Riverside Cafe, Burbank

The Riverside Cafe's cooks draw inspiration from European and American cuisine as they create a menu of bistro-style comfort fare. In addition to baking bowls of french onion soup topped with a shell of imported gruyere, they grill beef and turkey hamburger patties and load baked potatoes with a number of familiar, yet decadent, ingredients, including sour cream and bacon. On Thursday nights, they embrace seasonal ingredients by featuring a specially prepared menu item, which have previously included wild boar and Stilton steak.

Beyond the intimately sized dining room with its "rustic, wood-beamed ceiling," as described by Gayot, the restaurant can seat guests and their canine personal assistants at the outdoor tables. White picket fences and trellises enclose the outside area, and a small awning and robin-egg-blue umbrella protect guests from the sun's harsh rays and dive-bombing pigeons.