Alice

Chef Dave Conn’s casually elegant Italian Market bistro is built around a large charcoal-fired oven which lends crispy textures and smoky flavors to a menu reliably stuffed with seasonal ingredients and worldly dishes. The demarcation between entrée and appetizer appears less relevant at Alice, observes critic Craig LaBan, replaced with “a free-flowing collection of variously sized plates that slide seamlessly from carpaccio and crudo to large format sharing platters.” Diners typically order two to four plates at this evenings-only spot, and can expect to taste influences from Asia, Mexico, and Europe. Still, Alice isn’t all fancypants; LaBan says the burger — “a thick patty of dry-aged beef with the smoky savor of a backyard cookout” and topped with barbecue sauce and caramelized Vidalia onions — is “next level.”