The O'Leary name has held a lot of weight in Annapolis over the decades. Before its current operation and ownership was established, there was the O'Leary's Fish Market, and then the old version of the current eatery, which regardless of the details, has kept its focus on the water. Fresh seafood drives the business, with dishes like the Crispy Rockfish on the menu year after year.
Preserve
Annapolis, Maryland
Opened: April 2015
Annual Sales: $1 to $2 million
Average Check: $35
Menu: Casual American
Owners: Chef Jeremy Hoffman, Michelle Hoffman, Matthew Hetrick, and Chris Oland
Husband-and-wife team Jeremy and Michelle Hoffman held some high-profile jobs before deciding to open their own restaurant. Michelle worked as a maître d' at Danny Meyer's famed Union Square Café, while Jeremy clocked time at Thomas Keller's Per Se for two years. At Preserve, pickling and fermentation is a major focus and passion of the restaurant.
Vin 909 Winecafé
Annapolis, Maryland
Opened: April 2011
Annual Sales: $1 to $2 million
Average Check: $30
Menu: Mediterranean New American
Owner: The Manfredonia Family
Chef: Justin Moore
Davio’s
Boston
Opened: May 1985
Annual Sales: Over $10 million
Average Check: $100–$150
Menu: Northern Italian
Chef/Owner: Steve DiFillippo
Owner Steve DiFillippo believes so strongly that "it's all about the guest" that he's written a book with that title. Davio's also works with fundraisers including the Taste of the NFL to raise money for food banks.
Myers + Chang
Boston
Opened: Fall 2007
Average Check: $33 (e)
Menu: Asian
Owners: Chef Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers
Chef: Karen Akunowicz
Myers + Chang dishes up Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Thai fare using lighter sauces, and offering either fun and innovative takes on classic dishes, or creating new dishes that stay true to original flavors. It's especially inspired by Taiwanese soul food and Southeast Asian street food, all done with a great deal of care.
The Creole
Lansing, Michigan
Opened: December 2015
Annual Sales: $2 million (projected)
Average Check: $65
Menu: Progressive Creole
Owners: Alan Hooper, Aaron Matthews, and Sam Short
Chef: Dan Konopnicki
Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct
St. Paul, Minnesota
Opened: October 2002
Annual Sales: $2.5 million
Average Check: $65
Menu: North American Midwest
Owners: Chef Lenny Russo with K. Mega Hoehn and Kris Maritz
Heartland works with regional farmers who practice humane and sustainable agriculture and pay fair trade and living wages. Whole animals are processed in-house, and the restaurant has a full line of artisanal products including jams, ice creams, breads, and pickled vegetables that it sells in its adjoining market.
Bully's Restaurant
Jackson, Mississippi
Opened: September 1982
Annual Sales: $400,000
Average Check: $9
Menu: Southern Soul Food
Owners: Chef Tyrone Bully and Greta Brown Bully
One of five recipients of this year's James Beard: America's Classic award, Bully's has a firm place in Mississippi's rich culinary history. Chef Tyrone Bully and his father built the restaurant with their own hands in the early 1980s, and his collards, ribs, fried chicken, and catfish are the stuff of legend among fervent locals.
Madison’s Café
Jefferson City, Missouri
Opened: April 1982
Average Check: $20 lunch / $30 dinner
Menu: Northern Italian
Owner: Rob Agee
Chef: Matt Callison
Open for 34 years, Madison's Café offers relaxed yet elegant dining, which features Italian and American fare with global influences. The menu changes often to reflect seasonable availability and the restaurant's long-established relationships with local growers and farmers. In addition to using locally sourced products, Madison's Café uses herbs from its own garden. The restaurant only serves sustainable fish, and offers gluten-free fare and a wide variety of vegetarian choices. The newest menu item, Cioppino, has been added to its signature dish listing. Among other awards, this year the restaurant received the national Talk Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction for the fifth consecutive year; a Jefferson City Magazine poll voted it first place in seven categories and second place in two; Jefferson City News Tribune named it the city's most romantic restaurant and the best lunch spot in town, and it was awarded the Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor for the fifth straight year.
Lucca’s Italian
Helena, Montana
Opened: June 2006
Annual Sales: Under $1 million
Average Check: $44
Menu: Italian
Owner: Frederick Stout
Chef: Mike Hyyppa
Named The Best Restaurant in Montana by Business Insider in both 2015 and 2016, Lucca's is a fine-dining dinner-only venue that prides itself on comfort and from-scratch cuisine.
Vincenzo’s
Lincoln, Nebraska
Opened: July 1994
Average Check: $28
Menu: Italian
Owners: Chef Steve Nagle, Mike Frank, Mark Johnson, and Bill Whitley
Café at Adele’s
Carson City, Nevada
Opened: November 1977
Annual Sales: $1.5 to $2 million
Average Check: $40
Menu: New American
Owners: Chef Charlie Abowd and wife Karen
Adele's has been in the Abowd family since 1977, when Paul and Adele, the parents of current chef and co-owner Charlie, founded the restaurant. Charlie and his wife, Karen, took the reins in 1998 and have stockpiled accolades ever since. That includes a 2005 trip to the James Beard House in New York City to showcase their celebrated locally sourced cuisine, which offers everything from the family's Falafel recipe to House-Smoked Salmon. However, the couple are best known for their passionate giving to the community, from The Greenhouse Project—Karen's dream that evolved into an agricultural program at the local high school, providing food to those in need—to the restaurant's annual Concert Under the Stars, which raises funds for the arts and The Greenhouse Project.
The Barley House
Concord, New Hampshire
Opened: March 2000
Annual Sales: $2.5 million
Average Check: $28
Menu: Gastropub
Chef/Owner: Brian Shea
Granite Restaurant & Bar
Concord, New Hampshire
Opened: 2007
Annual Sales: $1.3 million
Average Check: $45
Menu: New American Farm to Table
Owners: Norman McCloud
Chef: Corey Fletcher
Homestead Inn
Trenton, New Jersey
Opened: 1939
Average Check: $30 (e)
Menu: Italian
Owners: Peter Rosati and Chef Randy Forrester
Georgia
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Opened: June 2014
Annual Sales: $1.5 million
Average Check: $28
Menu: American
Owner: Geronimo Hospitality
Chef: Leroy Alvarado
izanami at Ten Thousand Waves
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Opened: November 2013
Annual Sales: $1.5 million
Average Check: $40
Menu: Southwest American meets Far East
Owner: Duke Klauck
A semifinalist for James Beard: Best New Restaurant in 2014, the accolades just keep mounting for this spa-based eatery that touts more than 40 varieties of sake.
Restaurant Martin
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Opened: September 2009
Annual Sales: $1 to $2 million
Average Check: Lunch $22, Dinner $55
Menu: Progressive American
Owner: Chef Martin Rios and wife Jennifer
A native of Guadalajara, Chef Rios started working in Santa Fe restaurants at age 17—as a dishwasher. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, his career took off. Now, he and his wife share the acclaimed restaurant and a passion for bettering their community: She is president of The Horse Shelter, and he volunteers with Cooking with Kids.
Albany Pump Station & C.H. Evans Brewing Company
Albany, New York
Opened: 1999
Average Check: $50–$75
Menu: American Pub
Owner: Neil Evans
Chef: Todd Cutler
18 Seaboard
Raleigh, North Carolina
Opened: May 2006
Annual Sales: $2.9 million
Average Check: $25
Menu: Eclectic Contemporary Southern
Owners: Chef Jason Smith, Lauren Smith
Chef Jason Smith and his wife, Lauren, opened 18 Seaboard in 2006 as a simple restaurant that paid tribute to Southern cuisine, local ingredients, and sustainable practices. Today, the team operates three other restaurants in the area, but the downtown flagship spot is said to be the place where movers and shakers meet for lunch.
42nd Street Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill
Raleigh, North Carolina
Opened: 1987
Average Check: $30
Menu: Seafood
Owners: Brad Hurley and John Vick
Known to locals as one of the best seafood restaurants in the state, it's also a destination for wine and in 2015 it won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its wine list. Co-owner Brad Hurley has been an active leader in the state's restaurant industry for decades, and his dinner-only restaurant is where politicians and business leaders gather.
Angus Barn
Raleigh, North Carolina
Opened: June 1960
Annual Sales: Over $15 million
Average Check: $60
Menu: Classic Steakhouse
Owner: Van Eure
A landmark restaurant not only for the state, but also for the entire Southeast region: Diners know to expect the best beef in town, but the wine list is nationally recognized as one of the best in the nation and the hospitality knows no bounds.
Death & Taxes
Raleigh, North Carolina
Opened: June 2015
Average Check: $65 (e)
Menu: New American
Chef/Owner: Ashley Christensen
The latest from James Beard Award-winning chef Ashley Christensen, Death & Taxes focuses on wood-fired cooking and craft cocktails. The restaurant was a finalist for the 2016 James Beard: Best New Restaurant award.
Peacock Alley
Bismarck, North Dakota
Opened: 1933
Annual Sales: Over $2 million
Average Check: $28
Menu: American Grill
Owners: Dale and Melodie Zimmerman
Chef: Dustin Swenningson
The oldest bar and restaurant in North Dakota, located in the historic Patterson building, is a place to be seen in the capital city. U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson visited the Patterson Hotel, which was built in 1911. Beef is the restaurant's main draw, with The National Cattlemen's Beef Association naming the restaurant the Beef Innovator of the Year in 2012. The owners also operate 40 Steak and Seafood, and are opening two new concepts, Loco and Edwinton Brewing, this year.
Barcelona Restaurant & Bar
Columbus, Ohio
Opened: 1996
Average Check: $48 (e)
Menu: Spanish
Owner: Scott Heimlich
Chef: Jacob Hough
Not to be confused with the Barteca Restaurant Group's similar brand, this Barcelona is a one-of-a-kind independent operation.
Refectory
Columbus, Ohio
Opened: 1976
Annual Sales: $3 million
Average Check: $60
Menu: Classic and Contemporary French
Owner: Kamal Boulos
Chef: Richard Blondin
The Refectory offers a relaxed and elegant space serving contemporary American and classic French cuisine, complemented by more than 700 wines. Open for 40 years, it has received the AAA Four Diamond Award for more than 20 consecutive years, been named among the Top 100 U.S. Restaurants by OpenTable, and the Top 25 for Service by Zagat.
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
Oklahoma City
Opened: 1910
Annual Sales: Almost $10 million
Average Check: Lunch $14.50, Dinner $26
Menu: Classic Steakhouse
Owner: Dick Stubbs
The stories this restaurant could tell! The history is almost as good as the steaks, and legendary guests run the gamut from real cowboys to movie stars to U.S. presidents. The cows came first, but this is the place that put the city on the map.
Cheever’s Café
Oklahoma City
Opened: April 2000
Annual Sales: $3.5 million
Average Check: $35
Menu: Contemporary Comfort Food
Owners: Keith and Heather Paul
Chef: Robert Hodgkinson
