Isis Restaurant & Bar, New Orleans

Isis Restaurant & Bar accomplishes a lot, from melding the flavors of American and Mediterranean cuisines to cultivating a distinctly New Orleans vibe. At the granite bar, patrons can run scope out work by local artists or catch a game on an overhead flatscreen TV. But the food is the main draw here. Creole shrimp risotto shares table space with stuffed grape leaves and falafel, a nod to both owner John Soliman's hometown of Cairo, Egypt and his adopted city of New Orleans. The menu also includes breakfast sandwiches and waffles, as well as the Isis Burger, which combines Angus beef with lamb and tops it all with feta.