Tall Oaks Restaurant, Pasadena

Though much has changed at Tall Oaks Restaurant in the last half-century—the steak-and-seafood restaurant has acquired new owners, undergone dining-room renovations, and sprouted a bar—many things have also remained the same. Chefs Dennis Walz and Joe Golden continue to craft classic American cuisine, pulling from founder Francis Hasse's original recipes for meatloaf, pierogis, and their famous fried hard-shell crab. They've also added a few items of their own to the menu, namely rosemary-dusted flatbread and Caribbean jerk mahi-mahi. The chefs focus their menu around local seafood and premium meats, such as certified Angus beef and Chesapeake oysters.

In the sunny dining room, white-clothed tables host guests lingering over last bites of warm chocolate lava cake and toffee cream pie. Bartenders shake up specialty martinis at the nearby bar, adding dashes of caramel sauce, pumpkin spice, and fresh blueberries as needed.