2004 HOT LIST

But at the risk of tooting the oversized horn of this magazine's home base: New York is where the real action is, and choosing the best in town wasn't easy. In addition to Per Se and Mix, there's the Biltmore Room, Lever House, Matsuri - and let's not forget Long Island, please, where the Frisky Oyster, on the North Fork, is serving some of the most imaginative food around in a relaxed and supremely chic setting. So get those plane tickets - and those restaurant reservations and follow the chefs.

Those fed up with the traffic and crowds of Long Island's Hamptons should head instead to Greenport, where, on Front Street in the middle of this charming Norman Rockwellesque town, sits a chic new restaurant somewhat improbably named the Frisky Oyster. Co-owned by Dennis McDermott and Hank Tomashevski, whose food has earned them endless accolades at private parties in Manhattan, the menu is short and sweet, seasonal, and highly imaginative. If you're there in summer, start with the slow-roasted tomato tart or the creamy corn soup with truffle oil that's topped with crispy leeks, and then go on to any of the fish choices, including the crab cakes with chipotle aioli or the local wild striped bass with heirloom-tomato vinaigrette and basil whipped potatoes. There's also a great Long Island roast duck with bing cherries and, for the Francophile carnivore, the best steak frites this side of the Atlantic. Desserts include chocolate souffle cake and Key lime pie, and the wine list, though short, is well-chosen. The sleek, modern storefront opens onto a square bar, and beyond is the dining room with its fabric-covered walls and flattering low lights, all of which combine to make you want to linger with your sweetie over a cappuccino and a mood-enhancing glass of grappa.