From January 2005 100 Very Best Restaurants

An impressive, well-priced wine list and an inventive approach make Casey Jones a place to seek out. Creativity rules in this Modern American kitchen with dishes like lump crab served over crispy Navajo indian fry bread, though there are also nods to tradition with slow-roasted prime rib with buttermilk mashed potatoes. The place has a West Coast vibe courtesy of dining rooms fashioned of wood and stone and a wall that doubles as a wine rack--service tends to be laid back.

Winning starters include cream of crab soup, skate-wing tempura with Asian mayo, and a mini-Monte Cristo of salmon, crab, and shiitake mushrooms. Main-course treats range from a chipotle-and-apricot-glazed pork chop to ballotine of chicken served with pancetta-wrapped chicken livers and banana-pistachio-flecked rice. A pair of baked Alaskas--strawberry shortcake and chocolate--make for a fun finish. And there are good dessert wines.