Critics' Pick: Tea Room at the Taft Museum of Art

Scene: Step out from the intimate galleries of the Taft Museum of Art to enjoy garden dining at the Tea Room.It's a formal lawn gridded with brick walkways and rectangular flowerbeds and dotted with young magnolia trees. You'd never guess that beneath this deep layer of earth is a parking garage — which, by the way, is free to Tea Room patrons even if you don't have time to visit the museum.

Eats: The Tea Room offers a contemporary selection of soups, salads and sandwiches. You'll be surprised if your idea of museum food still consists of a pre-packaged ham sandwich and a sorry piece of fruit. New features include roasted red pepper and Brie on ciabatta with lemon-garlic aioli. A London Broil Salad pairs fresh greens with roasted new potatoes, asparagus, red onions and horseradish-basil vinaigrette. (Emily Lieb)