On the Town

A buyer’s guide to shopping and dining in America’s market centers

LAS VEGAS

CraftsteakMGM Grand (702) 891-7318

In a town where the stakes were once everything, other diversions like shopping, shows, and spas now compete. Well, the new steak in town dazzles and matches everything else Vegas has to offer.

Craftsteak is rated one of Vegas’ top steakhouses. The restaurant serves beautiful cuts of corn-fed and grass-fed beef and “focuses on purity...and the absolute essence of ingredients,” according to executive chef and owner Tom Colicchio.

Portions are big, sides are meant to be shared, and if you’re not a beef lover, there are other options such as seafood, salmon, lobster, and caviar. A $115 tasting menu of “Kobe Beef Surf and Turf” offers that exotic favorite in tartare, skirt, and filet choices. Foods from small family farms and artisanal producers are an essential part of the kitchen. The spare, elegant room is designed using bronze, leather, and wood.

Manolo BlahnikWynn Esplanade(702) 770-3477

The first Manolo Blahnik store outside of Manhattan is located in the Wynn Esplanade. It resides in splendor with the likes of royal equals Jean Paul Gaultier, Oscar De La Renta, and a Ferrari-Maserati dealership. There is a calm about the Esplanade, which may have something to do with the glass ceiling, plush carpeting, and awed silences that accompany really big purchases.

At the ivy-covered Vegas Manolo, party-girl shoes are popular, and the 3-inch heel rules. Leopard prints and patent leather are big, but a new material called “Pony,” which the Manolo people are quick to point out is actually cowhide, is huge and fun. Open your wallet wide and empty it for a calf-length alligator boot with Swarovski crystal buckle; at $3,700, it’s the most expensive item in the shop. NEW YORK

Per SeTime-Warner Center10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street(212) 823-9335

Urban brother to Napa Valley’s French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s Per Se has staked its own claim to gastronomy by offering dishes made with the finest ingredients the universe has evolved to produce. Diners are presented with a giddy array of food pairings and tasting menus. Situated on the fourth floor of the massive Time-Warner complex, Per Se is an intimate space with only 15 tables, but those tables command a stunning view of Central Park. All menus are $210 and encompass either a prix-fixe seven-course menu or a nine-course chef’s tasting menu.

What do you get for $210? Signature dishes are “Pearls and Oyster,” a big, juicy oyster in pearly tapioca topped with caviar; risotto of summer truffle; butter-poached lobster; and sorbet of hibiscus.Grab a hot dog off a cart the next day and return to earth. Union Square GreenmarketBroadway at 17th Street

Heading downtown from the culinary heights, you reach another bit of foodie heaven in Union Square. In 1976, the Greenmarkets were established in New York to bring local and regional farmers’ bounty to the city.

The Union Square market is home to over 1,000 varieties of fruit and vegetables year-round, or “wind chill permitting,” as one vendor puts it. Chefs from top restaurants shop here, as do locals and tourists—thousands of people each week.

Fall and winter feature apples, berries, cider, pretzels, maple candy, and cheeses. Spring and summer, the Greenmarket explodes into fruits and greens, flowers, fresh herbs, vegetables, and pies.

Trader Joe’s is across the street in its first Manhattan location, and Whole Foods is nearby, if somehow you feel you’ve missed something.CHICAGO

Spring2039 W. North Ave.(773) 395-7100

Spring chef Shawn McClain received the 2006 James Beard Best Midwest Chef Award. The interior of his restaurant is a Zen space set in a turn-of-the-century bathhouse in the trendy Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood, northwest of the Loop.

The dishes at Spring are mouthwatering—roasted butternut squash and Fuji apple soup, white chocolate peppermint dome with milk chocolate crisp and peppermint froth, eggplant Marsala, and grilled duck.

Boredom is not a dining option as items on the menu change daily and with each season. The wine list is also paired to the seasons and available foods and includes interesting choices from Oregon, Washington, California, and New Zealand. Tabula Tua1015 W. Armitage Ave.(773) 525-3500

Lincoln Park, north of downtown, offers a wealth of Chicago-based specialty shops as opposed to chains. For 13 years, Tabula Tua has showcased ceramic and glass artisans from around the world. The shop features the work they do in exquisite one-of-a-kind tableware. There are no stuffy rules about how you should put your table together either—the shop encourages people to mix “French dinnerware with Japanese soup bowls.”

Francis Palmer, a well-known California ceramic artist, has a dinnerware line of individually finished plates from her hand-thrown molds; no two are exactly alike. Tabula Tua also carries flatware, linens, everyday stemware, and the perfect martini shaker.SAN FRANCISCO

Moose’s Restaurant1652 Stockton St.(415) 989-7800

North Beach is one of San Francisco’s most beloved neighborhoods. Long known as the Little Italy of the city, Joe DiMaggio is its native son and the district is densely packed with bars, restaurants, and boutiques. Moose’s Restaurant, on historic Washington Square, reflects the fun and warmth of the surroundings.

There’s no way the giant neon-blue moosehead in front will fail to grab your attention. Inside, high ceilings and big windows embrace the bar and restaurant; the atmosphere is lively. The cuisine is American with Mediterranean influences. A big, sophisticated menu includes charcuterie, pateacute;, sauteacute;ed Louisiana shrimp, rib eye, pastas made from scratch, and the Mooseburger—considered one of the best in the city.City Lights Bookstore261 Columbus Ave.(415) 362-8193

City Lights is a North Beach landmark and one of the most historic bookstores in the country. It was established in 1953 by Laurence Ferlinghetti and is famous for the 1957 obscenity trial of Allen Ginsburg’s epic Beat poem “Howl” (City Lights was the publisher). The bookstore continues to be relevant and revered: The 2006 National Book Award finalists were announced here—the first time ever on the West Coast.

Shoppers have three floors of poetry, fiction, politics, philosophy, art, and music from which to choose. Titles from both mainstream and small specialty publishers are offered, but it wouldn’t be City Lights without sections like “Stolen Continents,” “Muckraking,” and “Class Wars” to browse through. Six to seven in-store readings take place each month, and people from around the world flock to this literary icon. LOS ANGELES

La Terza Restaurant8384 W. Third St.(323) 782-8384

Los Angeles is an Italian food town, and chef Gino Angelini is one of its most talented practitioners. His kitchen reflects a cooking philosophy of simplicity and directness, using only the freshest ingredients.

La Terza opened in 2004, and the spotlight is on rotisserie cooking. A wood-burning rotisserie, made in Italy, is put in service to roast squab, pork, lamb, duck, chicken, and hare. You can also opt for the Tavola Italiano, a menu of “little bites.”

The 15 to 20 Tavola items to choose from include panzanella salad (Tuscan bread with tomato), prosciutto, and rotisserie pork belly. Match each dish with glasses of champagne or wine. Pastas are homemade. The bright, modern space of La Terza is just east of the Beverly Center shopping mall on La Cienaga Boulevard. It’s open every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.Fred Segal Melrose8100 Melrose Ave.(323) 651-4129

Fred Segal’s is a consortium of hip/chic fashion, beauty, and shoe shops. It’s a souk of sorts, as you enter the doors of the Ron Herman bungalow and then leave, it takes a little wandering to find the next shop. Meander through corridors that lead nowhere, or into the next fabulous boutique, or into Cameron Diaz—take your pick. Segal carries the latest of everything, but don’t call it trendy. Nearly 40 years old, it has earned (in L.A. time) the status of a shopping classic.

Ron Herman stocks Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney, but the current hottest labels include Free City, for their sweaters and T-shirts; Corpus, for jeans (both L.A.-based), and Band of Outsiders, for slim-cut blazers and jeans. Apothia is the beauty, fragrance, and skin care shop for Kiehls, Go Smile, Lorac, and Nyakio, among many other lines. The black motorcycle jacket you’ve dreamed of zipping your toddler into can be yours at Lifesize, a kids’ boutique. Mauro’s Cafe serves breakfast and lunch; parking is free and easy.MIAMI

Bongo’s Cuban Cafeacute;601 Biscayne Blvd.(786) 777-2100

This is simply a good-time Charlie—er, Carlos—kind of place. Bongo’s, owned by Gloria Estafan and her husband, is located in downtown Miami and overlooks the skyline and the port. A giant pineapple on the roof is visible for miles—you can’t miss it. The 16,000-square-foot restaurant is a paean to 50s Havana and sports a deco tropics look. Bongo’s turns into a happening disco Friday and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 4 in the morning. Dancing is fueled by a steady stream of pintilde;a coladas and rum runners, and is illuminated by a light show. After-parties for the Latin Grammy and Billboard Music awards have been held here.

For the less strenuous act of eating, order Bistec de Palomilla, a Cuban-style steak with onions and parsley; polenta laced with seasoned pork, wrapped in cornhusk; or Coco Rallado, shredded coconut. There is also a children’s menu.Grande diversioacute;n! Brownes & Co.841 Lincoln Road(305) 532-8703

To achieve ultimate Miami beauty and body glitz, visit Brownes and Co. in South Beach. This emporium, designed to look like an old-fashioned apothecary, has it all. The first floor is filled with botanical scents, oils, and perfumes. It carries a giant collection of European soaps, herbal remedies, Molton Brown, Le Clerc, and Bumble and Bumble products.

Upstairs is one of Miami’s best hair salons, Some Like It Hot, as well as a nail salon. A spa to scrub and rub you and a yoga room for the stretch complete the package of services available. You will emerge a different person—or at the very least, smelling much, much better.

Up in the loft is Lavish boutique, which carries a very cool line of Sarah Luna dresses, inspired by ’80s glam and quite comfortable and cute in zebra, star, and owl prints embellished with leather trim and ruffles.DALLAS

The Mansion on Turtle Creek, The Restaurant2821 Turtle Creek Blvd.(214) 559-2100

The Mansion, five minutes from downtown, is a Dallas icon. The Restaurant, flanked by fireplaces and grandly cozy with art and antiques, carved ceilings, and leaded glass is the place to dine, now with a new chef, John Tesar, shaking things up. Except for classics like tortilla soup and lobster tacos, Tesar has left the Southwestern menu behind for contemporary American cuisine. Some of the new dishes include Pacific halibut with melted leeks; rack of lamb with a hazelnut, garlic and herb crust; and Hudson Valley foie gras with apple and golden raisin compote.

The famous Sunday brunch remains, so you can still get your fix of French toast heaped with bourbon maple syrup and Tahitian vanilla butter, not to worry. Other old traditions remain in place—jackets are required for gentlemen and a tie is encouraged.Premium 933699 McKinney Ave.(214) 526-2884

It is said that Dallas sprouts more malls per capita than anywhere else on the planet. If you’re in the mood to de-mall, though, head to West Village, a residential neighborhood and shopping hot spot situated in the out-of-doors. Shops, cafes, and theaters make this an area for a lovely stroll as well.

Premium 93 is a beautifully designed store in a loft-like space offering both men’s and women’s fashions. Prominent designers include Robert Rodriguez, Louis Verdad, and Marc Jacobs, as well as Oliver Spenser and Ted Baker for British menswear.Romantic chiffon dresses and beaded jackets by Castle Starr share space with an extensive Alice Roi blouse and trouser collection. Pair outfits up with the metallic Botkier bags the shop carries. Premium 93, as it touts itself, is the Dallas place to visit for clothes that have “status, style, and substance.”

ATLANTA

Woodfire Grill1782 Cheshire Bridge Road(404) 347-9055

Michael Tuohy is a long-time Atlanta chef with roots in San Francisco. Woodfire Grill pays homage to both regions with its simply prepared, fresh cuisine. Tuohy is a force behind Georgia’s organic growers, and the menu at Woodfire reflects his commitment to locally farmed produce. Baby beets, okra, and heirloom eggplants are popular; North Georgia chickens grace the rotisserie; and house-smoked trout is served as a “small plate.” Almost 40 wines are available by the glass.

Gourmet magazine calls Woodfire Grill a “neighborhood gem.” The restaurant is casual, with pressed-tin ceilings, stucco walls, and an open hearth. Tables, chairs, and sconces are all wood and handmade. This “wine-country” cottage wouldn’t look out of place in California’s Napa Valley but is situated in Midtown, a rapidly gentrifying area of Atlanta.

Red Twig Gallery3719 Old Alabama RoadSuite 300AAlpharetta, Ga.(770) 740-9411

Red Twig Gallery is a new design and home-fashions store in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Owner Steve McClure is an alumna of Ralph Lauren’s home furnishings operation, and he designed many Armani stores. He and partner Marleen Brannon have a design aesthetic that offers “out-of-the-box, but not trendy,” choices for affluent homeowners. Customers include many relocated Californians, who are attracted to the gallery and its unique selection. Furniture and accessories in warm colors and distinct, strong textures are popular. Styles range from traditional to clean contemporary; lighting, glassware, and pillows are plentiful.

There are seven furnished rooms to wander through, all set with furniture and accessories. An antique bench with an acid-wash calfskin throw sits next to a clean-line leather chair. Red Twig does interiors for the beach and mountain homes of Georgia, as well as its gracious suburbs.