In 2013, after more than a decade in business, the owners of Wild Horse Grill felt like they needed to shake things up. So they brought in Executive Chef Ray Carpenter, a Travel Channel-featured pro renowned for his prior work at Niche Restaurant and Prime 1000 Steakhouse. His two biggest influences on the menu have been an emphasis on using local food producers and a balance of classic and contemporary techniques and flavors.

But even the most conservative palate can embrace Carpenter's modern style. It's subtle—from the sous-vide cooking method he uses to inventive sides like the mushroom hash he pairs with Maple Leaf Farms cherry-wood-smoked duck. Still, Wild Horse's steaks remain a hugely popular draw, with Black Angus cuts aged at least 28 days before being plated as 8-ounce filets or 32-ounce bone-in rib eyes.

The restaurant is known for its quality, yet it's far from stuffy—every weekend there's Fried Chicken Sunday and on Wednesday evenings guests can bring their dogs to the patio, which was voted to the top 10 most dog-friendly patios by the Riverfront Times. Wednesday evenings are also the grill's Pups on the Patio night, where a portion of the purchases of customers with dogs is donated to animal shelters.