McCoy and Tomoka

Partners in the American traditions of cuisine and cocktails, McCoy and Tomoka both hark back to the swinging music and secret knocks of the 1920s. Named for the famed Prohibition-era rumrunner from whom the phrase "the real McCoy" originated, McCoy specializes in timeless meals crafted with simple seasonings. Executive chef Eric McCue stays true to the restaurant's focal era by casting aside processed foods and travel-weary produce to create a menu made almost entirely of gluten-free dishes with ingredients from local farms. Artisanal charcuterie, four types of mac 'n' cheese, and a raw bar teeming with freshly shucked oysters, littleneck clams, and Gulf shrimp complement seasonal entrees of prosciutto-studded chicken paillard and racks of lamb glazed in mint chimichurri. Meanwhile, more than 40 wines from around the globe mingle with draft and bottled microbrews and a host of specialty cocktails that turn into apple juice when Prohibition cops stop by.

Visitors can follow the hostess through the kitchen and down a flight of stairs to emerge at Tomoka, McCoy's sister lounge that UrbanDaddy calls a "Jazz Age paradise." Bright-purple accent walls and lime-green crushed-velvet seats add touches of color to visiting black-and-white movie stars and the historic carved-wood bar, where cocktail masters craft both creative inventions and simple throwbacks with a range of top-shelf spirits.