In Providence, R.I., Benjamin and Heidi Sukle pay tribute to their New England environs with simultaneously elegant and earthy fine-dining fare.

Website: birchrestaurant.com
Number of seats: 18
Average per-person check: $60
Popular dishes: Lightly smoked bonito with barbecued leeks, coriander and roasted tomato dressing; slow-roasted carrot with grilled quahog clams, toasted seeds, yarrow and almond; blueberries with sweet corn, walnuts and lime.
What people come for: special one-off “Guest Chef Series” dinner events
Address: 200 Washington St., Providence, R.I.
Phone number: 401-573-2473
*Photo courtesy of Birch

The duo behind Pittsburgh’s beloved Meat & Potatoes went in for another home for equally hearty and sophisticated American fare—and lots and lots of whiskey.

Website: butcherandtherye.com
Number of seats: 125
Average per-person check: $35
Popular dishes: Scallops over blue crab mascarpone risotto with asparagus and mushrooms, fried kale and lemon; Butcher Burger: mix of dry aged sirloin and wagyu brisket with Amish Cheddar, heirloom tomatoes, gem lettuce, grilled onion, house pickles and hand cut fries; Dirty Pasta: fresh strozzapretti pasta in a sauce of ground duck, duck livers, cream, brandy, sage and pecorino Romano.
What people come for: expansive bar program, over 250 bourbons
Address: 212 6th St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Phone number: 412-391-2752
*Photo courtesy of Butcher & the Rye

This old-style, but new, establishment in Charleston, S.C., brews its own beers (arcane ones like sours) and takes food just as seriously with in-house butchery and preparations that tie into history while keeping on contemporary trends.

Website: edmundsoast.com
Number of seats: 130
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Pickled Shrimp with EVO Craft Bakery rye bread and aïoli; heirloom pumpkin custard with oyster mushrooms, watercress and shallots; braised lamb meatballs with apricots, Argus cider and mint.
What people come for: obscure beers, expansive charcuterie program
Address: 1081 Morrison Dr., Charleston, S.C.
Phone number: 843-727-1145
*Photo courtesy of Edmund’s Oast

This artful upscale market-café in Philadelphia bakes serious breads (pictured) and enlists them in presentations of imaginative and refined kinds.

Website: highstreetonmarket.com
Number of seats: 40
Average per-person check: $36
Popular dishes: Mushrooms with sunchokes, smoky eggplant, young kale and farm egg; Angry Crab: peekytoe crab with Old Bay, scallions and bay leaf; Forager: seared king oyster mushroom, braised kale, farm egg, Green Meadow young Swiss cheese and black trumpet mayonnaise; pastrami on rye with cabbage & onion slaw, Russian dressing and Gulden’s mustard.
What people come for: artisan breads
Address: 308 Market St., Philadelphia
Phone number: 215-625-0988
*Photo: Jason Varney

A spirit of weirdness and irreverence guides this playful pan-Asian eatery in San Antonio.

Website: hotjoysa.com
Number of seats: 120
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Twice-fried chicken wings with crab fat caramel, peanuts and cilantro; migas fried rice with tortilla chips, tomatillo jaew, egg, cheddar and cilantro; lamb dan dan noodles with lamb chili, peanuts, Mongolian spice, cilantro and crispy shallot.
What people come for: late-night menu from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Address: 1014 S. Alamo St., San Antonio
Phone number: 210-328-9324
*Photo courtesy of Hot Joy

This St. Louis-area favorite is a “reimagined neighborhood eatery” that, in terms of eclectic flavors and philosophies, pushes forward into the future.

Website: libertinestl.com
Number of seats: 78
Average per-person check: $30
Popular dishes: Crispy Pig Tails Buffalo-style with Whipped Gorgonzola and Brown Butter Polenta; Three Little Birds: trio of roast game hen, chicken and quail with rice grits, shaved radishes, baby turnips and sweet potato romescu; sweet tea–marinated crispy fried chicken
What people come for: daily baked bread, boutique wines from sustainable and biodynamic farms, mixology, C.S.A. program
Address: 7927 Forsyth, Clayton, Mo.
Phone number: 314-862-2999
*Photo courtesy of The Libertine

What New Orleans chef Michael Gulotta lacks in Vietnamese roots he makes up for with expansive, visionary food that transforms tradition and heritage into something new.

Website: mophonola.com
Number of seats: 83
Average per-person check: $25
Popular dishes: Crispy fried Louisiana oysters with spicy nuoc mam mayonnaise, pickled blue cheese and radish salad; pepper jelly–braised Florida clams with lamb lardo, mint and annatto beignets (pictured); coconut milk and lemon grass–washed whole roast hog with creole cream cheese roti, curried pickles and nuoc cham.
What people come for: Super Swine Saturday (roasting of whole hog), outdoor seating with tropical trees and herb garden
Address: 514 City Park Ave., New Orleans
Phone number: 504-482-4542
*Photo courtesy of MoPho

In a two-story Victorian house in Kansas City, Mo., chef Ryan Brazeal treats his hometown audience to tricks he learned in the New York kitchens of David Chang, as well as new ideas and techniques of his own.

Website: novelkc.com
Number of seats: 50
Average per-person check: $55
Popular dishes: Pig head pie with smoked apple, mustard seed and pickled raisin; Hamachi crudo with lardo, chestnut and truffle peel (pictured); Duroc pork chop with pork belly ragù, rice spätzle and baby bok choy. What people come for: eclectic wine list
Address: 815 W. 17th St., Kansas City, Mo.
Phone number: 816-221-0785
*Photo courtesy of Novel

Chef Aaron Silverman has made people clamor for a seat in his small but big-hearted restaurant in Washington, D.C., with an adventurous menu and a sense of coziness and comfort that doesn’t always attend food of such a refined sort.

Website: rosesluxury.com
Number of seats: 80
Average per-person check: $50
Popular dishes: Pork and lychee salad; brisket; foie gras and French toast (pictured); jerk chicken, pickled mango raita and green papaya salad.
What people come for: roof garden with one seating per night, donation of $0.25 for every meal eaten to help feed hungry children
Address: 717 8th St. S.E., Washington, D.C.
Phone number: 202-580-8889
*Photo: ElizabethParker