Fit to Serve: Joe Leftin
From T.G.I. Friday's to Teller's, R.P. McMurphy's, Honey, LaPoste, and Metropole, the 36 year-old Leftin has crammed a lot into his 16-year career, including a solid grasp on the worlds of wine and beer and a first-level sommelier pin.
Fit to Serve: Kelly Lough Phillips
Kelly Lough Phillips began her service career at Gold Star Chili at the age of 10, and now, at 35, is the Director of Operations for JKBD, the partnership that owns and operates two restaurants, La Poste Eatery in Clifton and Django Western Taco in Northside.
Orchids at Palm Court
When it comes down to sheer wow factor, Orchids is still impossible to outshine.
2. Jean-Robert’s Table
Jean-Robert de Cavel’s kitchen brigade turns out fiercely personal dishes with an unmistakable sense of place, whether it’s embracing the classic saucy splendor of his French heritage or celebrating a bounty of local produce.
Nicola’s
Nicola’s is so fluently on the mark that other Italian restaurants on American soil can sometimes feel contrived.
Senate
Ever since it began dishing out its lo-fi eats three years ago, Chef Dan Wright’s gastropub has been operating at a velocity few can match.
Abigail Street
Where its sibling and next-door neighbor Senate runs a little hotter, Abigail Street downshifts to a slower flow with an inspired original menu featuring small-ish plates of a Mediterranean disposition.
Cumin
Despite the cheeky tone and hairpin turns on the menu, it takes real talent and confidence to be this playful. Owen Maass breathes life into timeworn classics that result in deeply flavorful and soothing food.
Via Vite
On the short list of downtown restaurants that operate seven days a week, 12 or more hours per day, Via Vite vibrates with an energetic customer base of expense account lunches, late-night revelers, and hotel guests.
Dutch’s Larder
The Larder is an extension of Dutch’s Bar and Bottle Shop, a neighborhood fixture that was transformed from pony keg to beer and wine arsenal—700 varieties of beer, 200 of wine; eight rotating taps—six years ago.
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