Hestia

Push past the glass door of this restaurant in the heart of downtown and you'll immediately get the drift—quite literally, as wood smoke perfumes the air. This hot spot is all about live fire cooking, as evidenced by the 20-foot hearth in the open kitchen. Contemporary cooking is on display in both the à la carte and chef's tasting menu, and Texas produce and proteins take center stage. From savory to sweet, nearly everything is kissed by the flames or scented with smoke. Embered cantaloupe with green tomato and shiso blossoms is an elegant opener; and hearth-dried and blistered tomatoes over fresh grits is a comforting plate, but the seared scallop topped with green tomato kosho steals the scene with a tableside pour of beef tallow sauce atop the mushroom gelée base.