Laurel Hardware, hanging on to the name and the sign of the previous occupant, is a farm-to-table restaurant serving dinner, Sunday brunch and desserts but better known for its party scene that really gets going around 10 pm. Nosh on small plates like chicken wings or pork ribs or tuck into hardier fare like chicken pot pie or Pork Flat Iron with asiago grits and bloomsdale spinach. Its signature cocktails - running $13-$16 - have names like "Gangster" (cucumber vodka, fresh juiced watermelon, lime) and "Laurel Hardware Boilermaker " (basil Hayden bourbon, Luxardo apricot brandy, lemon, Magic Hat #9 ale). Popular with gays and straights, it has a chic industrial-design interior and a cozy patio out back.

laurelhardware.com