You could probably count on one finger the number of American steakhouses with a "flavor theorist" running the kitchen -- but that's just how Jay Murray, executive chef of Boston's Back Bay sensation, refers to himself. Throughout his nine years at the helm, he has changed the menu every week, shuffling through 1,200 dishes from tobacco onions to lahmahjoon, an Armenian meat pizza with garlicky yogurt. The guy is so obsessed with experimentation, he dry- and wet-ages the beef. Either way, it's top-notch, and the menu is always stocked with hulking Delmonicos, tenderloins and prime rib, each from humanely raised Brandt beef cattle in California. ("It has a natural sweetness to it that I remember steaks having when I was a kid," says Murray.) The menu also takes advantage of New England's seafood bounty, and the world-class, Bordeaux-heavy wine list circles the globe. Ask the wine director for help with the latter; 1,000-plus selections could make your eyes glaze over. The boisterous setting's wood and brass details and open kitchen only add to the noise, but who cares? That's the price you pay for witnessing the top power scene in Boston.

Photo courtesy of Grill 23 & Bar