Critics' choice: Restaurants that write their own rules

Darkroom

Santa Ana, California

You don't often find culinary innovation blossoming in an Orange County industrial park, said Jenn Harris in the Los Angeles Times. But when you step into Darkroom, "it's as if you've leaped into another dimension." The restaurant's lighting, as the name suggests, is low enough that you could develop film at your table. The vibe is hip dinner party, and the menu an ever-changing expression of "the wild, whimsical mind of Zach Scherer." His succulent swordfish steak evokes Nashville hot chicken. It's coated in almond flour and potato starch, pan-fried, then topped with a chile sauce, a sauce gribiche, and a salad of onion, pickles, and dill that's been marinated in shiro dashi. "The more stuff you can fit on your fork, the greater the reward." Scherer's tender hanger steak is cooked sous vide at 130 degrees for 24 hours and then grilled to order, set atop a vermouth demiglace, and finished with an elevated chile crisp. Sick of Parker House rolls, crudo, and gem lettuce salads? "Consider Darkroom the antidote." 3751 S. Harbor Blvd.

Parachute HiFi

Chicago

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It takes guts to reimagine an 11-year-old restaurant that's already pulled in a James Beard Award and a Michelin star, said Louisa Kung Liu Chu in the Chicago Tribune. But husband and wife Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim have refashioned Parachute into Parachute HiFi, a listening bar, and the new iteration "shows how high they can still fly." Though the new concept was inspired by Clark's eclectic record collection, the couple's food and drinks "can't help but claim the spotlight." The menu's surprise star is the cheeseburger, served cut in half and set cut side down in a pool of cheddar beer sauce, with a pour of red wine sauce adding richness and an experience akin to a fully dipped Chicago Italian beef sandwich. Another highlight, served on Wednesdays only, is the baked potato bing bread, stuffed with potatoes, bacon, cheddar, and green scallions. Lighter fare includes a "pristine" salmon nigiri with wasabi cream cheese and a kimchi and Spam rice bowl that could fetch twice its $14 price. Rest assured, this new Parachute "retains its Michelin-starred DNA." 3500 N. Elston Ave.

Kau Kau

Portland, Oregon

Kau Kau co-owners Brandon and Tracee Hirahara "treat Hawaiian food with a level of culinary care that's rare outside the islands," said Jordan Michelman in Portland Monthly. Take the house macaroni salad. The side dish is ubiquitous but often overly sweet in the couple's native Oahu, so Tracee reimagined it by adding onion, potato, and pickle. The couple also makes their own chile pepper water, a vinegary condiment, with peppers sourced from Hawaii. The restaurant is counter-service, with Hawaiian pop on the speakers and customers knocking back island-touched micheladas. But don't let the casual atmosphere fool you: "The food is capable of profundity." A tempura-battered smelt and a green luau beef stew wowed as recent specials, while the regular menu includes dishes such as tako lu'au (octopus with taro leaves stewed in coconut milk) that are also rarely found on the mainland. Meanwhile, "when the Hiraharas play the classics, they do so with remarkable skill." Don't miss the garlic chicken, from a family recipe, or the loco moco, which imbues the hamburger and gravy dish with "sophisticated levels of harmony." 2026 NE Alberta St.