Coddies with Crackers @ Suburban House
Coddies, fried codfish cakes, are an iconic snack food in Baltimore. In the 1950’s, every corner drug store fountain served coddies, and you could buy a fountain coke and a coddie for 11 cents. It was the perfect nosh to eat on the way home from school. Today, be prepared to spend $5 and there are only a handful of delicatessens that still make them. One of them is Suburban House. Where the balls of codfish and potatoes are deep fried, then served at room temperature on saltine crackers slathered with yellow mustard. Suburban House’s rendition, with its slight black pepper kick, is a must if you want to taste one of the quintessential foods of Baltimore.

“Ringo @ Raku Sweets
When Mitsuo Endo opened Raku Sweets a couple of years ago (as a desserts-only sister restaurant to his iconic Raku in the same shopping center), he brought a very Japanese spin to very French desserts, the likes of which Las Vegas had never seen. Seasonal desserts were also something unheard of off the Strip, and it’s safe to say Endo-san and his pastry chef, Mio Ogasawara, were pioneers of that lip-smacking trend as well. Ogasawara’s “Ringo” – an apple compote encased in a delicate mille feuille pastry with honey ice cream – is the sort of pitch-perfect pastry that used to be the province of fancy dining rooms a couple of miles to the east. Now, anyone cruising Chinatown can drop into the L-shaped dessert bar, six nights a week, and order one of Ogasawara’s creations that dazzle with their artistry and intensity. The only problem (especially on weekends) is scoring a seat. But call ahead or be patient, because the turnover is relatively fast. Once you’re seated, whatever you order, get ready to taste what might be the best desserts in all of Las Vegas – which is really saying something.

Poached Egg with Avocadoe @ Cafe Strange Brew
The poached egg, toasted sourdough with smashed avocado and chilli hollandaise with added bacon was heavenly. Fresh bread, creamy avocado and a perfectly cooked gooey egg with hollandaise that had a slight kick to it. This is the best brunch item we’ve had for a good while. If you are visiting, you must try it!

Triple Sausage Sandwich @ Gusto & Relish
This breakfast cafe and deli serves chunky artisan sandwiches and soups, plus in-house smoked meats. This dish was described as a triple sausage sandwich, but we counted four! It's an excellent comfort food choice for a cold day. The thick white bread with four fat juicy sausages comes with a homemade tomato relish. As expected, it was pretty filling.

Egg Royal @ Hutchesons Bar & Brasserie
This refined venue with high ceilings and potted palms is perfect for cocktails, steak and seafood. Set inside the historic Hutchesons Hospital on Ingram Street in Merchant City, the building was thoughtfully restored by the Rusk Group and the National Trust for Scotland, Hutchesons is an impressive venue. For breakfast or brunch, don't miss the smoked salmon with creamy hollandaise sauce on a chewy, warm English muffin.

Chettinad Koli @ Dakhin
Open since 2004, this modern South Indian venue with bare tables, wood floors and an open kitchen serves a vast, gluten-free menu with delicious lentil breads and fragrant cookery. It is a must-visit.

Macarons @ Ladurée
Macarons, dainty French cream-filled sandwich cookies, have been produced in Venetian monasteries since the 8th century. The macaron's origin isn't clear, but it may have been brought to France from Italy as early as 1533 by Catherine di Medici and her pastry chefs. In 1792, macarons gained fame when two Carmelite nuns, seeking asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution, baked and sold macaron cookies to support themselves. Known as the "Macaron Sisters,” they made macarons of ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. The simple cookies had no special flavors or filling. In the 1830s, macarons began to be served with the addition of jams, liqueurs and spices. But it wasn't until the 1900s that Pierre Desfontaines of Parisian pastry shop and café Ladurée decided to take two cookies and fill them with ganache. Today, Ladurée continues to be one of the first stops for macaron fans in Paris. On bite, the versatilely flavored treat with a thin, light crust briefly gives way to a layer of moist almond meringue followed by a center of silky smooth filling. No wonder the luxury bakery sells 15,000 of the double-decker macarons every day.

Angu do Gomes @ Galeto 183 (aka Bar da Dona Ana)
Affectionately known as "Bar da Dona Ana" after its charismatic owner who is always there to greet her patrons, Galeto 183 is one of Rio's best-kept secrets. There is some irony in this, given that the line that forms every lunchtime is made almost exclusively of journalists from the nearby Globo offices. The real stand-out dish is served only on Wednesdays: Angu do Gomes. This dish of soft polenta served with a rich stew of beef, offal, oxtail, smoked bacon and gravy was made popular in the 1950's by a Portuguese man known to one and all as Gomes. In the '60s and '70s, Angu do Gomes had become one of Rio's great street foods, sold from a fleet of carts across the city. Sadly, the carts are all gone today, but the original recipe, handwritten by Gomes' son for Dona Ana, hangs pride of place on the wall. The line of hungry journos starts to form at 11:30 a.m. and, in a couple of hours, the precious dish is gone. So show up early or miss out. The dish is rich, sticky and velvety and totally worth queuing for.

Beef Wellington “Rossini” @ db Brasserie
You want classic French? Daniel Boulud (and his lieutenant, Vincent Pouessel) fill the bill with enough over-the-top dishes to make you forget all about the Champs-Elysee. Don’t miss the lobster risotto or the “Frenchie” Burger (remember, it was Boulud who first gave the humble hamburger a gourmet spin a dozen years ago), and by all means end with a soufflé, but do not, under any circumstances, pass up this ode to excess. Traditionalists will remember that a Wellington usually encases filet steaks in pastry dough after coating it with a blend of duxelles (chopped ‘shrooms) and a fine liver pate. Tournedos “Rossini” tops rounds of filet mignon with a slab of foie gras and slathers on the earthy, pungent, truffle-studded sauce Perigueux. Here you get the best of both worlds in a decadently delicious dish that screams for a big, bold Bordeaux. DB Brasserie was written off by many a gourmand a couple of years ago, but with Pouessel at the helm, it has come back from the dead and now gives Bardot Brasserie serious competition for the best mid-priced French in Vegas. When the food is this good, who needs a ticket to Paris?

Macarons @ Balader Atelier Patisserie
This small pastry shop has some of the freshest, most delicious treats! You will be so happy you tried the delicate éclairs and the authentic Italian tiramisu. And the macarons are simply divine! They have perfect texture and the perfect balance of flavors. They will fill your soul with happiness after one bite.