Hotel St. Cecilia Restaurant And Inn | Austin, TX

Food generally plays second fiddle at upmarket rock 'n' roll hotels like L.A.'s Chateau Marmont and New York's Chelsea. But at Austin's Saint Cecilia–a charming, picket-fenced inn that pays homage to artists, writers and musicians of the 1960s and '70s–food is elevated to a much-deserved pedestal.

Opened this winter by hotelier Liz Lambert, the hip 14-room hotel sits serenely under a 300 year-old live oak tree and offers ideal spots to unwind. Take a seat on a comfy wicker chair on your ceiling-fan-cooled porch and peer across the grassy lawn while sharing charcuterie from Austin-based Dai Due and sipping all-Texan Bloody Marys ($12) made with local tomato juice, Tito's vodka and house-pickled green beans.

Inside, plop yourself onto a handcrafted Hästens bed, throw some vinyl on your vintage Geneva turntable and order up a plate of tender grass-fed lamb chops and fried eggs ($38).

Then channel your inner troubadour by raiding the upscale minibar, which is stocked with local cheeses, bison jerky, guajillo honey, duck rillettes and Mexican Coca-Cola. Twee serving utensils made from mother-of-pearl and olive wood are provided, proving that guitars aren't the only fancy instruments in Austin.

Hotel Saint Cecilia, 112 Academy Dr., Austin; 512-852-2400 or hotelstcecilia.com