In the movies, downtown steakhouses are a classy affair, with white tablecloths, flickering candles, shrimp cocktails, and thin-stemmed wine glasses. Where the sound of clinking martini glasses and plates hitting the table lay the soundtrack for an evening of good conversation and bad jokes (maybe that’s just us). In some ways, Dean’s is formulaic, because it’s all of those things. But most importantly, it’s a place with very good food—where you can escape the downtown heat for a few hours, thumb through a massive textbook of wines, and order as much Japanese A5 wagyu steak as your wallet will allow. Feeling especially decadent? Order a side of the billionaires potato—it's a twice-baked potato covered in tallegio cheese and shaved truffles.

photo credit: Nicolai McCrary