City: Raleigh, NC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (919) 861-4318

Address: 18 Seaboard Ave., Seaboard Station

Description: Chef Jason Smith’s resume includes an interesting range of experience, from cooking in New York’s Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern to working as a chef on an Antarctic research station. His roots are planted firmly in his native North Carolina, though, and at 18 Seaboard he shines his culinary light on Southern food. Presentations are often simple, letting the beauty of the ingredients, many of which are sourced locally, speak for themselves. The fried green tomatoes appetizer, dressed with corn relish tartar sauce and aged balsamic, is addicting, and any of the seafood or meats cooked over the hardwood fire grill and accompanied by one of six house-made sauces makes a memorable meal. The setting is modern with clean lines and spare decor, and a rooftop patio offers lovely views of the downtown Raleigh skyline. The wines are well-chosen and the cocktail list is inventive. It’s the sort of place where a wide variety of appetites can find comfort and satisfaction.