The spicy South meets salty Seattle at Sazerac, a big, casual, family-friendly restaurant with an open kitchen and wood-fired oven at the Hotel Monaco. All their fiery barbecue sauces, crunchy slaws, dill pickles, salad dressings, ice creams, and cornbreads are made in-house. Start with something like the brick oven Gulf prawns served with chorizo and lots of garlic, or the Medjool dates stuffed with smoked bacon, goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar. One of the specialties here is crispy catfish, deep-fried and served with jalapeño-lime brown butter and creamy whipped potatoes with lemon. I love the super-spicy, melt-in-your-mouth, cider-chile-glazed St. Louis–style pork ribs that come with cheddar baked grits. After your main course, ice creams like the chocolate-root beer or buttermilk are not-too-sweet ways to cool down your overheated palate.