DOWNTOWN. A graceful, mirrored dining room provides an elegant accompaniment to Bohanan's top-notch steaks and seafood. Noted for serving Akaushi beef ­ three grades above Prime ­ and dramatic flaming desserts, the restaurant has a loyal contingent of regulars and attracts new customers nightly. Try a juicy filet from the mesquite grill, or split a massive double center-cut pork chop with someone special. Unusual seafood dishes like fennel pollen-crusted blue fin tuna and Chilean sea bass au gratin provide a welcome change of pace.

RIVER WALK. Culinary inventiveness and use of fresh, local ingredients help make this restaurant popular. Its delicious frozen margaritas are made with swirls of crimson prickly pear juice, and the menu revels in dishes like black lacquered duck leg, papaya-marinated flank steak, mesquite-grilled Texas quail, and shrimp and crab enchiladas. Book a table on the barge and enjoy a river tour and a prix fixe meal, or sit by the window and watch life float peacefully by while you indulge your appetite.

BULVERDE. A Hill Country steakhouse with turn-of-the-century appeal, Cowcatchers wins over diners with handcrafted wooden tables and a superb wine list. Certified Angus steaks don't hurt either and can be had in a number of sizes and cuts, all accompanied by warm buttered bread and salad. Sides aren't groundbreaking, but classics like red-skin mashed potatoes, onion rings, and rice pilaf are always welcome. Looking for something on the lighter side? Opt for a salad with grilled steak or chicken.

ALAMO HEIGHTS. The San Antonio location of this national chain is praised for its comfortably elegant atmosphere, solid selection of prime beef, and noteworthy wine list, most of which is served by the glass. Treat your special someone or a business partner to a 12-oz. filet mignon, a 16-oz. prime rib-eye, or to beef Flemington ­ a filet encased in puff pastry with creamy duxelles. Seafood selections include a New Zealand salmon filet in cabernet butter sauce and tuna mignon seared rare with poppy seed au poivre. Take advantage of Discovery Dinners for groups of six or more, which feature four-course menus with wine pairings.

RIVER WALK. San Antonio's first two-story structure now comfortably accommodates this charming steakhouse, which proffers some of the city's best filet mignon. Memorabilia collected by the steakhouse's original owner lines the interior (Chicago's old courthouse supplied the brass lights). The menu is an exercise in simplicity: meat and vegetables with a bit of seafood thrown in just for kicks. Not only locals but peripatetic celebs like to make frequent stops at Little Rhein.