New owners took over an old French restaurant in a stately locale in Connecticut and repurposed it as a bistro that couldn’t be more French, with a mind for the finer points of Gallic cuisine and the earthy elements too.

Website: lepenguinbistro.com
Number of seats: 60
Average per-person check: $75
Popular dishes: Wild mushroom ravioli with natural ginger and lemon grass infused dashi; seared Maine diver scallops with celery root rémoulade, turnip chips and beurre noisette; crispy black bass sauce vierge, wild quinoa and steamed baby potatoes.
What people come for: Wine list and wine pairings.
Address: 61 Lewis St., Greenwich, Conn.
Phone Number: 203-717-1200

This new arrival in Charlotte, N.C., treats French cuisine to a mix of modern refurbishment and reverence for the classical tradition, as negotiated by the partners behind fellow Charlotte favorite The Liberty.

Website: lumieremyerspark.com
Number of seats: 55
Average per-person check: $75
Popular dishes: Butter-poached lobster with hearts of palm salad, haricots verts, foraged mushrooms, and smoked bacon walnut vinaigrette; modern duck a l'orange with Hudson valley duck breast, leg confit, braised fennel, pearl onions and Grand Marnier; wild boar chops with braised belly, peach mostarda and gratin of truffled macaroni.
What people come for: Distinctive craft cocktails.
Address: 1039 Providence Rd., Charlotte, N.C.
Phone Number: 704-372-3335

At his favored new eatery in San Diego, the inventive Top Chef maestro Richard Blais takes a typically artsy, exploratory approach to a focus on “refined American food with Left Coast edge.”

Website: juniperandivy.com
Number of seats: 230
Average per-person check: $50
Popular dishes: “Carne Cruda Asada” with quail egg, cotija and jalapeño; “Carlsbad Oysters & Pearls” with charred tomatillo, and horseradish ice cream; “Yodel” with tequila blanco, aloe liqueur, lime, cucumber and mint.
What people come for: Expo kitchen; craft cocktail menu.
Address: 2228 Kettner Blvd., San Diego, Calif.
Phone Number: 619-269-9036

An offshoot of the celebrated Philadelphia favorite Vetri Ristorante, this pizzeria takes its wood-fired pies seriously but also in a casual, laid-back way that pizza seems to engender.

Website: pizzeriavetri.com
Number of seats: 56
Average per-person check: $20
Popular dishes: Crudo pizza with proscuitto crudo, bufala mozzarella and Parmigiano; melanzana pizza with crushed san marzano tomatoes, eggplant, stracciatella cheese and oregano; Roloto: pizza dough layered with mortadella and ricotta, rolled like a jelly roll, baked and topped with pistachio pesto.
What people come for: Wine on tap; bottled cocktails.
Address: 1939 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, Penn.
Phone Number: 215-600-2629

This Nashville-borne relative of a regional favorite in Charleston, S.C., is set in a historic building and similarly insistent on communing with the heritage of the South, from the elegant, inviting atmosphere to the earthy ingredients that take center stage like stars.

Website: husknashville.com
Number of seats: 92
Average per-person check: $70
Popular dishes: Bear Creek Farm pork with West African mustard onions and Anson Mills Hominy and butter bean succotash; cheeseburger with Double H Farms beef and fried potato wedges; pork belly Monte Christo with Tennessee cheddar, fried Wedge Oak Farm egg and confit potato hash.
What people come for: Outdoor garden; private dining in stables.
Address: 37 Rutledge St., Nashville, Tenn.
Phone Number: 615-256-6565

A more casual and relaxed offspring of Fiola in Washington, D.C., Casa Luca features foodstuffs imagined by chef Fabio Trabocchi in fits of reverie and remembrance for his hometown in Le Marche, Italy.

Website: casalucadc.com
Number of seats: 132
Average per-person check: $37
Popular dishes: Ravioli San Leo with ricotta & greens, lemon zest, almonds and fresh herbs; branzino al forno with sweet red peppers, confit tomato, taggiasca olives and basil; beef filet mignon cacciatora with cipolline agrodolce, wild mushrooms and pancetta.
What people come for: Wine on draft; large selection of Italian amari; private dining options.
Address: 1099 New York Ave., Washington, D.C.
Phone Number: 202-628-1099

In Phoenix, this offshoot of the distinguished, more upscale Binkley’s Restaurant in nearby Cave Creek makes a homey setting in a repurposed house and focuses on the riches of local produce.

Website: binksmidtown.com
Number of seats: 120
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Five-spice duck breast with grilled grapes and Port vinaigrette; sand dab with brown butter and almonds; Bolognese with gemelli pasta and garlic crostini.
What people come for: Local produce; express lunch program; weekend all-you-can-eat pig roasts on the patio.
Address: 2320 E. Osborn Rd., Phoenix, Ariz.
Phone Number: 602-388-4874

Chef Bryce Gilmore started out in Austin, Texas, with a funky little trailer (“farm to trailer,” he called it) and has built up in stature considerably with this smartly designed and dexterous restaurant wherein he doles out creative, ingredient-obsessed small plates and a few big ones, too.

Website: oddduckaustin.com
Number of seats: 120
Average per-person check: $45 Popular dishes: Heirloom tomato salad with feta cheese, peaches and shishito, croutons; black olive pasta with braised goat, sage and parmesan; orange chicken with steam buns, cucumbers and chiles; lamb shoulder with chick peas, tomatoes, yogurt and naan.
What people come for: Barrel-aged cocktails; addition of lunch and brunch menus.
Address: 1201 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas
Phone Number: 512-433-6521

This homey, tasteful temple to house-made and locally sourced fare in the creatively rekindled town of upstate Kingston, N.Y., prides itself on offering a special kind of “Ameropean cuisine.”

Website: duobistro.com
Number of seats: 34
Average per-person check: $38
Popular dishes: Applewood house-smoked brisket with chive smashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, spring onion and garlic barbecue sauce; Surf & Turf Burger: soft shell crab, Kilcoyne Farm beef burger, herb aïoli, spicy bread-and-butter pickle and spicy fries; crispy avocado with preserved citrus and berbere spice.
What people come for: Fresh-baked bread.
Address: 50 John St., Kingston, N.Y.
Phone Number: 845-383-1198