Beer

The menu at Table 57—partly the work of celebrated H-Town chef Randy Evans—is vast enough to accommodate every taste and budget, from a grilled rib-eye special with sautéed bok choy and roasted potatoes to a fried oyster tostada, from a tangy lobster roll to pork chop Milanese, to a bounteous side order of cheese grits. And while there are inevitably some clunkers on a menu so huge, most dishes are more delicious than you’d expect, and the experience miles away from the microwave-and-condiments set-up that passes for a café in most supermarkets. The time between placing your order at the counter and the kitchen runners delivering it to your table seems to pass in an instant. And even if it doesn’t, there’s lots to do while you wait, from lip-reading the cooks in Table 57’s large, glass-walled kitchen, to letting the kids play on a compact but thoughtful playground to enjoying a concert on the patio, by which I mean a young woman singing Adele songs on the ukulele (some nights, that is).