Brennan's upstairs dining room. Photo by Nick de la Torre

Editor’s note: The following is a critic’s condensed guide to the restaurants that define the upper end of Houston’s dining spectrum.

Américas
Houston’s strong South American influence is best felt in these dazzling contemporary rooms. Softshell crawfish taquito, corn-smoked crab fingers and lamb churrasco are the must-orders — plus definitive tres leches cake. 1800 Post Oak Blvd., 713-961-1492; 2040 W. Gray, 832-200-1492.

Bootsie’s
It may be 35 miles from downtown, but this deceptively casual Tomball country cafe has one of the state’s most progressive kitchens. Chef Randy Rucker sources from local farms and forages like a man possessed. Menus change nightly and are never dull, from astonishing rabbit boudin to pristine vegetable salads to tamarind poundcake with buttermilk sorbet for dessert. 112 Commerce, Tomball, 281-516-9699.

Branch Water Tavern
Young chef David Grossman works quiet, careful magic with his menu of updated American classics. In a relaxed room, dine on chicken-fried oysters with celery-root slaw, duckfat popcorn, cleverly retooled matzoh ball soup and impeccably handled beef and fish. The sticky toffee pudding kills. 510 Shepherd, 713-863-7777.

Brennan’s
New Orleans meets the Texas Gulf Coast in this beautifully restored old Midtown building with a magical patio. Louisiana-born chef Danny Trace works in the opulent mode dear to the Brennan clan, and he does well by such classics as sherried turtle soup, wild-caught shrimp rémoulade and a Cajunesque version of duck a l’orange. Fun wine list. Don’t miss the local strawberry shortcake. 3300 Smith, 713-522-9223.

Catalan
Chef Chris Shepherd has turned this big, striking room into one of the liveliest places in town, thanks to a rollicking gift for blending Gulf Coast influences on his menu. One of America’s great wine lists, at astonishingly moderate prices, adds to the fun of such specialties as pork belly glazed with Steen’s syrup, Akaushi brisket with pickled taqueria vegetables, foie gras bon bons and oxtail spring rolls. Even the happy-hour menu is a blast. 5555 Washington, 713-426-4260.

Da Marco
At this refined contemporary Italian restaurant in a warm-hued Montrose cottage, chef Marco Wiles turns out some of the best food in the city. The specials board always has something worth ordering, and the pastas, salads and wood-roasted meats or fish are reliably first-rate. In its simplicity and integrity, this is that rare Houston restaurant where less is more. Can’t get in? Try Wiles’ Dolce Vita Pizzeria several blocks east on the same street, or his casual Poscol several blocks west. 1520 Westheimer, 713-807-8857.

Feast
Adventurous nose-to-tail cooking done British style, with European twists. Such easy-to-love favorites as crispy roasted pork belly or cock-a-leekie (a cream-laced chicken casserole seasoned with bacon, prunes and leeks) share menu space with walk-on-the-wild-side specials like deviled chicken bones or earthy black pudding with fried egg, mint and peas. Not a bit of the meat is factory farmed, either. 219 Westheimer, 713-529-7788.

Haven
Farm-to-table Gulf Coast cooking meets a handsome modern room with a wonderful outdoor terrace. Chef Randy Evans’ ideas change with the season and range from Gulf fish with creamed cabbage and brown butter to a spectacular lunchtime BLT with a fried farm egg. And oh, those fried chicken livers with andouille cream gravy and a buttermilk biscuit. Fun seasonal desserts, too. 2502 Algerian Way, 713-581-6101.

Hugo’s
Chef Hugo Ortega deftly translates the cuisine of his native Mexico in this colorful high-ceilinged room. Taquitos of duck or suckling pig; antojitos of wood-roasted shark or octopus al carbon; and oxtail in Oaxacan mole are a few of the highlights. An accomplished bar and a smart wine list complete the picture. Legendary Sunday buffet brunch is worth booking in advance. 1600 Westheimer, 713-524-7744.

Indika
One of the best contemporary Indian restaurants in America flourishes in a spare modern space touched with vivid color and Subcontinental antiques. Chef Anita Jaisinghani is serious about sourcing carefully raised meats and local produce, and her menu runs from green salad with pickled mango vinaigrette and potato goat cheese cakes to Texas red snapper with a spinach, fenugreek and almond sauce. Jaisinghani’s training as an upscale pastry chef expresses itself in exotic and beautiful desserts. Thoughtful wine list. 516 Westheimer, 713-524-2170.

Kata Robata
Not only does chef Manabu Horiuchi dispense the most pristine sushi and sashimi in town, his collaboration with young modernist chef Seth Siegel-Gardner has made the menu one of the city’s most exciting. Be sure to order off the specials list, and don’t miss the magnificent foie-gras-and-eel terrine with pickled apple and shiitake crumbles. Stuffed with heirloom pork, even humble gyoza dumplings are an event. 3600 Kirby, 713-526-8858.

Reef
Chef Bryan Caswell pioneered the use of less familiar Gulf species like tripletail and wahoo at his big, svelte seafood mecca fashioned out of a onetime auto showroom. Southern, Asian and Mexican notions swirl together in such dishes as Gulf redfish “on the half shell” with fried mac & cheese; Filipino kinilaw, a ceviche of crab in a lime and coconut broth; and roasted grouper with corn pudding, salsa cruda and grilled peach. Well-chosen wine list features remarkably reasonable prices. 2600 Travis, 713-526-8282.

T’afia
It’s all seasonal and (mostly) all local at chef Monica Pope’s pared-down Midtown spot, where even the spare modern furnishings and art come from Houston. The menus (including the swell cocktail list) change with the weather, but the nightly Texas tasting menu gives a real taste of the region and its possibilities. There’s a crisp, garden-edged dining terrace, too. 3701 Travis, 713-524-6922.

Tony’s
This longtime favorite of Houston’s monied social set has been re-energized by young chef Grant Gordon, whose collaboration with veteran restaurateur Tony Vallone is producing meticulous new dishes and subtle reworks of old standards. Enjoy a classic, crisp-skinned roast duckling with natural jus, or marvel over precisely turned gnocchi, perched atop squares of guinea-hen-and-foie-gras sausage flavored with star anise. It’s a calm island of luxury with doting old-school service. 3755 Richmond, 713-622-6778.

Queen Vic Pub and Kitchen
This bold young watering hole opened with the most entertaining menu of 2010, a mashup of Anglo-Indian/Gulf Coast ideas from glamorous chef Shiva Patel. It’s typical of the serious ambitions Houston chefs are bringing to more casual venues these days. From garlicky “Bullet” naan loaves strewn with bacon to an unforgettable lamb kebab burger to mussels in a riveting green-chutneyesque bath, the food’s exciting. So are the well-crafted cocktails and the very fine draft beer program. 2712 Richmond, 281-533-0022.

Cinq
Gifted young chef Jeramie Robison has put a fresh new stamp on the French restaurant at this posh boutique hotel. In a beautifully restored mansion, dine on such highlights as letter-perfect escargots, red-winy shortribs, braised octopus with avocado aioli, and delicate ravioli stuffed with beef and foie gras that might just be the best stuffed pasta in town. 3410 Montrose, La Colombe d’Or Hotel, 713-469-4750.

Philippe
In a big new Galleria-area room defined by black-and-white architectural graphics, chef Philippe Schmit (the self-styled “French cowboy”) brings a casual, local twist to a French-inspired menu. Venison pate, smoked salmon pizza and lobster ravioli are good bets. Late-night lounge menu offers duck-confit tamales and more. 1800 Post Oak, 713-439-1000.

RDG + Bar Annie
Chef Robert del Grande, who pioneered Southwestern cuisine in Texas, holds forth in stunning contemporary digs near the Galleria. Multiple menus (lounge, casual Bar Annie and more formal Grill Room) yield such neo-Texas classics as seared avocado salad, bbq-smoked oysters in a can, gorgeous little “Asian nachos,” wood-grilled squab or pork and green chile stew. Prime people-watching. 1800 Post Oak, 713-840-1111.

Quattro
Fine contemporary Italian dining is delivered without fuss or circumstance from chef Maurizio Ferrarese and company. Excellent house-made pastas, lamb, osso buco and risottos, plus an impeccable veal Milanesa that is chicken-fried steak’s elegant cousin. Lovely desserts, too. 1300 Lamar, Four Seasons Hotel, 713-276-4700.

Stella Sola
Chef Justin Basye does Italian with a local Gulf Coast spin at this informal Heights spot founded by Reef chef Bryan Caswell. The daily crudos of marinated Gulf fish are always fun, the suckling pig is major, and Basye’s housemade charcuterie platter is reliably spectacular. 1001 Studewood, 713-880-1001.