The atmosphere may scream "upscale sports bar" and the patrons may work in windowed corner offices, but at this joint, its all about the karaoke.

Boardwalk 11's candlelit tables and sophisticated food menu mask the serious commitment it has to karaoke, which is performed on its tropically themed stage seven nights a week. The karaoke club and restaurant (owned and managed by the son of the owner of Caffe Brass Monkey, a Koreatown karaoke institution) offers more than 40,000 songs to choose from, and the crowd is as partial to Broadway show tunes and Patsy Cline-era country music as it is to '90s rap and '80s power ballads: The DJ promises that every night at Boardwalk 11 has some Journey. The kitchen operates until midnight, offering a selection of Japanese appetizers and entrees ranging from chicken quesadillas to New York strip steak, all served by a notably friendly and attentive staff. Boardwalk 11's front door isn't immediately obvious from the street, but if you can hear an enthusiastic (if rhythmically-challenged) rendition of My Humps, you're headed in the right direction.—Tara Tyson