Tyson Cole's South Lamar restaurant essentially invented modern Austin fine dining when it opened in 2003 — a James Beard winner that proved this was a serious food city before the rest of the country noticed. The menu blends Japanese tradition with Texas ingredients and Cole's restless invention; the hama chili and the maguro sashimi with goat cheese are signatures. Sleek, buzzy, foundational. For the restaurant that set the standard everything else in Austin measures against.