Villari's Lakeside sits on the shores of Sun Valley Lake, near rustling willows and a quaint gazebo—but its menu seems to think its on the Sicilian coast. Crabmeat fills martini glasses and stuffs jumbo shrimp. Lobster tails wear coats of lemon and butter. Even the Filet Sinatra's 10-ounce filet mignon comes topped with shrimp. The creator of these feasts, Jose Zhinin, brings the Mediterranean to the US, but doesn't stop there. His yearly rotating entrees trek throughout mainland Italy as well, touching everything from chicken parmigiana to build-your-own pasta plates, mixing the traditional with the modern.

Likewise, the restaurant itself combines Old-World elegance with contemporary style. Like the halls of the coolest medieval kings, the two-tiered dining room easily hosts both sumptuous banquets and DJ-driven dance parties. But parties find their home most often at the outdoor tiki bar, whose thatched roof and glowing lanterns cast the lake in a tropical light.