Few things can soothe the ragged edges of a rough day more quickly than settling into a quiet corner at Jeannier’s. Chef Roland Jeannier’s low-key haunt is secreted in a Tuscany-Canterbury apartment building, and the well-heeled crowd it draws from nearby Guilford and Roland Park is looking for sturdy, traditional fare. Chic it ain’t, but that won’t matter once you dig into the lusty pâté, silken beef with béarnaise, or hearty Alsacienne sausages with sauerkraut. Have an ethereal floating island for dessert, and enjoy the gracious service.

Why go: A relaxing and very old-fashioned French meal.

While you’re there: Consider dining from the light fare menu at the bar: a very affordable alternative.

Joey Chiu’s Greenspring Inn/Bamboo House
10801 Falls Rd., Lutherville, 410-823-1125; 26 Yorktowne Plaza, Cockeysville, 410-666-9550. Moderate.

It may not offer the most exotic Chinese cooking on the planet, but at Joey Chiu’s and its sister, Bamboo House, the ingredients are always fresh and the combinations flavorful. Put that together with a tuxedoed waitstaff and pleasant decor, and you’ve got the makings of a relaxing meal. Standards like moo goo gai pan and various lo meins are just fine, but spicy, tender yu shiang pork and orange beef are standouts.

Why go: For an easy Chinese meal in refreshingly pleasant surroundings.

While you’re there: Order the whole steamed fish, with any sauce except sweet-and-sour.

Joy America Cafe
800 Key Hwy., 410-244-6500. Very expensive.

Founding chef Peter Zimmer is gone, but not forgotten. Joy America Cafe is carrying on in the fusion tradition, albeit in a more squarely Asian vein. While the execution is not always as crisp, the results are still enjoyable. The tower of tabbouleh, goat cheese, and black beans could have used extra punch, but adobo-rubbed prawns found excellent foils in coconut polenta and charred tomato sauce. Both the Thai lamb with dried cherry and coconut polenta as well as a fried crouton of potato laced with roasted garlic and cheddar transcended their unduly sweet sauces. These are still some of the most intriguing plates around.

Why go: To hang out in this ultra-cool dining room.

While you’re there: Stroll onto the porch for a spectacular view of Vollis Simpson’s whirligig.

Jumbo Seafood
48 E. Sudbrook Ln., Pikesville, 410-602-1441. Moderate.

Don’t ask us why this bright, clean storefront is called Jumbo Seafood. Yes, there is plenty of seafood on the menu, including whole fish with hot bean sauce and several squid dishes. But there’s also a broad assortment of non-fishy Chinese, like the Long Life Pot, a gooey vegetarian melange with perfectly browned tofu. They got the jumbo part right, at least: Most meals arrive in big, deep iron crocks. If you go on the weekend, leave time for a wait, and don’t expect to go incognito—there’s lots of table-hopping.

Why go: Good food, friendly servers, and it’s right near home.

While you’re there: Avail yourself of the primo eavesdropping opportunities; everyone else is.

Kawasaki
413 N. Charles St., 410-659-7600. Moderate.

Yes, go for the sushi and sashimi: Kawasaki’s chefs slice it up with the best of them. (Tip: Fresh fish is delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays.) But don’t forget the rest of the talented kitchen. Try the kanikaraage, a sautéed soft-shelled crab with ponzu sauce, or perhaps the tender fried squid. Unaju—steamed eel over rice with sweet soy sauce—is sure to please the eel-lover in you. Be open minded, and trust owner Tzu Yang’s way with both the raw and cooked.

Why go: To expand your take on the Japanese table.

While you’re there: Chill down with some Draft sake—sweet, clean, and served ice-cold.

La Piccola Roma
200 Main St., Annapolis, 410-268-7898. Expensive.

It’s a pleasure to step off the bustling streets of Annapolis and into this serene Italian dining room. The space is cozy, the service engaging, the house Chianti drinkable, and the cooking careful. Nibble an appetizer from the waiter’s proferred tray—perhaps the shrimp in paprika-garlic sauce—then make your way leisurely through penne with smoked salmon in tomato cream sauce or duck breast with saucy slivers of red pepper. An occasionally oversauced entree has been our only complaint. That, and the fact that we may not have saved quite enough room for the wonderful housemade pecan cranberry tart.

Why go: To get away from it all.

While you’re there: Look around at all the relaxed faces.

La Tavola
248 Albemarle St., 410-685-1859. Moderate.

A Little Italy miracle: good Italian at reasonable prices. Each course is prix fixe (for example, all pastas except for specials are $12), which streamlines decision-making. Sort of. You’ll still agonize over whether to start with insalata di mare—little jewels of shellfish coddled in delicate lemon dressing—or fresh mozzarella and sweet red peppers. And it is tricky to choose between grilled salmon, fragrant with sweet wood smoke, or mafalde alla Fiorentina, tendrils of pasta tossed with spinach, raisins, pine nuts, and lush ricotta. Then again, that veal scaloppine at the next table looks so yummy. . . .

Why go: Because Italian this good at these prices is a rare thing.

While you’re there: Have something seafood; they do it well.

La Tesso Tana
58 W. Biddle St., 410-837-3630. Expensive.

Step down into this subterranean Italian and you’ll feel transported to a Roman trattoria: White-washed brick walls and a charmingly retro black-and-white tile floor provide the right trappings for a dip into, say, saltimbocca laced with an unctuous red wine sauce, or plump scampi in white wine over linguine. Don’t forget to start with delicious crabmeat-stuffed artichokes or a lovely hearts-of-palm salad.

Why go: For old-fashioned Italian favorites in a romantic cellar setting.

While you’re there: Skip dessert (they’re not housemade) and go directly to the pretty bar for an after-dinner libation instead.

Lennys got off to a rough start this year. Happily, things have smoothed out considerably since our earlier visits; service and kitchen now approach the elegance of the dining room, easily one of the handsomest around. The menu is built on basics—beef, veal, lamb, rockfish, salmon—with grace notes in the form of daily specials. The veal chop, bathed in Madeira-laced natural juices, is wildly wonderful, house-made gravlax hits the mark, and fried calamari drizzled with wasabi cream crackle with flavor. There’s much of interest on the wine list, too, and a server or two well versed in its charms.

Why go: To experience an updated take on grand, robber-baron elegance.

While you’re there: Have a drink in the bar; it’s gorgeous.

Liberatore’s Ristorante/ Liberatore’s Bistro
9515 Deereco Rd., Timonium, 410-561-3300. Very expensive. 9712 Groffs Mill Dr., Owings Mills, 410-356-3100. Moderate.

Flamboyant Italian fare finds a home in Timonium
via Liberatore’s Ristorante.

The murals say it all: Cornucopias spill over with fruit; cherubs cavort amidst the abundance. That’s the feeling of Liberatore’s Ristorante and its slightly more casual sister, Liberatore’s Bistro. The menu is straightforward, but the spirit is generous and the food well prepared. Dreamy carpaccio, its excellent beef awash in capers and Parmesan, surrounds luscious caponata. Grilled eggplant and veal offer simple elegance, but a more robust choice is the rollatini—spirals of pasta rolled around ricotta laced with prosciutto and sausage.

Why go: A richly accented waiter will call you "my darling lady" and you’ll somehow be flattered (provided, of course, that you are a woman).

While you’re there: Listen up when your waiter instructs you in the finer points of Chianti—the ’96 Tunuta Santedame Classico was superb.