This little French restaurant is located on Kirkwood just south of Westheimer, not far from the old location of Bistro Provence, which was owned by the same couple, Georges and Monique Guy. La Brocante means "flea market." Monique Guy sells old furniture and bric-a-brac out of the space, and there are price tags hanging on everything. The plates are mismatched, and the plastic placemats are gaudy maps of France with advice for tourists. And yet this eccentric little eatery, run by Houston's favorite French chef, Georges Guy, turns out the best old-fashioned French cuisine in the city. Try the oysters in cream sauce with lardons, the duck confit salad, the chunky country-style pâté, the incredibly tender escargot or any of Georges Guy's daily specials. You can't go wrong. With only 30 seats, the cafe is more like a large dinner party than a restaurant.

Marcelo Kreindel's greatest wish after moving to America from Argentina eight years ago was that he would once again be able to enjoy a gelato like he used to love at home. And four years ago, he decided to make that dream come true. Kreindel founded Trentino Gelato, which has steadily become the most sought-after supplier of gelato and sorbet in Houston. His dazzling selection — aside from the standard dulce de leche, he also creates flavors like fig with walnuts, wild Texas honey, caramel popcorn and guanabana — and use of local and seasonal ingredients make his gelato the best indulgence in town (and it's healthier than ice cream, to boot). Although without a traditional store for now, Trentino Gelato can be found at local farmers' markets, shops like Coffee Groundz and Cricket's Creamery and stores like the Midtown Spec's, as well as high-end restaurants like Glass Wall, Reef, The Grove and t'afia.

Although a Louisiana seafood restaurant in River Oaks might seem a strange place to house the best gin cocktail in Houston, that doesn't stop it from being true. Tony Mandola's is serious about its gin, from the house-infused jalapeño gin that's used to make the famous Cajun martinis to the bitterly refreshing Negroni made with gin and Campari. The boys behind the bar make their cocktails like old pros, and the fact that they serve a Ramos Gin Fizz is a testament to their old-school prowess. Only a few other places in town serve the classic New Orleans cocktail, made with gin, egg whites and orange-flower water. If you're ever feeling nostalgic for New Orleans, a Ramos Gin Fizz will go a long way to soothing that ache.

Although no Greek restaurant in Houston has it all, Yia Yia Mary's comes the closest. Once you get past the noise and the lack of intimacy, you'll find the Pappas family serving up some insanely tasty classics, including buttery spanakopita, creamy taramosalata and the ever-popular saganaki. The gyro, which is respectable, gets a needed boost from thick, hand-cut, herbed fries. Roasted and grilled meats and seafood are highly reminiscent of what you'd find in Greece, and the rustic "Cretan-style seafood" with a side of olive bread is delicious. Fresh, warm pita, huge portions and a $10 Greek wine flight will leave you satisfied and ready to hop on a plane to the islands.

Onion Creek specializes in cheap, no-frills comfort food without even having a fryer on site. From the best Frito pie in town to the excellent Freek Dog (that's a hot dog with a Frito pie on top), an afternoon on Onion Creek's sprawling wooden deck with a cold beer in one hand and a pile of napkins in the other (all the better to keep yourself as clean as possible while indulging in their messy treats) is an excellent way to pass a lazy day. The Bad Ass Hot Dog is the simplest of the hot dogs offered here, but the Perro Caliente is the hands-down favorite. Two thick, meaty all-beef hot dogs are piled high with white cheddar, crispy bacon, onions, jalapeños and tomatoes for a plate full of every Texan's favorite food items outside of ribs and brisket.

Anita Jaisinghani earned a PhD in microbiology in her native India before she moved to Houston and changed careers. After working as the pastry chef at Café Annie for nearly two years, she opened the original Indika on Memorial. That restaurant was lauded by The New York Times, Gourmet magazine and a host of other publications for its startlingly fresh take on Indian cuisine. At the Westheimer location, the restaurant has continued to embellish its reputation as one of the most innovative Indian restaurants in the country. Take their beet soup, one of the best bowls of vegetarian soup you have ever had. It looks like classic Russian borsch, but is made with coconut milk and garbanzo beans, and it comes with a spinach-and-cheese fritter on the side. Goat masala hamburgers and fiery vindaloo shrimp are wild entrées. Finish your meal with some house-made saffron-pistachio ice cream and warm cardamom cookies.

For years, Marco Wiles has been delivering uncompromising Northern Italian cuisine to the appreciative masses. Some people have even complained that he is too Italian, with a menu that requires a dictionary to decode. However, his outstanding waitstaff is always ready to lend a hand. With an atmosphere reminiscent of a fine trattoria, Da Marco is as authentic as an Italian restaurant outside of Italy gets. You won't find dishes like grilled octopus with peppers, black truffle risotto or Chianti-braised short ribs on the menu anywhere else in town.

If you're looking for sushi, Houston is heavily populated with above-average sushi restaurants. If you're looking for a good time and fantastic Japanese bar food, Genji is the only show in town. Set to the soundtrack of some serious (and sometimes seriously painful) karaoke, Genji attracts businessmen and twentysomethings alike. Menu highlights include teba gyoza (stuffed chicken wings), onigiri (rice balls), beef kushiyaki and yakisoba (panfried noodles with a fried egg on top). The rum-heavy cocktail menu has such throwbacks as the Mai Tai and Midori sour, but Genji's "special drinks for men and ladies" will have you dancing on one of the graffiti-laden tables with a microphone in your hand before you know what hit you.

Ziggy Gruber is a third-generation deli man whose family opened the Rialto, the first deli on Broadway, in 1927. After working in a string of Gruber family kosher delis in various NYC suburbs, he opened his own deli, Ziggy G's in Los Angeles, which became enormously popular. After the Los Angeles deli got into a real estate dispute, Ziggy moved to Houston and teamed up with local talent Kenny Friedman to open Kenny & Ziggy's here. In the ten years since it first opened, Kenny & Ziggy's has become one of the most successful Jewish delis in the country. Ziggy Gruber cures his own corned beef and pastrami, but Ziggy is proudest of his traditional Hungarian-style cooking — try the goulash, the kasha varnishkas and the soups. Gruber's grandfather Max, who founded the Gruber deli empire, immigrated to New York from Budapest.

At Phoenicia's grill counter, there are five varieties of fresh-cooked kabobs available. As an American, you will probably want to order the big beef cubes, lamb chunks or chicken pieces. But the best choice here is the nasty-looking, gray, ground-meat kabobs. The highly seasoned minced meat on the lamb kofte and beef kofte kabobs comes out tasting like spicy sausage. Get one on a pita sandwich for $4.95 and don't forget to ask for extra garlic mayo. You can pay in the "food court" or at the front registers. If you're getting your kabob to go, pay up front — that way you can also hit the olive bar, which offers 99 kinds of olives plus artichoke hearts, hummus, tabouli, baba ganoush, tapenade, walnut and pomegranate spread, and countless other treats. And everything is several dollars a pound cheaper than at Whole Foods.