Listings:

This massive, minimalist warehouse of a Japanese restaurant is easy to miss; look for an unmarked doorway in the gray wall and follow the bamboo-lined path beyond. Shintori is immensely popular, more for its hip decor and vibe -- lofty ceilings, fully-open kitchen, polished concrete warehouse interior -- than its decent food. There's a wine list in place of sake or shochu and English-speaking...

Specializing in the tribal cuisine of China's Yunnan province, Lost Heaven has all the makings of a proper date restaurant: exotic cuisine, enchanted decor, atmospheric music and dim, flickering candlelight.

Mi Tierra occupies a colonial style colonnaded courtyard and features and extensive list of specialty tacos and other traditional Mexican fare.

Saleya is a little French bistro in the French Concession serving up simple, mid-priced dishes from southern France in a charming environment. Popular for its tiny area of outdoor seating.

Haiku is a slick and stylish California-style Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. It is wildly popular among the expat set. Don't even think about coming here without a reservation. By 7pm it's booked solid.

Cotton's chilled-out villa atmosphere is also the place to go if you're not used to Chinese food and don't plan on becoming acclimated. They've done a good job of creating a pretty spot deep within the French Concession where foreigners can feel like they are in Any City. The outdoor dining area recently became a covered patio. Sunday brunch.

Mistral is a mid-priced Spanish restaurant from the current management of Tara 57, located in the space that used to be Moroccan restaurant Marrakech. The food is Spanish, but makes the conscious effort to appeal to both Chinese guests and continental Europeans (some French influences). The main selling point of Mistral is the space itself, a casual, Mediterranean-ish feel, with several...

People 7 is a large, low-key cocktail bar with a full Asian-fusion food menu. It's on the pricy side but the place is nicely designed, with visual tricks scattered around to beguile guests. Just finding the way to open the front door is a puzzle in itself. It's gimmicky, but a nice ice-breaker, though the jokes wear a bit thin after your first visit.

Whisk's main theme is chocolate, from the chip-studded, layered cake-looking outside wall to the blocks of it on the inside counter with the Whish name carved in to them. Chocolate is their thing. But Whisk also does a good trade for their non-chocolate menu of salads, sandwiches, risottos, pastas and the like. Comfy couches and a cafe/lounge vibe help.

Southern Barbarian is a casual, somewhat bohemian restaurant that specializes in the exotic and diverse cuisine of China's Yunnan province. Dishes feature ingredients like goat cheese, fresh herbs, tropical flowers, and chili peppers. For the more adventurous, there are dishes like fried honey bees with dried beef. The owner is quite the beer enthusiast and stocks craft brews from the US,...