Golden, miniature cow sculptures, perhaps macabrely stacked with rolls of wagyu beef, land at tables at this new Bethany Chinese restaurant, which is quickly becoming one of the area’s strongest options for Chongqing-style tableside hot pot. Broth options include versions with the tingle of Sichuan peppercorn and the richness of bone marrow, plus the tangy chicken and pickled mustard green-based broth. The restaurant offers a wide range of add-ins, including house-made noodles, seafood, Berkshire pork, quail eggs, offal, and several different cuts of beef; hot pot connoisseurs will appreciate the assortment of dipping sauces as the condiment bar.

This new fish taco cart in the Nob Hill pod specializes in the seafood dishes found in Baja California. Crispy, batter-fried sturgeon — mimicking the angel shark tacos spotted in Ensenada — arrives topped with cabbage, pico, pickled onions, crema, and chipotle mayo, plus a choice of cart-made salsas for a touch of heat. The highlight, however, is a Sinaloan dish, tacos gobernador: A crisp, quesadilla-like taco filled with saucy tomatoes and poblano peppers, queso Chihuahua, and juicy, plump shrimp. The octopus “al pastor,” served with a cool avocado mousse and nutty salsa macha, is another strong contender.

At this new cocktail bar adjacent to companion restaurant G-Love, servers deliver sparkling wine in coupe glasses soon after visitors sit down, whether that’s in one of the booths under the giant palapa at the center of the room or at the brightly backlit bar. Owner Garrett Benedict soon rolls by with the cart he designed himself, introducing diners to the various treats he has to offer. Maybe that’s a fat crab bao bun, light with a toasty chile crisp; or, it could be a brioche waffle topped with lox and horseradish creme fraiche, fried capers and dill like flowers. Must-grabs include the adorably tiny croissant banh mi and the ahi tuna “tacos” in a hard wonton shell, the salt and heat of nam jim jaew cooled with avocado whip.

At this cozy mom-and-pop Japanese bistro, diners begin their meals with appetizers like umagi, delicate slices of unagi-filled rolled omelet, and salmon carpaccio infused with truffle ponzu. Affordable sashimi and nigiri omakase options range from $20 to $40, and teishoku sets clock in under $20, if leaving the decision-making to the chef sounds preferable to ordering a la carte sushi rolls like the Heather Canyon (salmon, hotate, apple, asparagus). Bottles of sake affixed to a wall are arranged by category for easy selection.

This sleek new Thai restaurant on North Williams is all blonde wood and leather-lined booths, but the focal point of the space is the glass-encased noodle-making station, where chefs hand-pull and extrude egg, wheat, and rice flour noodles for the restaurant’s various soups. The emphasis seems to be on the Thai Chinese dishes like khao man gai and wontons, plus an extensive selection of house-made noodle dishes. Go for the egg noodles, bright yellow with yolks; they can arrive in a delicate, garlicky broth with sweet and tender roast duck.

After leaving Los Burros Supremos, the regional burrito shop he founded, Southern California-born chef Adán Fausto has revived his seafood pop-up as a summer residency at the Houston Blacklight. The psychedelic bar has incorporated aguas frescas-like cocktails, including serrano passion fruit margaritas and mangonada-inspired slushies, to pair with Fausto’s seafood dishes — think zingy albacore crudo tostadas to crisp shrimp and potato flautas. The fruits of Fausto’s time at a Mexico City tortilla factory are showcased in the satisfying chew of his handmade tortillas.

Chef Kevin Jones, an alumnus of Bar Casa Vale and Yonder, is happily doing too much at this Southeast Ankeny tavern: Instead of churning out standard bar fare, the chef makes his own pasta in-house, sources Oregon purple asparagus to pair with house-pickled rhubarb, and braises pot roast to pour over Ayers Creek grits. In the dining room, couples play Scrabble at the bar’s tables, placing tiles on the board between bites of red-to-the-center Oregon strawberries in spring-y green salads. The bar’s cocktails — nonalcoholic included — are worthy accompaniments.

The second effort from Bellwether Bar co-owner Ansel Vickery offers thoughtfully executed bistro-style dishes by chef Jimmy Askren. Warm lighting and dried flower arrangements provide a romantic ambience for diners to share plates like the tuna nicoise, which delivers the right amount of brine from pickled green beans and caper aioli, further anchored by fried potatoes and a jammy egg. At Bar Loon, cocktails are meant to take a backseat to the wine list that offers a mix of pours from Oregon and Europe, but the corn daiquiri is a must-order.