One of Atlanta's most opulent restaurants, City Grill is the place for downtown power-lunchers and couples celebrating a special occasion. Located in the lavishly refurbished Hurt Building, you enter the two-level restaurant through a marble-walled rotunda with a rosette-and-gold-leaf-adorned dome. Downstairs, murals of misty pastoral scenes adorn the walls, candelabra chandeliers glitter overhead, and floor-to-ceiling windows are framed by gold draperies. The setting is quite grand, but the atmosphere is more relaxed than you might expect.

Chef David Gross specializes in regional American fare with a few Southern overtones. A recent menu included starters such as vanilla-scented scallops with lobster slaw and blackberry vinaigrette. Main courses included jumbo lump blue crab cakes with corn-smoked tomato coulis, and grilled duck with truffled asparagus and fire-roasted shallot jus. City Grill's extensive cellar is stocked with more than 400 wines (most of them French and Californian) in all price ranges, with about 20 selections available by the glass.