DOWNTOWN. This chic hotel restaurant is a study of muted tones, sleek lines, and intermittent flashes of glitter and shine. Its menu is a similar amalgam, a successful juxtaposition of creativity and quality ingredients. Wonderful, assertive dishes include a navel orange and beet salad, Texas Hill Country venison chop, wild mushroom risotto, and braised short ribs. A five-course tasting menu is also a worthy alternative. Fruit-inspired desserts offer a refreshing cap to any offering. Great wine list, too.

GALLERIA. Whether you dine in Arcodoro's casual grill area or in its white-tablecloth dining room, you can be certain of spectacular Sardinian cuisine. An offshoot of Italian fare, it's the rustic, simple cooking of farmers and shepherds, but it's delicious enough for folks of all classes and inclinations. Homemade pastas enlivened with wild boar, roasted vegetables, and black truffles are wonderful, as are veal medallions, broiled lamb chops, roasted chicken, and a host of gourmet, wood-fired pizzas. Italian wines allow the restaurant's culinary heritage a chance to shine.

WEST HOUSTON. Adorned with Indian artwork, textiles, and architectural accents, Ashiana gives fine dining an Eastern edge. Mughalai cuisine is the specialty, and its judicious touch with spices ensures culinary exoticism without overwhelming flavors. The broad menu features tandoori specialties, plenty of vegetarian options, and classics like vindaloo, saag, korma, and tikka masala. Tasting menus provide multi-course pleasures, and the weekday lunch buffet is a delightful bargain. A fantastic wine list is also a boon.

DOWNTOWN. Noted for its terrific service and great bar, Bistro Lancaster is a tried-and-true favorite. Its New American fare is reason in itself to show up, and the menu invites you to whet your palate with poached mussels or wild mushroom risotto. From there, it's hard to choose among dishes like Madras curried duck, seared blue crab cakes, and slow-braised osso buco. Nevertheless, anything you choose, and any time you opt to stop in for a meal, you're certain to be pleased.

WEST HOUSTON. Golden-hued pine tables, booths, and wine racks impart a rustic warmth to this engaging bistro, which confidently creates comfort-food dishes in the best French tradition. "Le Cep" is the trunk of a grapevine, the most basic, deep-rooted part of the plant, and it's a worthy metaphor for the restaurant's cuisine. Taste the kitchen's skills in pan-roasted boar medallions, slow-braised short ribs, bouillabaisse, coq au vin, and roasted rabbit in mustard sauce. Ideal for a romantic dinner for two or a lazy lunch.