GT Fish & Oyster's Seafood Restaurant | River North, Chicago

A marriage of downtown style and beachfront flavor has led to an exceptional offspring: GT Fish & Oyster.

There, dishes inspired by both fine dining and bicoastal beach shacks are executed by the deft hands of Boka's Giuseppe Tentori.

Start with oysters with ponzu-spiked mignonette and cross-cultural shrimp bruschetta (pictured; $11). The dish's whipped avocado and grapefruit segments are brightly Californian, while crushed pistachios, pickled chilies and cilantro whisper of Southeast Asia.

Hinge-topped Mason jars hold New England-style clam chowder ($8), with generous hunks of Neuske's bacon bobbing in a thin, creamy broth. Crab agnolotti feels straight from the Boka repertoire, with strips of fresh coconut, Maitake mushrooms and tobiko as elegant garnishes.

To skip dessert would be an injustice to your sweet tooth, as Kady Yon's desserts successfully weave together the familiar and the creative. Case in point: a dessert (pictured; $8) with the flavor of cheesecake and the silkiness of panna cotta, topped with poached huckleberries and shards of sable pastry in lieu of crust.

GT Fish & Oyster, 531 N. Wells St.; 312-929-3501 or gtfishandoyster.wordpress.com