Out of all the restaurants in a city, 10Best narrows the options to those places with the most appeal and the best reputations. We offer carefully vetted selections to let you explore Minneapolis dining on your own. If time is really tight, though, and you don't have the leisure to look through all our offerings, we present our Minneapolis Best Restaurants list. Here, we distill the best businesses down to a special selection of ten. These places promise a stellar experience and a taste of the city that you just can't miss.

10 Fogo de Chão
Steaks — Brazilian-style — make Fogo de Chão a hit. Featuring 12 cuts of beef as well as chicken, pork and sausage, all meats are expertly seasoned and slow-roasted on an open flame. Meals are accompanied by a visit to a 25-item salad bar and savory sides like rice and beans, fried bananas and cheese bread. The ambiance is rustic, and the "Gaucho" theme is played to the hilt. All meals are prix fixe. (612-338-1344)

9 Restaurant Alma
An expansive tasting menu that changes almost daily and a bustling dining room made light and cheery with blond wood accents keep things lively and bustling at Alma. If it's fresh, organic, and seasonal, it's probably on the menu, which is designed with local farms and suppliers in mind. The three-course tasting menu is $48; representative courses include parmesan flan and soft quail egg with maple syrup, buckwheat crepe with smoked portobellos, leeks and spicy mustard, and sautéed wild Alaskan halibut with red kimchi purée. You'll have to order dessert separately, but with choices like chocolate-banana cake and passion fruit meringue pie, the splurge is well worth it. (612-379-4909)

8 La Belle Vie
Fresh flowers, fine crystal and china, and snow-white tablecloths define La Belle Vie, where the French and Mediterranean cuisine is as elegant and tasteful as the decor. A local newspaper once dubbed this establishment "the best restaurant in the history of Minneapolis," and it's not difficult to taste why. Whether ordering veal tenderloin with tarragon and sweetbreads or grilled chicken with chanterelles from the à la carte menu or exploring the five- or eight-course tasting menu, you'll be impressed by the quality and aesthetic of the cuisine. The full wine bar is a relaxing spot in which to enjoy a glass from the 300+ selection. (612-874-6440)

7 Manny's Steakhouse
This appealing steakhouse, reminiscent of an old-fashioned men's club, serves USDA-certified, dry-aged beef and does so in portions that are certain to demand a doggie bag. The menu changes daily but often features a mouth-watering porterhouse or New York strip, along with lemon-pepper chicken, shrimp, salmon, tuna, veal, lamb, and pork chops. The typical crowd dresses in everything from rhinestones to blue jeans. (612-339-9900)

6 Origami
A hidden treasure tucked away in the Warehouse District, this Japanese eatery offers first-rate elegance in both food and ambiance. Sushi and sashimi are wonderfully fresh and expertly crafted, and yose-nabe, served in an enormous clay bowl, offers generous portions of noodles, seafood, chicken, and vegetables. Other options include tempura, teriyaki salmon or chicken, and grilled scallops. First-come, first-served reservation policy. (612-333-8430)

5 Vincent - A Restaurant
A subdued, classy space — replete with elegant wooden chairs, chic iron light fixtures, and superb views of Nicollet Mall — characterizes Vincent. French classics are given a modern American twist, much to the delight of satisfied patrons. Lunch sees plates like penne pasta with shrimp in tomato and thyme ragout, and a croque monsieur, while dinner finds fare like seared beef tenderloin with gnocchi potato galettes and salmon in a wine-and-black currant reduction. A prix fixe bistro menu offers three courses for $30, Monday through Thursday. (612-630-1189)

4 112 Eatery
One of the best reasons you have for venturing into the Warehouse District, this cozy, award-winning kitchen, run by Chef Isaac Becker, applies youthful enthusiasm to the art of creative cookery. Featured main dishes run the gamut, from nori-encrusted sirloin with ponzu to sea urchin risotto to tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs. If something a tad more mainstream fires your craving, then the signature 112 cheeseburger is probably the way to go. It won't take long for you to figure why this is one of town's top restaurants, the preferred haunt of Minny foodies. (612-343-7696)

3 Corner Table
Corner Table places a premium on serving up dishes that incorporate locally-grown ingredients, particularly meat and produce from small, family-owned farms. Though the digs are snug, guests are made to feel right at home by the calm vibe. The dining room's capacity for comfort only deepens when waitstaff delivers dishes like braised beef shank with whipped parsnip and broccolini, pan-roasted trout with Brussels sprout leaves and roasted potato, and pappardelle pasta with lamb ragout. (612-823-0011)

2 Cosmos
Keeping pace with the sleek, sexy aesthetics of the Graves 601 Hotel requires a restaurant designer's A-game, and that's just what happened when the plans were drawn up for Cosmos. Modern and cool, the space features furniture with low-profiles and clean, distinct lines, giving it a dramatic vibe that suits the downtown Theater District just right. The dinner menu lists inventive numbers like celery root tart and vanilla-butter poached lobster with sweet onion curry. Sunday "blunch," meanwhile, includes tasty benedicts, corned beef hash, and after 11am, even grilled pork loin and grass-fed Minnesota rib-eye. (612-312-1168, 612-677-1100)

1 Solera
A convenient before or after alternative for those catching a show on Hennepin Avenue, this sexy Spanish dining room offers full bar service and tapas late into the night. The menu's divided into two schools: the "tradicional" options range from ham and cheese croquetas to paella; the "neuvas" side includes creative sharables like octopus ceviche with hot pepper and cumin, deviled eggs with blue crab and cumin, and braised lamb with almond-date couscous. Patio seating is available, and Solera also features terrific drink specials. (612-338-0062)