CBD

The potential profitability of a top-class steakhouse explains why there have been so many new ones in the past couple of decades. Although there have been moments when the maximum was exceeded (anyone remember Hyde Park Grill?), the allure of a good steak is so universal that it's an easy sell. And the tickets so high that a restaurateur doesn't have to keep the room full all the time to make the nut.

Esplanade Ridge

Grab some chips and dig into the superb and offbeat salsa (it has a slightly smoky flavor). It's good enough that you will go for a second ration, for which you will have to pay extra--but probably without complaint. Margaritas and guacamole are excellent in their turns. After that, pretend you're in a gourmet bistro. Time for mussels, calamari, steaks, racks of lamb, big flanks of fish, and no small number of other specialties that might not remind you of anything Mexican. But so what? We let Italian and French restaurants get away with that. So why not Creole-Mexican?

Mid-City