Hestia

Kevin Fink's Hestia, located among the glass towers of Austin's downtown, displays fire in all its Promethean and primeval beauty. It comes from a twenty-foot white-oak-fueled hearth with medieval-style levers operated by drawn-looking chefs. (Fink claims that during their first weeks in front of the grill, his chefs lose an average of fifteen pounds.)

Inches and seconds count when the temperature reaches 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. It's hard to believe that the same fire that tenderizes the halibut—kept three feet above the flame and served with an iridescent mirror glaze of brown butter sauce—is also responsible for the ferocious char on the dry-aged Wagyu bavette, with its sunset-red center and lacquered layers of potato and butter coiled into a tight, croissant-like bun.

Even the greatest of the desserts, the matcha kakigori (shown above), has a hint of fire. A scoop of burnt-honey ice cream, like a secret flaming heart, lurks within that frigid heavenly mountain of lavender and rhubarb salted cream. —J.D.S. Hestia is located at 607 West Third Street, #105, Austin, Texas.

• Rate: 4.5/5.0; 263 reviews (Source: Google.com)
  
• Address: 607 West Third Street, #105, Austin, Texas.
  
• Website: http://hestiaaustin.com/