Peppoli at Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach

It is easy to guess what this restaurant's focus is after you learn that it is the namesake of a famed Italian winemaker. Do not visit for a good glass of porter. Instead, select from the impressive list of rare and expensive wines. The Tuscan-inspired cuisine is a treat with or without wine. Start with Cacciucco alla Livornese, a tangy seafood soup seasoned with saffron, and move on to the cheese-stuffed Cannelloni al Forno. Almost all of the decadent desserts have been thoroughly soaked in liquor. The restaurant is handsome, dignified and graceful, perfectly conducive to either hand-holding or deal-closing.