Grace Manor Restaurant, Edwardsville

With its precisely trimmed hedges, red-brick façade, and quartet of shuttered windows, Grace Manor Restaurant looks less like an eatery than a private home. Inside, chef and owner Debra Grace keeps up the pretense, serving hearty helpings of upscale comfort fare such as gravy-soaked buttermilk biscuits and rosemary-sprinkled mac 'n' cheese. Entrees such as porterhouse steaks, asparagus-and-mushroom ravioli, and peppers stuffed with quinoa round out the dinner selection. Not only the menus, but the interior paint and local artwork on the walls change with the seasons as Debra concocts new dishes from locally grown produce, meats, and dairy.