Palomino Restaurant, Los Angeles

At Palomino Restaurant & Bar, a fire is always roaring in the brick oven, charring artisan pizza crust to perfection. But there's more to the menu than pizza. Diners can also feast on asiago-almond-crusted scallops, baked four-cheese penne, and grilled filet mignon in a balsamic-cabernet demi-glace. The drink list is just as promising: it features not only scores of international wines and more than a dozen draft beers, but also inventive cocktails such as ginger-pear martinis and the Palomino bloody mary, which comes with house-smoked mozzarella and pepperoni. To finish the meal, diners indulge in espresso-infused tiramisu or Sicilian donuts with warm Nutella sauce.