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When in town, check out the best of the local cuisine.  This is the top 5 restaurants in 2008 according to 417 Magazine.

1. Ocean Zen
It was already extremely popular, but when the Tan family’s Asian/fusion place moved from cramped Glenstone Avenue quarters to a revamped former Tony Roma’s on Sunshine Street last year, it suddenly became the It Restaurant of All 417-land. Audible oohs and aahs can be heard near its glass-and-metal wine cave near the restaurant’s entrance. As food goes, the Asian/ Western mix is consistently wonderful and inventive.

2. Flame Steakhouse & Wine Bar
This year, the Jalili family’s steakhouse has outclassed its original Springfield restaurant, Bijan’s, in readers’ rankings. Finely done beef is paired with an extensive wine list—also showcased in glass and metal—and ancillary dishes such as the Garbage Salad or the Boursin-topped appetizer cheeseburgers add fun fillips to classic steakhouse fare.

3. Bijan’s Sea & Grille
If you’re a newcomer to town wondering if this restaurant is somehow connected to the Bijan’s Bistro in Chicago, the answer is no: Our Bijan’s, which signaled a new era in Springfield when it opened in 1997—is both indie and serves higher-end cuisine than its Windy City sound-alike. Owned by the Jalili family, Bijan’s embodies the notion of “whimsical gourmet bistro” in Springfield’s imagination.

4. Haruno
Young Jun’s Japanese restaurant stands out for the quality of its fish, which is flown in from the West Coast on a six-hour turnaround. The restaurant expanded in 2003, adding a slick bar/dining area that prefigured the atmospherics of Kai, its new downtown outpost.

5. Metropolitan Grill
Could you eat flash-fried spinach all day long? For certain members of our editorial department, the answer is yes, please. When chef-owner Pat Duran took over the reins from former owner Fred Coco in 2005, Metro Grill began a journey toward updating itself with new dishes like pumpkin manicotti. This year, it became the social restaurant for the Millwood–Highland Springs set.