Most people pay very little attention to the interior of the restaurant they are eating in. Unless the decor is shockingly horrible, or astoundingly interesting, eyes are usually firmly focused on friends, menu, food and sometimes the more attractive clientele scattered around the place. Partly, that's due to human nature; after all, we eat out a lot and have become inured to the subtle differences between this steakhouse and that, or this sports bar and another. Partly, however, it has to do with where we live.

"Tampa restaurateurs don't feel the need to make the interiors as elaborate as they do in some places," says architect Kenneth Cowart, whose firm has designed several high-end restaurants in Atlanta and elsewhere. Cowart later thought his comment might be too strong, but I think we all realize that he's correct. As the undisputed king of chain dining, Tampa restaurants don't often push the boundaries of food, service or design — with a few exceptions.

Here's my list — gathered with plenty of feedback from other dining regulars — of the best-looking restaurants in the Bay area. High-end to low, funky to luxury, these are the places where serious thought was put into action when constructing the dining ambience. As Cowart says, the best spots "use a holistic approach to the restaurant, from the silver to the menu to what the waitstaff is wearing." These restaurants get that.

This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.