With a sophisticated menu, romantic ambience, and impeccable service, Restaurant François certainly has that je ne sais quoi. Located in downtown Austin, the latest concept from Guy + Larry Restaurants (Red Ash, ATX Cocina, J. Carver’s) exudes a cosmopolitan verve that transports diners to somewhere magical. “We were looking [to create] a hip Parisian restaurant that you’d find in New York or Chicago or San Francisco,” says chef/proprietor Harold Marmulstein. While the acclaimed culinary figure is best known in Austin for more casual concepts like Salty Sow and Tumble 22, Marmulstein worked in fine dining early in his career and honed his skills in the ’80s as a sous chef under a French chef in Atlanta. Whet your appetite with comté cheese popovers or French onion soup while preparing for decadent entrees like the boneless wagyu short ribs bourguignon, made with Wagyu-X beef that’s been marinated in burgundy wine with mirepoix, garlic, and herbs then braised in a multi-day process. Be sure to pre-order rotating soufflés like the amaretto mid-meal to cap off your dinner with the theatrical dessert: “We serve it with a [crème] anglaise, which is a vanilla sauce that we open the soufflé and pour in, so you get the cool and the hot,” he says. C’est si bon!