CULTURE CUISINE
Top 10 Latin-Flavored American Restaurants

Mission Menu follows a self-described "United Nations of chefs" as they cook up plenty of delicious drama while helping restaurants go from simmering to sizzling with exciting new culture-based dishes. The show's debut season features the crew working to revamp a Cuban café, a Dominican diner and a Brazilian bistro, among their many other projects. All this focus on exotic cuisine has us salivating for our favorite hot spots. If you're feeling the same way, check out our Top 10 Latin-Flavored American Restaurants.

Beso, Los Angeles
Lovely Latina actress Eva Longoria may play a desperate housewife on TV, but in real life she's the entrepreneur of one of L.A.'s most popular restaurants, Beso, a hip Latin-style steakhouse with an adjoined nightclub, Kiss, situated in the heart of Hollywood. The 36-year-old superstar opened the hot spot in 2007 with celeb chef Todd English, and together the dynamic duo has created must-have menu items that include aji-oregano rub, specialty tacos and tortilla chips topped with "Eva's Avocado Guacamole." With all these tempting culinary delights on display, we can't figure out how she maintains her hour-glass figure.

Mexicana Mama, New York City
This popular upscale NYC eatery proves that size doesn't matter. The hot spot is tiny and thus doesn't accept reservations, but that doesn't stop locals and tourists alike from enduring omnipresent lines and keeping this joint packed virtually every evening. A variety of moles and specialty drinks -- including watermelon-puree margaritas! -- and popular dishes like the sweet potato-stuffed burritos and the chipotle vinaigrette-topped Mexican salad have made this festive locale a West Village staple since 1998 and has spawned a second larger location situated a few blocks away.

Versailles, Miami 
Always bustling and surprisingly affordable, this Cuban eatery in the heart of Miami's Little Havana neighborhood is authentic right down to its predominantly thick-accented Cuban wait staff, which probably understands every word on Operation Osmin without ever glancing at the subtitles! But it's the cuisine that is the selling point of this local landmark that turned 40 this year, with everything from theCuban omelets to the Cuban-style roasted pork offering a taste of the old country that is hard to beat. And if you can pass the spacious restaurant's bakery annex and not be tempted by the aroma of fresh baked Cuban delicacies, you undoubtedly have stealth-like will power.

Espetus Churrascaria, San Francisco 
It seems that every neighborhood San Francisco has its own personality and distinctive culinary hot spots. And despite the vast choices available in the foggy melting pot by the Bay, this Brazilian-style steakhouse located South of Market has long been one the city's most enduring dining delights. The buffet offers every eclectic dish from Bacon wrapped chicken breast to grilled shrimp, the atmosphere is fun and festive and the grilled pineapple dish has earned its own place in local culinary history.  

Kiko's Mexican Food Restaurant & Cantina, Corpus Christi, Texas
This neighborhood Tex-Mex favorite has been a hit with the locals for decades, during which time the venue's space, like its hearty portions, has pretty much doubled in size before moving to its current location. Choosing a favorite dish off the menu is like asking Octomom to name her favorite kid; you just can't do it. Unquestionably, the real draw is the quality and authenticity of the food, which includes the expected fare -- tacos, burritos and fajitas. Most everything tastes homemade, because much of it is, including the flour tortillas and guacamole, which pretty much put this place on the culinary map. And the cheese and chicken enchiladas themselves can spoil most sophisticated palettes to swear off Taco Bell forever.

Mexico City, Los Angeles 
Hollywood hipsters and in-the-know celebrities keep this fun and funky Mexican hot spot rocking and rolling virtually every night. Located in the heart of the city's trendy Los Feliz area, the lively locale serves up standard Mexican dishes that taste anything but typical. The spinach enchiladas and the green-corn tamales are alone worth a visit, and the adjoining bar serves the best margaritas in town.

XOCO, Chicago 
When chef Rick Bayless isn't busy creating dishes for state dinners at the White House and hosting his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time, he's overseeing the menu at this Chicago gem. The famous foodie owns other popular Mexican restaurants in Chi-Town, including Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, but it's this fun and festive hot spot that is the toast of the town. Contemporary Mexican lunch and dinner dishes, from wood-roasted chicken pozole to cochinita pibil, are among the popular requests, but it's the Mexican hot chocolate, made-to-order caldos and warm from the wood-burning oven tortas that keep this place packed.

Hugo's, Houston 
The Houston Press included this local favorite in its "Best of Houston" list earlier this year, and for good reason. Mexico City-born chef Hugo Ortega serves up truly authentic Mexican fare, putting a unique contemporary spin on classic dishes like ceviche de atun with avocado and mango and decadent desserts like chocolate flan made with freshly ground cocoa beans. The delectable dishes recently prompted the Houston Culinary Awards to name Ortega "Chef of the Year."

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana, San Francisco
Affectionately referred to as simply "La Mar" by the locals, this beautifully designed eatery set in the heart of the city's Embarcadero waterfront is the California branch of this international chain and offers a breathtaking view of the Bay and the freshest Peruvian seafood dishes around. Chef Gastón Acurio, who foodies consider Peru's answer to Wolfgang Puck, has created a restaurant oasis centered on modern Peruvian cuisine, like the ever popular ceviches, the national dish of Peru, with the standout dish being the ceviche clásico, California-caught halibut prepared with Peruvian corn, red onion, habanero and yam.

Tierra, Atlanta 
Don't be fooled by the intimate size of this ATL hot spot, which is big on flavor when it comes to its eclectic Latin American and Caribbean cuisine. Always striving for authenticity, the restaurant's co-owners Dan and Ticha Krinsky travel biannually to a Latin American country to peruse local markets and restaurants to find inspiration for new dishes for the restaurant. It's this attention to detail and popular entrees like the grilled beef tenderloin with Argentine chimichurri and Chilean tomato salad that have led Atlanta Magazine to include the spot in it "Best of Atlanta" list every year since the restaurant opened in 1999.