Bill Jamison

A pinch of sugar in the spice rub ensures picture-perfect grill marks with layers of flavor.

Grilling the fish makes it moist and tender.

This rendition of the traditional southern side dish is served chilled.

The people who count such things say that scrambles now outrank all other egg preparations in America's affections. This San Francisco creation — claimed by almost every Joe who's owned a restaurant in the Bay area — helps to explain the popularity. With the addition of ingredients as basic but as unlikely as ground beef and spinach, the namesake cook (probably Italian-American) turned straightforward scrambled eggs into a distinctive treasure of tastes. For a full sense of place, serve the eggs with good sourdough toast.

Seared tuna steaks can get boring—this recipe features a spicy mayo with kicky wasabi to keep things interesting.