Casablanca

There's nothing wrong with the dining room at Casablanca, but the bar is where the real action is. From midday to midnight, the barstools are occupied by businesspeople, students, professors, and others who come here not only because the room makes a great study hall, but because chef Ruth-Anne Adam's food is just that good. Adams keeps with the restaurant's whimsical North African theme by featuring such ingredients as Marcona almonds from Spain. Try the meze platter with mouhamara, dolmades, and sumac-dusted carrots. Her food is rock-solid delicious and lends itself well to the let's-get-a-drink-and-share-a-few-appetizers bar scene.