The winners here are the cocktails and the speakeasy ambiance. Inspired by Burritt Alley, where Sam Spade's partner Miles Archer was shot in "The Maltese Falcon", the Burrit Room and Tavern is a fitting setting for hushed conversation over well-crafted cocktails and familiar regional tavern favorites.

The Tavern takes cues from its moody sibling with a speakeasy vibe, most notably showcased by six curtained, we’re-up-to-no-good booths. The mini dens of iniquity provide the appropriate backdrop for chef and five-year Palmer alum Ashley Weaver’s shareable Dungeness crab and asparagus tarts, oysters with grapefruit vodka mignonette, and masculine mains (pan-seared Scottish salmon, grilled Duroc pork chop, and lamb shoulder 36 hours in the making).