(Business 2.0) – This may be our cheekiest "Best" yet: Take five of America's top food towns and pick a single great restaurant that's hip and lively, but not so happening that you can't conduct some serious business. And we don't want to make the bean counters choke--two should be able to get out for less than $75, plus drinks, tax, and tip. With a few leads from friends on Chowhound.com, we think we found the perfect spots. --ANDY RASKIN

CHICAGO Salpicon

Halibut enchiladas. Cactus paddles stuffed with Maine shrimp and Jonah crabmeat. This is no Tex-Mex taqueria. It's Nuevo Mexicano, inventive cuisine such as marinated lamb shank with Oaxacan red mole wrapped in a banana leaf. For dessert, try the fruit crepe topped with cajeta, a goat's milk caramel sauce. And if you're celebrating a deal, choose from 100 tequilas. But get expense approval before ordering the Jose Cuervo 1800 Coleccion--it runs $150 a shot. 1252 N. Wells St.; 312-988-7811.

LOS ANGELES Restaurant 2117

Fusion cuisine should be surprising but not weird, and this little-known Cal-Asian strip-mall joint nails it. Crispy wonton hamachi tartare and softshell crab with arugula, black rice, and a spiced ginger vinaigrette are served in a stark room where the waiters seem to know instinctively when to dote and when to leave you alone to make your pitch. 2117 Sawtelle Blvd.; 310-477-1617.

NEW YORK Basta Pasta

It's no accident that the open, stainless-steel kitchen gives off an Iron Chef vibe: One of the cult-hit cable show's earliest combatants created this Japanese take on Italian. Highlights include crossover fare such as linguine with uni (sea urchin roe), but even traditional Italian dishes like shrimp-and-mushroom risotto or stewed oxtail take on a delicate Japanese sensibility. If it's Iron Chef-style showmanship you're after, consider the spaghetti with parmesan: A waiter will toss your pasta tableside in a 16-inch wheel of reggiano. 37 W. 17th St.; 212-366-0888.

PORTLAND Lucy's Table

The focus on regional ingredients makes this place--Mediterranean by way of the Pacific Northwest--a favorite of local businesspeople. Enjoy Puget Sound mussels, then sop up the champagne they're steamed in with locally baked artisan bread. The menu changes every season; recent main courses included spinach-stuffed lamb loin, pan-roasted ruby trout, and an herb-rubbed whole poussin (for those who spend most of their time with a different kind of server, that's French for "young chicken"). 706 N.W. 21st Ave.; 503-226-6126.

SAN FRANCISCO Piperade

Business associates may find it hard to remain at arm's length over chef Gerald Hirigoyen's Basque cooking while sharing an asparagus flan, a crab txangurro (a thin crepe with creamy crab filling), or a selection of Basque cheeses. Don't miss the namesake piperade--stewed peppers topped with serrano ham and a poached egg. When ordering the crepe or the chocolate amatxi cake, pronounce "tx" like "ch," as would Spanish tennis star Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. 1015 Battery St.; 415-391-2555.

For our picks in four other major cities, go to www.business2.com.