Chez Pierre
850/222-0936 1215 Thomasville Road
In October 1996, the delightful twosome of Karen Cooley and chef Eric Favier moved from their downtown digs in the shadow of the Capitol to this tr?s charming plantation home blending the best of two worlds - the French and the South (in Florida's most Southern of cities). For lunch, I like Scottish smoked salmon, the quiche or p?t? of the day, followed by Moroccan stew or the superb spinach salad with apples, bacon, chicken breast, Roquefort and walnuts, dressed by a marvelous maple vinaigrette. For dinner, start with the Smoked Maine Seafood Platter, then move on to rotisserie duck with roasted chestnut and bourbon sauce, black grouper wrapped in smoked bacon with a fennel lemon butter or the grilled lamb chops with fresh thyme topped with mint-cranberry glaze and sundried cranberries. Lunch and dinner, entrees $11 to $23, every day but Sunday.
Barnacle Bill's
850/385-8734 1830 N. Monroe Street
For nearly 20 years, this indoor-outdoor bit of fun has been dishing out freshness from Florida fields and waters. Start with freshly shucked bivalves at the raw bar or dip into the best smoked fish spread in the state, before digging into the heart-smart steamed veggies, grilled fish, shrimp Alfredo or the new skillet stunners - seafood swiftly seared with chunks of kielbasa and served on yellow rice. Lunch and dinner, entrees $6 to $12, daily.
Georgio's
850/893-4161 3425 Thomasville Road
Carriage Gate Shopping Center
There are a few Greek accents - red snapper Plaki, grilled and smothered with sauteed scallions, fresh tomato and sweet peppers; garlic-laden rack of lamb and an Americanized Greek salad - but the main thrust here is generally cross-continental, with lobster Savannah, chicken Florentine, veal chop, steak au poivre and a half-pound filet mignon filled with roasted garlic and served on sweet onion confit with beurre blanc. There's also a quartet of pastabilities, including one called Katerina defined as linguine mingled with fresh vegetables sprinkled with slivered almonds. Dinner, entrees $11 to $17 and market prices for the headier stuff, every night but Sunday.
Gordo's
850/576-5767 1907 W. Pensacola Street
Ole! An authentic Cuban sandwich shop serving freshly assembled mouth-benders saturated with Spanish soul, with full-platter compa-eros - platanos fritas and black beans and rice. My favorites are the slow-cooked, onion-smothered pork and "El Gordo," Cuba's answer to the classic club. Lunch and dinner, entrees $5 to $7, daily.
Marie Livingston's Texas Steak Restaurant
850/877-2986 3212 Apalachee Parkway
Dothan, Alabama's loss was definitely the capital's gain when the effervescent Marie moved south five years ago to open "The Best Little Steakhouse in Tallahassee." It's also in the running for "Best Little Texas Barbecue in Tallahassee," so finger-lickin' good are the platters of brisket, chicken and pork straight from the pit. Also try the grilled or fried jumbo shrimp and the blackened fillets of fish. Lunch, Monday through Friday; dinner, entrees $7.50 to $20, daily.
The Melting Pot
850/386-7440 2727 N. Monroe Street
One of the 44 cheesy links, 18 in Florida, of the Tampa-based chain where fondue reigns supreme and you can dip your fill of Swiss Gruy?re and Emmenthaler, Wisconsin Cheddar and court bouillon, finishing with fruit, marshmallows and cake bits coated with chocolate. Corporate headquarters has recently revised menus, adding eight new entrees, including salmon, scallops and shrimp, portobellos and shiitakes, duck and teriyaki sirloin, andouille with Cajun spicing and coq au vin, in order to boost business as part of its new "Flair for Living, Taste for Fun" advertising campaign. Dinner, entrees $8 to $15, nightly.
Monroe Street Grill
850/386-1027 2900 N. Monroe Street
Ramada Inn
Modern hotel pleaser with 100-item salad, soup and potato bar; burgers "as complicated as you want with up to six toppings," including the local favorite an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink selection known as "the Legislative"; hickory-smoked and mesquite-grilled prime rib; crab-stuffed and bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp; ginger honey-grilled chicken breast; and baby back ribs, marinated two days then steamed and grilled with Bourbon Street barbecue sauce. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, entrees $10 to $18, daily and Sunday brunch.
Mustard Tree
850/893-8733 1415 Timberline Road
Market Square
Pleasingly priced and popular casual cornucopia of culinary creativity, with changed-daily menus featuring such zingers as smoked crawfish spread; snow crab fritters made with beignet batter; bacon, broccoli and shrimp quiche; cajun scallops and sausage; shiitake ravioli, smoked venison with hunter's sauce; grilled snapper with the Oscar toppings of asparagus, crab, and hollandaise; and amberjack crowned with chunks of sausage, sauteed with onions and peppers and served with red beans and rice. Excellent wine list with no fewer than 30 sold by the glass. Lunch, Monday through Friday; dinner, entrees $8.50 to $19, Monday through Saturday.
Nino
850/878-8141 6497 Apalachee Parkway
Highly personalized family operation occupying a charming house transformed into the finest Italian restaurant for miles around. The pastas are generally peerless, the veal dishes glorious, and from time to time the talented team out back produces such specials as stuffed Cornish game hen served with wild rice. All of it is complemented by a fine selection of wines. Dinner, entrees $8 to $18, Tuesday-Saturday.
Po'Boys Creole Cafe
850/224-5400 224 E. College Avenue
Fourteen mouth-popping po'boy sandwiches are only part of the soul-satisfying fun from New Orleans. There's also gumbo, "Jammin' Jambalaya," salads in sourdough bowls, crab cakes and "Awesome Al's Shrimp Pie," along with "Mom's Award Winning Etouffe," climaxed by bananas Foster. Lunch, daily; dinner, entrees $2.50 to $9, Monday through Friday. For more of the same, there's another Po'Boys on the corner of Pensacola and Ocala avenues.
Restaurants Around The State
SOUTHEAST
MIAMI
Porcao
801 S. Bayshore Dr. 305/373-2777
Top-of-the-line Brazilian restaurant in the Four Ambassadors Hotel. Eye-popping salad bar and skewered meats in the best rodizio style. Lunch & dinner, entrees one price: $26.50.
SOUTHWEST/TAMPA BAY
SANIBEL
The Mad Hatter
6460 Sanibel-Captiva Road 941/472-0033
Sensational for sunset-watching. Feast on citrus-grilled grouper with pineapple-tomato salsa. Lunch & dinner, entrees $18-$29.
CENTRAL
TITUSVILLE
Dixie Crossroads Inc.
1475 Garden St. 407/268-5000
A great value for the money, featuring everything fresh from the sea. Rock shrimp is one specialty, along with fried mullet. Lunch & dinner, entrees $8 to $36.
NORTHEAST
JACKSONVILLE
The Wine Cellar
1314 Prudential Drive 904/398-8989
The Caesar, salmon, feta, shrimp and chicken salads are superb, as are the jerk-seasoned tuna and pecan-encrusted grouper. Lunch & dinner, entrees $18 to $28.
NORTHWEST
PENSACOLA
Jamie's
424 E. Zaragossa Street 850/434-2911
A handsome 19th century cottage with an extensive wine cellar for saluting the French-inspired mastery of the kitchen. Lunch & dinner, entrees $18 to $22.