Daniel Pliska

Our food columnist, a certified executive chef, is a transplant from the mid-Atlantic coast, and he says this suburban seafood restaurant is one of the best in the state, and he shares what he ordered.

If a locavore-centric restaurant that serves multicourse flights inspires your food-loving soul, Bulrush is a destination worth exploring. The restaurant, located in midtown St. Louis on Washington Boulevard, brings together historical Ozarks food and the creative culinary techniques of Chef/Owner Rob Connley.

The contemporary German restaurant Affäre is centered in the Crossroads Art District, not far from the Power and Light District in the heart of downtown Kansas City. Co-owned by the native German couple Martin and Katrin Heuser, Affäre is an innovative German restaurant that features seasonal, locally raised and grown ingredients.