved succulent but were outshone by tender medallions of antelope tenderloin on a bed of braised red cabbage. Bar.

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(From November 2009) As one of only two restaurants in the country to be included on Hotels magazine’s list of Great Hotel Restaurants of 2009, Fearing’s finds itself in the exceedingly well-heeled company of such destinations as the Loggia, in Florence, and Lung King Heen, at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. And while its posh setting contributes greatly to the dining experience, it’s the food that really matters. We firmly believe that there might be revolution in the streets if chef Dean were to remove his famed lobster bisque from the menu, what with its warm coconut milk, sizzling rice, and lobster wonton floating on top. We salivate as we recall our fabulous entrée of mesquite-grilled wild salmon (from the Bay of Fundy, no less) with a spectacular peach barbecue sauce. Bar.

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