New York City chef Michael White and Altamarea Group developed this new restaurant in partnership with Bedford Post Inn owner, actor Richard Gere.

Web site: campagna-bedford.com
Number of seats: 100
Average per-person check: $105
Popular dishes: Panzanella di Passera: fluke crudo, house-made croutons, castelvetrano olives and tomato conserva; Creste Nero: squid-ink pasta with poached squid, shrimp and scallop; Crescent Duck Breast with crusted hazelnuts, sautéed kale and light honey glaze
What people come for: Separate lounge menu, patio, wood-burning grill, private-dining options for groups of six to 150
Address: 954 Old Post Rd., Bedford, N.Y.
Phone Number: 914-234-6386

Photo: Anthony Jackson

This new favorite in the Warehouse District in New Orleans features cooking on a unique open-hearth with hardwood coals administered by James Beard-decorated chef Donald Link.

Web site: pecherestaurant.com
Number of seats: 160
Average per-person check: $45
Popular dishes: Whole Grilled Redfish with salsa verde; Smoked Fish and Jalapeño Capellini; Grilled Tuna with Olive Salad
What people come for: Oyster bar with bounties from the Gulf of Mexico, live-fire cooking
Address: 800 Magazine St., New Orleans, La.
Phone Number: 504-522-1744

This “southern public house” in the environs of Orlando brews its own beer and takes hearty, old-fashioned culinary cues from its popular sister restaurant, The Ravenous Pig.

Web site: caskandlarder.com
Number of seats: 180
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Lamb Ribs with Kentucky black BBQ, collards and bread and butter pickles; Octopus with red eye rub, fingerling potato, shishito peppers, Meyer lemon and garlic aïoli; Nashville Hot Chicken with broccoli mac & cheese, white barbecue sauce and cornbread
What people come for: Beer brewed in-house, craft cocktails
Address: 565 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, Fla.
Phone Number: 321-280-4200

This rustic restaurant near Portland’s waterfront transformed a 19th-century building into a bustling home for smartly designed and refined small-plates fare.

Web site: central-provisions.com
Number of seats: 55
Average per-person check: $45
Popular dishes: Albacore Tuna Crudo with radish, mustard and sesame; Caramelized Sheep’s Cheese with bosc pear and 15-year-aged balsamic vinegar; whole-roasted Suckling Pig with apple, brown butter and marcona almond  
What people come for: Pre-Prohibition-style cocktail menu, including six-month barrel-aged La Lousianne cocktail, rotating draft beer line with local beers, eclectic wine program
Address: Portland, Maine
Phone Number: 207-805-1085

Photo: Kari Herer

In Cleveland, this modern Northern Italian-inspired eatery brings a mix of rusticity and refinement to the University Circle arts and culture district.

Web site: restauranttrentina.com
Number of seats: 35
Average per-person check: $35
Popular dishes: Edible Beef Suet Candle with house-cultured butter and extra virgin olive oil; Porchetta Alla Trentina with sauerkraut, fennel, mostarda and arugula; Chitarrini Pasta with Ohio farm egg, cooked in a spoon over embers
What people come for: Lecture series events, Chef School cooking class
Address: 1903 Ford Dr., Cleveland, Ohio
Phone Number: 216-421-2900

Southern food traditions come in for modernization at this celebrated restaurant in downtown Asheville by chef John Fleer, formerly of the storied Tennessee mountain resort Blackberry Farm.

Web site: rhubarbasheville.com
Number of seats: 110
Average per-person check: $55
Popular dishes: Wood Grilled Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Ribs with collard green kimchi; Lobster Corn Dogs with comeback sauce; Wood Roasted Whole Sunburst Trout with potato-turnip latke, fennel-leek confit and green tomato ketchup
What people come for: Special “Sunday Supper Menu.”
Address: 7 SW Pack Square, Asheville, N.C.
Phone Number: 828-785-1503

Photo: Heather Anne Thomas

Stately elegance and mindful austerity mix with elaborate ornamentation at this hip eatery in a reclaimed space in Detroit, where a formal slogan sends a signal: “Antietam exists for one sole purpose: to create lasting memories befitting a feast.”

Web site: antietamdetroit.com
Number of seats: 70
Average per-person check: $65
Popular dishes: Terrine of Oxtail with crab apple jelly and burnt scallion marmalade; Pavé of Whitefish with squash purée, parsnip crisp and pepita pesto; Entrecôte de Boeuf with duck fat potato, pepper and onion jam and porcini
What people come for: Artisan cocktails, artisanal wines
Address: 1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit
Phone Number: 313-782-4378

This ski-mountain restaurant in Vail mixes warm, homey ambiance with contemporary aspirations in Alpine cuisine inspired by French, Swiss, Italian and Rocky Mountain cooking.

Web site: the10thvail.com
Number of seats: 180
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Hand-cut Fries with black truffle salt, white truffle essence and herbed Parmesan cheese; Heirloom Chicken and Pheasant Pot Pie with winter vegetables and sage vermouth cream; Summit Creek Lamb Rack with lamb belly confit, Brussels sprout leaves, port-braised slaw, buttermilk dressing and pickled mustard seed
What people come for: Fireplace, mountain views, ski-day lunch service
Address: Vail Mountain, Vail, Colo.
Phone Number: 970-754-1010

Photo: Ric Stovall

This addition to the up-and-coming Payne-Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul focuses on sustainable ingredients presented in playful, inventive ways as implied by the name.

Web site: tongueincheek.biz
Number of seats: 80
Average per-person check: $60
Popular dishes: Pasture Pork Belly with sweet potato, mushroom, chestnut and carrot; Roasted Duck Boob with smoked Cheddar grits, fennel and coffee-bacon; Steelhead Trout with chorizo, parsnip, rapini and beans
What people come for: “Teasers” menu with $2 “two-bite wonders,” happy hour with cocktail teasers (2 oz. pours)
Address: 989 Payne Ave., St. Paul, Minn.
Phone Number: 651-888-6148