1225 19th Street NWWashington, D.C. 20036202.293.9091If you go to the Palm in D.C. for lunch you're bound to run into about one-third of Congress and every other pol in town. The steak's really good, the drinks are quite generous and the overheard conversations, well, priceless.

300 Gravier StreetNew Orleans, LA 70130504.523.6000On the second floor of the Crescent City's luxe Windsor Court Hotel is one of this country's best restaurants. Elegant, understated and civilized, this is the restaurant where you take your parents and tell them you're 1) getting married; 2) made partner at the firm; 3) you're moving back in. Chances are, your 'rents won't remember much about your chat given the heavenly surroundings.

3377 Las Vegas Boulevard South (at The Venetian)Las Vegas, NV 89109How surprising to get mouth watering pan Asian cuisine steps away from one of the most seriously fun nightclubs on the planet. TAO restaurant is dark, plush and expensive—exactly what its celebrity clientele expects. But the food is seriously good. Ask Jeremy Piven or Eve or, yes, Britney.

1 Ferry BuildingSan Francisco, CA 94111415.861.8032If you're one of those folks who've followed Slanted Door to all three of its San Francisco locations (now firmly nestled inside the beautiful Ferry Building on the San Francisco Bay), you know just how good the Vietnamese food is at Slanted Door. Some snooty locals (those terrifying self-described foodies) may scoff at the "obviousness" of it all, we say, "Phooey!" The place rocks.

10 City SquareCharlestown, MA 02129617.242.1999Celebrity chef Todd English's original Boston restaurant, Olives is a testament to good lighting, prompt service and, yes, amazing food. The space, though elegant, doesn't feel ridiculously fussy which is consistent with the white glove treatment the simple food gets at this winning eatery. Olives is a restaurant you'll want to frequent again and again.

730 N. La Cienega BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90069310.659.9449Are there better sushi restaurants in Los Angeles? Yes. Are there better restaurants of any stripe in Los Angeles? Yes. Is there a better restaurant than Koi that represents the dizzying contradictions that are Los Angeles? Nope. Celebrities (with requisite paparazzi), great food and a packed bar area. What's not to love?

43 E. 19th StreetNew York, NY 10003212.780.0880So where do the best chefs in New York City go to have an unforgettable meal? You guessed it. Craft Restaurant is Chef Tom Colicchio's sublime restaurant in Manhattan's Flatiron district. Inventive and genuinely flavorful, the food at Craft will leave you speechless. No wonder Chef Tom is head judge of something called Top Chef.

1517 Shattuck AvenueBerkeley, CA 94709510.548.5525Chef and owner Alice Waters not only revolutionized the way Americans think about restaurants with her seminal masterpiece eatery Chez Panisse, she literally changed the way we eat. This Northern California institution has been doing things their own way for a long time—one fixed-price menu consisting of no more than four courses—and still, today, no one does it any better.

816 W. Armitage AvenueChicago, IL 60614773.248.6228"This is a restaurant like Cape Canaveral is an airport," so wrote Chicago magazine about Charlie Trotter's. It is that good. Everything that comes out of that kitchen is suitable for framing it's so beautiful. The textures and flavors of the food are second to none. This is a genuine culinary treat.

500 Brickell Key DriveMiami, FL 33131305.913.8254Nestled off the breathtaking lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Miami's Brickell Key, Azul is, first and foremost, a gorgeous restaurant that happens to have some of the best food in Miami. Ask for an outside table and eat the delicious Asian-inspired dishes under the stars.