Locations in Houston

Billing itself as a “gastropub meets Texas icehouse,” Beaver’s is really neither of those things and something greater than the sum of those descriptions. It’s still one of the most reliably creative restaurants in town, taking risks with Korean-Mexican-Gulf Coast-inspired dishes like jasmine rice cakes with goat cheese, pepitas and kimchi that aren’t expected amongst the barbecue-heavy menu, yet work stunningly well. Located in Historic Sixth Ward off Washington, Beaver’s also still has the best macaroni and cheese in town, as well as one of the strongest cocktail programs.

Located in north downtown, Bitterman's Market Square Bar & Grill is a relaxed restaurant featuring burgers, salads and beer. The restaurant claims to have captured the ambiance of a Chicago or Philadelphia-style neighborhood bar, then given it a Texas twist with menu items like quesadillas and fajita salad. Television stationed throughout the restaurant allow diners to watch the game, and free wireless internet is available. The large back patio - an anomaly downtown - makes Bitterman's a popular choice for after-work happy hours.

This tiny French cafe in Rice Village does a remarkable job of re-creating lovable peasant dishes from the French countryside. Try merguez and frites (lamb sausage and french fries) or a goat cheese-and-olive tart or even a chicken liver-and-poached-egg salad for lunch. The blackboard menu also might include steak salad, bavette frites (flank steak and french fries) or an old-fashioned vegetable potage. Cafe Rabelais's mottled cream-colored walls look like old plaster, and somehow the French rural look is absolutely charming despite the shopping center parking lot outside the window.

Service at this modest Midtown creperie and coffee shop can be slow, but part of the appeal is lingering at an outside table with a watermelon soda (patrons can choose from a variety of flavors), waiting for your to-go order of Moroccan sausage panini and a Nutella dessert crepe.

This trendy Midtown bar and grill has a sign that reads "World cuisine" over the entrance. But Farrago does better with the simple stuff. There's a great crunchy pizza, an excellent Caesar salad, a list of innovative and inexpensive wines and one of the best burgers in the city - everything you could ask for in a neighborhood restaurant.

This gastro-lounge, located in a turn-of-the-century building near Market Square, serves upscale standards like a burger topped with bacon, cheese, avocados, jalapeños and a fried egg (with a side of mac 'n cheese) and fried asparagus battered with Saint Arnold beer. The extensive cocktail menu reflects a dedication to a classic aesthetic, although they do serve vodka, which some expert mixologists eschew. This is a perfect date night place, and if things go right (or wrong), Warren's is just steps away.

From its traditional, Southern-inspired fine dining to its down-home Creole cuisine, this place rocks, literally. The one-of-a-kind interior boasts one of the largest folk art collections in the country with art on every flat surface. The Voodoo Shrimp with Dixie Beer reduction is a must-try, as is the smoked turkey and shrimp gumbo. Be sure to leave room for the white chocolate banana bread pudding, which is heavenly. The plush, private, members-only Foundation Room is here, and only limited dinner service Tuesdays through Saturday.

The king of downtown burger joints sports a crown of shiny hubcaps. "Welcome to Hubcap Grill" reads a sign in the entranceway, "hand- formed, crafted, burgers, never frozen, 100% fresh ground chuck with homemade toasted buns." The tiny burger joint is located on Prairie Street next to the Alden Hotel. There are a couple of tables and a long skinny counter inside the urban snack shack, a few more tables on the sidewalk out front, and a patio with five or six umbrella tables along the side of the building. The muffuletta burger and the Greek burger are fascinating variations on the all-American hamburger.

Don't let the plastic red-and-white-checkered tablecloths or the fake salami hanging from the counter fool you into skipping over this place. This fast-action Italian deli serves a busy lunch crowd with classics like meatball poor boys, muffulettas and lasagna. Don't come here if you have a warrant out, since the place is frequented by large men with guns and badges from the nearby courthouse.

Bahn mi (sandwiches), pho (noodle soup), spring rolls, eggs rolls and other snacks form the basis of this inexpensive, order-at-the-counter Vietnamese restaurant. Also try the vermicelli bowls and rice plates, and wash it all down with a thick Vietnamese iced coffee made with condensed milk.

The burgeoning dining scene that followed Midtown's influx of housing includes this hip retro cafe. Punched up with orange, green and yellow tiles, it is softened with plush sofas and Italian lamps that go well with a coffee. Other beverages include chai and smoothies, not to mention a full bar. Sustenance is simple -- salads and sandwiches from the heart of Tuscany.

Treebeards has been serving some of Houston's greatest Cajun food since 1978, and whether you eat at the original Market Square location, grab a seat under the rafters at the "Cloisters" location inside the Christ Church Cathedral, or pick up food from one of two tunnel locations, you're in for a treat. Things gets wild and wooly around noon during the week, when downtown office workers flock to the restaurant's locations for its red beans and rice, seafood gumbo and jambalaya. Smart diners go early or late.

Voice is located in a cavernous two-story high former bank lobby with enormous faux marble pillars and vaulted ceilings. An octagonal bar occupies the center of the towering room. You feel very important just sitting in such a majestic space. Chef Greg Lowry, a young man best known for his work at The Rockwood Room under Chef Michael Dei Maggi, is turning out some stellar food at Voice. And his team - including pastry chef Audrey Sam and charcutier Adam Garcia - are making some of the finest food to be found downtown, served with a far more casual flare than under Voice's previous chef, Michael Kramer. The pheasant duo with beer-braised cabbage is a charming take on old-school comfort food while items like A Study In Beets are tongue-in-cheek but still elegantly constructed. At breakfast, Lowry takes it down a few notches but the Scram & Sam with goat cheese, chives and house smoked salmon isn't to be missed.