“What defines cooking in Missouri” might be a less-than-electrifying matter outside the region, but this St. Louis haven for local ingredients and worldly technique makes a case for stoking interest from well outside.

Website: nichestlouis.com
Number of seats: 38
Average per-person check: $90
Popular dishes: Lemon-maple custard with shiitake mushrooms and bonito pearls; melted pork shoulder, hickory ice cream, candied pecan, Brussels sprouts and popcorn polenta; Dia's Cheese Bread with cured meats, pickles and whipped lardo
What people come for: A sophisticated wine list
Address: 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, Mo.
Phone: 314-773-7755

A new-world focus on craft meets an old-world devotion to the simplicity of Italian cooking at this rustic, refined favorite in Portland, Ore.

Website: avagenes.com
Number of seats: 70
Average per-person check: $50
Popular dishes: Black cod with mushrooms, prosciutto and mussel maionese; beef short ribs with carrots, apple, horseradish and hairbender (a local coffee blend); ricotta cavatelli with lamb neck ragù
What people come for: Regional ingredients; an Italian wine list and a extensive selection of amari and grappa
Address: 3377 SE Division St., Portland, Ore.
Phone: 971-229-0571

Staked out in the district of downtown Nashville known as SoBro, this restaurant, helmed by chef Deb Paquette, appeals to foodies as well as folks on their way to a pro hockey game nearby.

Website: etchrestaurant.com
Number of seats: 155
Average per-person check: $50
Popular dishes: Roasted cauliflower with truffled pea pesto, salted almonds and feta crema; butter tasting: truffle butter, smoked Plugra butter, ginger peanut brittle butter and duck butter; cobia with Turkish-spiced brown-buttered oranges, capers, olives, raisins, feta and almonds
What people come for: An open kitchen, a seasonal menu, craft cocktails
Address: 303 Demonbreun St., Nashville, Tenn.
Phone: 615-522-0685

The elevated South American fare on offer at Washington, D.C.’s Del Campo draws on a fiery spirit and fiery cast of mind — literally, as much of the menu hews toward the traditions of South American barbecue.

Website: delcampodc.com
Number of seats: 174
Average per-person check: $75
Popular dishes: Grilled octopus causa with tuna confit, burnt leeks, potato and grilled avocado; tuna ceviche with grilled avocado, olives, burnt shallots and pistachios; rolled Creekstone Prime skirt steak
What people come for: An innovative bar program that involves bottling, smoking and barrel-aging cocktails
Address: 777 I St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Phone: 202-289-7377

Tucked in with a luxury bed and breakfast in the Sonoran desert in Arizona, Virtu makes a show of taking seafood seriously and pairs it with refined fare of other sophisticated kinds.

Website: virtuscottsdale.com
Number of seats: 26
Average per-person check: $36
Popular dishes: Grilled octopus with fennel, arugula, lemon chickpeas and Calabrese chile butter; seared branzino with Calabrese peperonata, fried leeks and Marcona almond butter; seared rare ahi tuna with charred onion and tomato fregola, oil-cured olives and balsamic red onion jam
What people come for: Pristine seafood in an area that doesn’t exactly abound with fruits of the sea
Address: 3701 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Phone: 480-946-3477

In Charleston, S.C., this self-described “seafood hall” by the operators of the vaunted restaurant Fig offers up the bounties of the ocean in an old 1920s bank building reimagined for different, more delicious purposes.

Website: eattheordinary.com
Number of seats: 90
Average per-person check: $65
Popular dishes: Capers Blades and Otter Island wild oysters; oyster sliders; crispy oysters and beef tartare
What people come for: The raw bar
Address: 544 King St., Charleston, S.C.
Phone: 843-414-7060

The Pittsburgh upstart Bar Marco makes a show of its bar, but the food is far more than filler, with an idiosyncratic creative energy that carries through from cocktails to all courses of the night.

Website: barmarcopgh.com
Number of seats: 38
Average per-person check: $34
Popular dishes: Bacon-wrapped dates with manchego cheese and saffron sauce; sautéed shrimp with wild mushrooms, quail egg, rice polenta and cilantro; octopus ceviche with plantains
What people come for: A unique, unorthodox atmosphere in which, an owner says, “we often play Wu-Tang Clan in the dining room while we are pouring a funky white wine from Jura.”
Address: 2216 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, Penn.
Phone: 412-471-1900

This Minneapolis favorite abides by vintage industrial décor and craft-minded takes on seasonal, locally sourced dishes that make a virtue of eclecticism.

Website: boroughmpls.com
Number of seats: 120
Average per-person check: $55
Popular dishes: Octopus with yam, soy, daikon, cilantro, lime and peanuts; cauliflower with fried pickled chiles, caper berry and parsley; short rib with beef, horseradish potatoes, root vegetables and red wine   
What people come for: A separate cocktail lounge; a patio on a repurposed loading dock
Address: 730 North Washington Ave., Minneapolis, Minn.
Phone: 612-354-3135

This second location of Indianapolis’s beloved artisanal pizzeria set up shop downtown and started slinging out the pies (tastefully and with grace) to admirers of seasonal ingredients and evolved tastes.

Website: napolesepizzeria.com
Number of seats: 80
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Double chopped salad with local produce; baked capriole goat cheese appetizer with housemade tomato sauce and foccaccia; pizza with braised brisket, fresh chiles and provolone
What people come for: A curated wine list; the dog-friendly patio
Address: 30 South Meridian St., Indianapolis, Ind.
Phone: 317-635-0765