WHY Because if beef tongue is the must-have dish, when tarte flambé and amazing sweetbreads with mushroom fricassée are also on the menu, chef Ray Garcia must be on to something.

WHAT If you didn’t have to walk past the spa, you’d never guess this is the Fairmont Miramar’s bistro. The food is top-notch, the atmosphere laid-back, and the wine and beer selection actually interesting and fairly priced—hardly your typical hotel restaurant. Only the desserts are uninteresting. Try to find time for the bacon-centric Sunday brunch—yes, there’s even a bacon bloody mary.

WHO Well-heeled locals spreading arugula butter on warm baguettes at the bar and chatty hotel guests tossing back fig mojitos on the patio.