The Grill at Leon Springs, San Antonio

The Grill at Leon Springs is the answer to a hypothetical—what would you get if you mixed downhome Texas charm with European class? Chef Thierry Burkle took on this equation by crafting a menu full of international flair inside a glowing, rustic space. His Parisian roots and frequent travels to France inform much of the cuisine, from the escargot to the baked brie. Yet italian thin-crust pizzas emerge from the kitchen's brick oven, spanish chorizo dapples housemade pastas, and asian slaw adorns the crab cakes. The global nature of the food—and the catalog of wines that stretch across two cellars—foretells the grill's fondness for from-scratch cooking, variety, and accessibility. Alongside manager Armand Obadia, Chef Burkle aims to satisfy devoted foodies and simply hungry diners alike, a practice that helped win the 2010 award for Best Neighborhood Restaurant/Northwest and 2014 Reader's Choice award for Best Restaurant outside Loop 1604 from the San Antonio Express-News.

A unified atmosphere of community and charisma offsets the restaurant's eclectic offerings. On Thursday through Saturday, guests flock to the Hill Country Terrace for dance breaks, drawn by live music and the survival instinct that makes us look bigger when conga-lining. Parties mingle in one of three rooms—the Alamo Room, the Candle Room, or the Fireplace Room—as the staff prepares their meals in a separate catering kitchen, devoted solely to private events. The public dining room's rustic rock walls might contain gatherings and fundraisers, as well. For example, during a benefit for the San Antonio Food Bank, the San Antonio Spurs donned aprons and waited on grill patrons, raising $180,000.