Restaurants in Back Mountain

Award-winning Caesar salad, wings and chili grace the menu at The American House Hotel, whose chef weaves French, Italian and American influences into an eclectic culinary tapestry. The eatery’s signature appetizer, roasted, horseradish-stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon, entices diners alongside hearty Black Angus chili. Diverse entrees include the charred 14-ounce T-Bone, pecan-encrusted mahi mahi, and a 12-ounce rib eye steak with jumbo lump crabmeat. Wines by the bottle or glass round out the dinner options. Saturday night diners can return with another rotation of the clock for breakfast served on the first Sunday of every month, which showcases morning classics such as stuffed french toast and eggs benedict. Diners feast in a Victorian-era dining room, whose tin ceilings anchor chandeliers that evoke a time when everyone wore wooden clogs.

In 1981, Rolf Babiel disembarked in New York City with $500 to his name, quickly transforming the cash sum into Hallo Berlin—the city's first German food cart. Two brick-and-mortar locations now bear the Hallo Berlin moniker, vending traditional German dishes such as marinated herrings and schnitzels. The midtown location—a New York magazine Critics' Pick—surrounds guests between yellow and red walls that resemble the German flag and patriotic lederhosen. According to the New York Times, the restaurant's authentic fare "goes perfectly with the selection of German beers," which includes labels such as München, Kölsch, and Spaten.

Ingredient sculptors at Lee Gribben's on Main sear up succulent seafood and steak while an in-house pastry chef dotes over decadent epilogues. Meat and seafood dishes share equal billing on the dinner menu, where they share a bunk in the surf 'n' turf plate. At lunch, chefs stuff chicken, roast beef, and veggies inside slices of bread or nearby UPS packages for quick delivery to the mouth. The deft pastry chefs at Lee Gribben's on Main handcraft an array of sinful desserts, including boston cream cake, cheesecake, and crème brûlée torched. Guests can dine inside, where vibrant, modern artwork pops against marbled green walls, or outside on the patio. Trivia and karaoke nights encourage guests to stick around and head to the full bar for after-dinner drinks.

At Mexico Lindo, heaping plates of sizzling meats and authentic Mexican dishes—the recipes for which were gleaned during owner Jose Perez’s time spent training in Mexico—emerge from the kitchen and head toward red-checkered tables. Tantalizing aromas of fresh corn tortillas mingling with the salty fragrance of chorizo and marinated pork fill the air, and glasses overflow with beer and wine brought from each diner’s home or vestigial wine spigot. China poblana, Mexico Lindo’s speciality, submerges two enchiladas under traditional mole, and packs an additional two with marinated pork and Oaxaca cheese.

Ornate paper flags and glimmering stars are suspended from Fiesta Ole Mexican Restaurant’s colorful, tiled walls, accenting plates of authentic Mexican dishes that appear from the cocina. Chefs crease tortillas into tacos, fajitas, burritos, and enchiladas while sautéing a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetarian specialties. Bartenders pour cups full of Mexican beers and cocktails as dinner conversations blossom at tables and booths in the cheerful dining room. The restaurant hosts regular salsa nights, offering diners a reprieve from trying to dance with strangers’ great danes at the dog park.