This comfortable Indian restaurant is owned by Gurdev Choong, who moved his business from a strip mall across the street to the more glamorous Zona Rosa shopping center this year. It was a wise move; the Northland retail mecca needs an exotic independent operation like this one, which offers a lunch buffet and, at night, an excellent assortment of Indian dishes both meat and vegetarian. And though it’s said that man can’t live by bread alone, Swagat’s addictive tandoori-baked, stuffed naan might make you think otherwise. — Charles Ferruzza
Although it’s not as well known as local rivals Winstead’s or Hayes Hamburgers, this unassuming burger shack (which has no connection to the east side barbecue joint with the same initials) is beloved among serious burger aficionados. The burgers are thick, hearty, expertly grilled and topped with a jumble of caramelized onions on a bakery-style bun. The counter joint also offers hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, excellent pork tenderloins, tater tots and creamy milkshakes. — Charles Ferruzza
Yes, there is a Kate, but because she’s a mere child, she’s not in the kitchen of this breakfast-and-lunch venue. It’s owned by Kate’s parents, David and Kelly Hendrix (he’s the son of the First Watch co-founder), and Joey Franke, who oversees the kitchen. This restaurant is more appealing than any First Watch, if only because it feels more like an old-fashioned diner. The food is hearty, uncomplicated and inexpensive, while the service is snappy and friendly. The menu ranges from traditional breakfast dishes (omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy) to the more creative, such as French toast “stuffed” with scrambled eggs, melted Cheddar and sausage. There are sandwiches, too - some with light, healthy ingredients and others, like the slider burgers, maybe not as healthy but damn good. — Charles Ferruzza
This sleek, shiny 66-seat bistro was once a small-town pharmacy run by the parents of the current tenant, chef Jonathan Justus. Jonathan and his wife Camille returned to Smithville from France in 2006 and turned the empty building into a sophisticated restaurant specializing in exquisitely prepared dishes made from regional meats, fruits and vegetables. The menu features four or five starters, four salads and 10 entrées. Justus is a talented chef who has assembled a top-notch staff. The wine list is excellent and the desserts are wonderfully creative. — Charles Ferruzza
This cozy storefront restaurant is easy to miss because it sits on the opposite side of Barry Road from the bustling Zona Rosa shopping center. But for fans of authentic Mexican fare, it’s worth turning south for a change. Here, Victor Esquada begrudgingly serves a few Tex-Mex dishes but Ixtapa’s menu is primarily focused on the spicy fare traditional to Esquada’s birthplace in Guadalajara, including camarones borrachos: shrimp cooked in a concoction of orange juice, beer, paprika and wine. Esquada won’t serve fried ice cream, but he does offer a delicious nondairy ice cream made with atole that effectively cools down the palate after a particularly spicy meal. — Charles Ferruzza
A wildly successful diner surrounded by parking lots, this beloved restaurant is one part truck stop, one part small-town café and one-part time warp. It’s all about “home cooking” — the kind of old-fashioned dishes that one doesn’t get at home these days. Dinners, though reasonably priced, range from sensational — a platter of chicken and noodles as good as you’ll find in the Midwest — to disappointing. But breakfast really stands out, especially the crpelike blueberry pancakes and fluffy biscuits with sausage-loaded cream gravy. — Charles Ferruzza
It’s a rare restaurant that offers all-American fried-chicken dinners as well as a full array of Middle Eastern favorites such as gyros, lamb kebabs and stuffed Cornish game hens. Congenial restaurateur Jehad Selah pulls it off in a building that looks like a riverboat outside and a Costco inside. His dinner prices are enticing, and those deep-fried chicken dinners (complete with potatoes, beans and fat cinnamon rolls) and his chicken-fried steak and cheeseburgers are surprisingly good. The Middle Eastern fare – hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel and kebabs – is excellent, too. Sunday brunch is served in a retrofitted sports car — Charles Ferruzza
Cheery young manager Guillaume Hanriot from Champagne, France, now oversees the two intimate dining rooms at Café des Amis while another French expatriate, Frank Marciniak, tends to matters in the kitchen. They make a good team. A supper here really does feel like an evening in Paris, particularly when Edith Piaf is warbling over the speakers and young lovers are holding hands, sipping wine and indulging in succulent lamb or sherry-scented scallops. It’s also one of the few restaurants in town that serves sautéed frog legs — reportedly one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs— in an exquisite garlic-wine sauce. The rest of the culinary offerings are just as sexy, right down to the dessert plate, its tiny espresso cup filled with a dark chocolate mousse and a petite crème brûlée. — Charles Ferruzza
Root beer is still made in the basement at Mugs-Up Root Beer Drive-In, as it has been for decades. Sassy carhops dash in and out of the angular orange-and-white building, carrying metal trays heaped with frosty glass mugs and loose-meat Zip Burgers, Whiz Burgers (Zips with cheese), crunchy onion rings, tangy barbecued pork sandwiches and Chili Whiz Dogs. Relive the Steely Dan song and order a Big Black Cow — root beer and vanilla ice cream — with your meal. For diners who prefer something a bit more tart than root beer, there’s fresh limeade. — Charles Ferruzza
The food at Fritz's is served at both locations by the "Skat Kat" system: Patrons order by phone, and a toy train carting the order travels out of the kitchen and around the ceiling of the restaurant until it arrives above the correct table, where a hydraulic lift lowers it. The original Kansas City, Kansas, location is a little shabbier and funkier than the sleek Crown Center version, but both serve cooked-to-order burgers, such as the Gen Dare (topped with hash browns, grilled onions, and cheese) and big tenderloins with hot sauce and pickles. Polish it off with a root-beer float. — Charles Ferruzza
816-746-9400
