Freshwater seafood from the Great Lakes Basin serves as the star of the show at this intimate, endearing eatery devoted to fresh catches and mindfully fried presentations.

Website: huronroom.com
Number of seats: 70
Average per-person check: $30
Popular dishes: Fish & chips: beer-battered fried fish with fries, slaw and lemon; PLT sandwich with fried white perch, romaine, smoked mayonnaise and tomato on an onion roll; Hot Fish sandwich with spicy fried white perch, romaine, pickle, smoked mayonnaise and tomato on an onion roll.
What people come for: All Michigan-made spirits, beer and wine
Address: 2547 Bagley St.
Phone Number: 313-265-3325

An exterior view

Fish & chips

A blowtorch ranks among the preferred tools of art, to give steaks and such a distinctive char, at this sandwich and charcuterie shop in Corktown. It recently added dinner service for guests in mind of meat.

Website: rubbedindetroit.com
Number of seats: 22 in the dining room, 50 on the patio
Average per-person check: $33
Popular dishes: Kings Cut: 13-ounce black Angus bone-in Prime rib steak cooked sous vide and torched for crust; 3-bone lamb rack with smooth goat cheese and olive tapenade; maple sesame-crusted ahi tuna with white relish.
What people come for: Open kitchen
Address: 2015 Michigan Ave.
Phone Number: 313-265-3684

Lamb dish

Pasta

Big and stately but also dynamic and alive (a neon sign spells out “Hot fresh Detroit flavors”), this spacious downtown destination draws diners with American-styled cuisine and a buzzing brasserie vibe.

Website: eatattownhouse.com
Number of seats: 240 in the dining room, 74 on the patio
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Townhouse Burger: 10-ounce proprietary blend of 28-day-aged steak cuts hand-pattied to order on Plugra butter brioche bun with bourbon glazed onions & aged white Cheddar, served with Townhouse fries; Korean crispy duck wings with gochujang Buffalo sauce, toasted sesame and kimchi; corn-flake- crusted walleye filet with buttermilk grits, Frank’s Red Hot butter sauce, arugula and chow chow.
What people come for: Eclectic bar program (changing cocktails, over 300 American whiskies)
Address: 500 Woodward Ave.
Phone Number: 313-723-1000

Townhouse burger and beer

Roasted lamb loin

In the historic Paradise Valley district downtown, this wine bar takes ambitious aim at being much more than that with sophisticated small plates worth indulging in on their own.

Website: verticaldetroit.com
Number of seats: 92 in the dining room and 55 on the patio
Average per-person check: $45
Popular dishes: Vertical Grind Burger: Gruyère, Edwards bacon, tempura avocado and lemon truffled aïoli; steak and eggs with tenderloin, quail egg and pommes lyonnaises; scallops with corn coulis, bacon lardons, bacon powder, pea tendrils and fig gastrique.
What people come for: Expansive wine list with 68 wines by the glass, retail sales
Address: 1538 Centre St.
Phone Number: 313-732-WINE

An interior view