Stone Soup Cottage
Cottleville, Mo.
In an 1850 house on a side street in this St. Louis suburb, an inventive chef and his tiny staff have been quietly serving “extraordinary†food, said Dave Lowry in St. Louis. Never has it been easier to name the year’s “most remarkable†restaurant in the St. Louis area. Stone Soup Cottage has just two dozen chairs and a single seating each night. “Candles provide the only light,†and “the atmosphere is irresistibly gracious, inviting, gloriously formal.†It’s a perfect setting for freshly foraged golden chanterelles, sea bass steamed en papillote in “a ruinously rich†anise butter, and, to finish, an “ethereally fluffy, verbena-scented†dessert soufflé. 5525 Oak St., (636) 244-2233
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Spring Hill
Seattle
Restaurants looking to bring their customers in more often have started adding “family-style†service on certain nights, said Allison Austin Scheff in Seattle. No place in our city manages the trick as well as Spring Hill. On Mondays, chef Mark Fuller and his team whip up “big plates of spaghetti with red or white sauce,†and serve it on “easy-to-share platters.†But it’s the $98 family-style fried-chicken dinner you really want. Call on a Friday to make reservations. On Monday evening, four people in your party will have a chance to savor jalapeño cornbread, caramelized Brussels sprouts, and some of this nation’s very best fried chicken. 4437 California Ave. SW, (206) 935-1075
Clio
Boston
No one in Boston offers a better tasting menu than celebrity chef Ken Oringer, said Donna Garlough in Boston. At his flagship restaurant, Oringer doesn’t just trot out a dozen shrunken regular-menu offerings. He seizes on the sampler approach as his chance “to do something truly imaginative or showcase some fleeting and wonderful seasonal ingredients.†A savory burned-bread soup “tastes like the happy result of a kitchen snafu,†while an “ephemeral†Japanese cherry-blossom trout is around only a few weeks a year. You’ll be “wowed—and charged accordingly.†The Eliot Hotel, 370 Commonwealth Ave., (617) 536-7200
Fish
Philadelphia
Little Fish has given way to Fish, but the name change and new location haven’t altered chef Mike Stollenwerk’s focus, said Philadelphia. He still runs a “seafood-lover’s paradiseâ€â€”this city’s best. The bigger space has a liquor license, but fans of Stollenwerk’s previous restaurant are likely to remember both the “attentive servers†and a number of dishes. “You haven’t had skate until you’ve had Stollenwerk’s version over truffled spaetzle with Parmesan broth and melted leeks.†1708 Lombard St., (215) 545-9600
Sazerac
New Orleans
The best “under the radar†restaurant in the Big Easy occupies a surprisingly prominent space, said Robert Peyton in New Orleans. Located inside one of the city’s grandest hotels and linked to a storied bar of the same name, the Sazerac Restaurant has hit its stride a year after the Roosevelt New Orleans’ grand reopening. The room was always beautiful, and chef Cody Curl’s menu now “strikes a balance between celebrating the restaurant’s history and paying attention to modern culinary trends.†You’ll find Creole gumbo side by side on the menu with a “salad of watermelon and arugula, with serrano ham, marcona almonds, and lemon-jalapeño vinaigrette.†The Roosevelt New Orleans, 123 Baronne St., (504) 648-1200
