A local legend, the Grant Grill (326 Broadway, 619/744-2077, www.grantgrill.com, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $22–38) has been serving upscale cuisine since 1951. The wonderful ambiance of the posh dining room makes even the most casual of diners feel wealthy and “part of the crowd.”

The Grant Grill, part of the US Grant hotel, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, and offers a full-service lounge with live music and a lobby where you can enjoy top-end aperitifs and digestifs. At lunch and dinner, you’ll find the fanciest of California-style cuisine on the menu. For dinner, choose from the á la carte menu, or enjoy a full five-course tasting menu that’s something of a bargain.

For an extra fee, you can add wine pairings to each course of the tasting menu. The wine list is short compared to many high-end restaurants, which makes it happily manageable, and it focuses almost exclusively on California wines.

On Sundays, come in late in the morning or early in the afternoon to enjoy a wonderful brunch.

If you’re female, coming into the Grant Grill makes you a part of history. In the 1950s and ’60s, the Grill was an exclusive and exclusionary men’s club. In 1969, a group of local businesswomen staged a sit-in, and the Grant Grill was forced to move into the modern era.