Contemporary in San Antonio

The Nix Hospital's Cafe Navarro counters past notions of hospital dining with its polished floors and varied clientele. A tortilla wrap of turkey with chipotle mayo proved memorable, as did a bowl of potato-leek soup.

Canyon Cafe has a great atmosphere and is a fun place to drink.

Sophisticated mixology in a casual setting. Delicious American Kobe beef burgers, too. -- Mark Jones (04/09)

Justly famous for its fish tacos, the Cove is also a good location for locavores and vegetarians thanks to owner Lisa Asvestas’s commitment to sustainable food sources (she can tell you where to find raw milk, too). Beer and wine tastings, plus live music and the adjacent laundromat make it a one-stop lifestyle shop without the Austin attitude.

Full menu available for dine in or take out. Call (210) 248-9244 to place your order and pick up at the bar entrance. All seating is first come, first serve.

A contemporary Texas bistro serving Duck A L'Orange cheek-to-jowl with Chicken Fried Steak. Live jazz in the martini bar.

Highly popular and therefore crowded American restaurant with a sort of generic interior but not a bad spot.

The pretty rustic setting suits a sometimes stuffy Old World menu, but contemporary fusion fare is available, too: Roasted short ribs, Panko-breaded Thai shrimp. The wine menu is award-winning and the wine dinners tend to feature more adventurous cuisine

Hours: 12pm-7pm.

Las Leyendas pioneer Mickey Wakely is behind this clubby neighborhood joint, where Paris-trained executive chef Jonathan Parker pursues New World Continental perfection in a revamped deco building in the heart of Alamo Heights.

In the lobby of the Emily Morgan Hotel, guests will find pure gold – the ORO Restaurant and Bar. Spanish for "gold," ORO provides diners in San Antonio with a superb culinary dining experience that centers upon Executive Chef Moses Cruz's regional Texas cuisine. ;Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and with high-speed wireless Internet service throughout the restaurant and bar, ORO features a daily Happy Hour from 5:00 to 7:00pm with drink specials available. The ORO margarita was recently selected as the "Best Margarita in all of San Antonio." The extensive martini menu has been rated as one of the top three in all of San Antonio.;;For San Antonio fine dining, ORO offers a spectacular new menu each season served in one of the most stunning dining rooms in all of San Antonio. The sophisticated space features dark wood floors, high-backed booths, chairs upholstered in smoked-salmon colored fabric, and subtle lighting of custom-made fabric cones and votive candles.

Here's a promise: In writing about Oro, there will be no cheap references to "good as gold," "gold standard," "fool's gold," etc. Although it's tempting, very tempting. My first comment does have to do with gold as a color: The faded blue denim shirts on the waiters have to go - with the possible exception of the one on our waiter. (It matched his eyes, according to a dining companion who notices such things.) As a part of last year's redo of the Emily Morgan, Oro rose from the ashes of the utterly undistinguished Yellow Rose Café. Now garbed in golds and deep browns, illuminated by handsome fabric pendants, sconces, and votive candles, and sporting such flagrantly opulent touches as an alabaster bar glowing from lights placed beneath, the restaurant has an air of elegance rivaled by few in the city. The second-string waitstaff is garbed in black, tunic-style jackets. So what's with the denim? Think of an evening at Oro as theater, and you'll understand where I'm coming from. Thinking of the menu as Modern Italian, as it claims to be, may help define its direction some, but isn't really necessary to enjoyment of the meal. - Ron Bechtol

"Much more than traditional 'Tex-Mex,'" you'll find fare here from the interior and coastal regions of Mexico and signature dishes such as grilled snapper, ceviche, pozole, and handmade flautas. Wash down your enchiladas de casa with a margarita, beer or wine delivered straight to your casa. Or order carne by the pound, sides by the quart or pint.

The Quarry Restaurant now offers upscale Contemporary American Cuisine served in a laid - back luxe atmosphere overlooking one of the "Top 10 Most Unique Golf Courses in the U.S." as recognized by World Traveler Magazine.;;Serving breakfast, lunch & Happy Hour daily and dinner Wednesday through Saturday nights, patrons enjoy traditional Eggs Benedict, creative sandwiches, regionally-inspired entrees, seasonal fresh seafood, and daily Chef specialties.

Rick Frame's north-central restaurant earns rave reviews for its contemporary Americana menu, casual but sophisticated setting, and friendly, knowledgable bartender. -- Ron Bechtol/Mark Jones, 04/08

When the dinner shift winds down, servers from all over town descend upon Zinc to unwind with good company in stylish surroundings. Aside from boasting SA’s finest late-night food-and-wine menu, Zinc does “downtown” better than anywhere else, and the patio in summer is one of the areas best-kept secrets. Champagne and pizza at 11 p.m.? We’ll meet you there.;