Gary’s on Spring, Louisville

Chef Harold Baker and his team transform classic American steak and seafood dishes with upscale, contemporary flourishes including rich provençal sauce, seasonal produce, and local cheeses. Their attention to detail led the Courier-Journal to hail the menu as "concise, well thought out—with consideration for local products—and tastefully executed." In addition to elegant entrees of lamb chops, pork tenderloin, bourbon street scallops, they assemble half-pound burgers and sandwiches to please more casually minded diners or those contractually obligated to consume a bun with each meal.

The restaurant resides in the old Spring Street Meeting House, but Leo Weekly notes that they've remodeled the 19th-century building into "a stylish dining room with exposed brick and mocha colored walls … [and] historic Louisville photos." Leather couches gather around the fireplace's hearth, and cream-colored tablecloths help accentuate the banquettes' matching stripes. Diners can also venture outdoors for al fresco dining and to the upstairs bar, where bartenders pour an extensive selection of whiskeys, vodkas, and cordials to supplement wines by the glass or bottle.