Fortu

This attractive, high-energy dining room in downtown St Petersburg is cool in all the right ways. Handsome wood finishes, sleek lighting, and large arched mirrors cut a sharp figure at the base of the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Most importantly, this Pan-Asian kitchen backs up all this style with proper substance. Skip the raw bar in favor of plump, spicy pork wontons showered with crispy garlic and chili crisp. Glazed carrots in kimchi butter are both satisfying and sophisticated. And though the restaurant isn’t technically a steakhouse, this might be the best place around to splurge on beef. Beautifully marbled cuts of Japanese A5 wagyu are seared and seasoned to exacting measure. Desserts, like walnut and apple torte, make for a sweet finale.