Opened by Jack and Rose Arnold in 1982, this award-winning family-operated cafeteria-style diner is famous for its Southern and soul food classics served from a cafeteria-style steam table and tray line. Famous for its excellence in “meat-and-three” fare, the long-simmered greens, perfectly crisp fried green tomatoes and cooked-to-order cornbread have won a legion of fans. Featured in such publications as “Maxim,” “Southern Living,” “SAVEUR” and “Bon Appetit” and on the Food Network’s “Diner's Drive & Dives,” the restaurant achieved national acclaim when it was awarded a prestigious James Beard American Classics Award in 2009. Note: The kitchen is only open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Set on a corner on Nashville’s famous Music Row, the exterior resembles your basic neighborhood bar and grill. Looks deceive. Once inside, the hostess directs diners to an elevator waiting to whisk them up to the third floor. The elevator door opens to a hallway filled with twinkling lights. You’ve arrived at the Catbird Seat, an American English idiomatic phrase used to describe an enviable position. The food is as dramatic as the setting. Executive chef Ryan Poli, who has worked in some of the world’s most celebrated kitchens and extensively traveled throughout Spain, France and Asia, turns out some of the best Modernist cuisine in the country, featuring dishes like Parmesan and porcini Oreos; kimchi-wrapped cod prepared with avocado, kiwi and melon rind; and local pigeon served with soy-infused, caramelized yogurt. The restaurant serves only 28 people each evening, making it one of the hardest reservations to get in the country. Pro tip: Pre-paid reservations can be made 30 days in advance of the date on the restaurant’s website. Sales are final.

Opened by chef-restaurateur Andre Chiang in 2013, this modern barbecue eatery is ranked No. 14 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016. Australian Chef Dave Pynt, who worked with charcoal master Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri in Spain, is renowned for his incredible barbeque. Pynt smokes, slow roasts, hot roasts, bakes, grills and cooks directly on coals up to 700 degrees in a 4-ton, dual-cavity oven and three elevation grills fired by fragrant apple and almond wood. With only 17 coveted counter seats looking directly into the open kitchen, reservations are a must. Diners choose from a daily printed a la carte menu. A wonderful sourdough opens the meal. Delicate snacks include smoked quail eggs with caviar, sweet beef marmalade with pickles, garlic shoots with gremolata, and crispy salmon skin. In addition to hefty slabs of beef and whole fish, look for mains of roasted quail and aioli and pulled pork with slaw and chipotle mayonnaise on a brioche bun. The wine list focuses on small growers, regional styles and varietals from Pynt's homeland, while cocktails and craft beers are popular accompaniments. Pro tip: Don't bother saving room for dessert.

Dominique Crenn, a two Michelin-starred chef and owner of Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn, holds the honor of the World's Best Female Chef on San Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants 2016 list. Famous for artfully presenting French dishes with a focus on innovation, Crenn grew up on a farm in Brittany, France, and came to the United States in the 1990s. She describes her food as "poetic culinaria." Crenn and her chef de cuisine, Rodney Wages, base their tasting menu on a poem Crenn writes at the start of each season. Guests never see a menu, but instead guess at what is to come by reading between the lines of the poem. Presented at the start of the meal, the poem describes the emotions and sensations Crenn intends to convey with her meal. Precisely mixing methods and flavors to create dishes that resemble art, the meal comes over several courses that number between 14 and 17. Each are small bites, and diners are often encouraged to use their fingers. Bring your wallet. The tasting menu price is $298 per person. A 20 percent service charge is included. Taxes are not.

Piedmont was at the forefront of the artisanal and industrial production of aperitifs (alcoholic drinks served before a meal) in the 18th century. Household names such as Cinzano, Vermouth and Martini all hail from the region. This historic cafe on Piazza Castello, once the exclusive hangout of royals and performers at the nearby Teatro Regio opera house, is the ideal location for whetting your appetite before dinner with its house-made Vermouth. Try it (or a cocktail made with it if you don't fancy the drink straight) with some stuzzichini (savory appetizers) such as one of their 40 different tramezzini. The café claims it invented the triangular-shaped sandwiches.

Opposite the beautiful Santuario Basilica La Consolata, this historic café opened its doors in 1763. The cafe is best known for its invention of bicerin, one of Turin's signature drinks made with layers of espresso coffee, chocolate and cream. You can also savor hot chocolate, zabaglione and toasted chocolate sandwiches in this charming, old-world locale. This is another Torinese address on the Locali Storici d'Italia (Historical Places of Italy Association) list.

This restaurant, in the city's trendy San Salvario area, is owned by Giovanni Foresto. Like many Torinese, he originally hails from southern Italy. After World War II, many southern Italians migrated to Turin, the city of Fiat and hub of Italy's car manufacturing sector. Le Putrelle's menu choices are thus inspired by both the traditions of Piedmont and Foresto's native Puglia. Pugliese menu highlights include orecchiette con cima di rape (pasta topped with turnips) and purea di fave e cicoria con cipolle rosse (mashed beans and chicory with red onions). As for more locally inspired fare, it's hard to resist the sublime house made pastas, such as their agnolotti alle tre carni and gnocchi made with purple potatoes.

Porto di Savona opened its doors overlooking the city's stunning, portico-lined Piazza Vittorio Veneto in 1863, making it one of Turin's oldest continually-run restaurants. The restaurant has maintained its 19th-century, tavern-like interiors with its original floor tiles and vintage furnishings and, as a result, is part of the Associazione Locali storici d'Italia (Historical Places of Italy Association). Menu highlights include vitello tonnato, bagna cauda (a sublime oil, garlic and anchovy-based sauce eaten with raw vegetables) and handmade tajarin with local Castelmagno cheese.

Fans of nose-to-tail eating should make their way to the centrally located Via Monte di Pieta and sample the contemporary twist that Consorzio's owners bring to foraged foods, locally-sourced produce and the less noble cuts of meat that often pop up in many of Piedmont's signature dishes such as la finanziera,  il gran bollito and fritto misto. Adventurous eaters may wish to sample the restaurant's quinto quarto (literally, “the fifth quarter”), a dish featuring an assortment of offal including brains, sweetbreads, tripe, anchovies, capers and black-eyed beans. There also is plenty to offer the offal-adverse, including handmade tajarin (try these with white truffles in autumn), carne cruda (a steak tartare-style dish commonly prepared in Piedmont) as well as a variety of natural wine labels to choose from. For a less formal vibe but no less delicious food and wine, you may want to try the restaurant's recently-opened sibling eatery, Banco Vini e Alimenti, in nearby Via dei Mercanti.

For a contemporary and refined take on traditional Piedmontese cuisine, it's hard to beat this understated yet elegant restaurant set under the watchful eye of Turin's iconic towering landmark, La Mole Antonelliana.  Cheerful vintage posters adorn the walls of its sleek, minimalist interior and the head chef makes a point of informing diners of the day's menu. Handmade pasta standouts include the agnolotti alla Piemontese, tajarin al ragù and, in spring, the rabaton (gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese and chard). Wine lovers will arevel in the variety of regional and national labels to choose from.