It's 6 PM on a Saturday night. Some New Yorkers might still be napping off their exhausting brunches, but others have slipped on their chandelier earrings and put on a fresh coat of lipstick, determined to dine at one of the new hotspots. This is their night out.

Inside The Spotted Pig, the gastropub that's taken the West Village by storm, music pumps, frat boys crowd the bar slinging back beers, unperturbed as they wait for a table and a shepherd's pie, while outside, a well-dressed couple throws a tantrum.

"I don't want to wait an hour," she wails to her khaki clad beau, who already is punching the digits for Bivio into his cell phone.

After a few seconds of mumbling, he flips his phone shut in defeat. "Ninety minutes," he calls to her. "Forget it."

What did they expect? The uncomplicated Italian fare at Danny Emerman (the man behind the much-missed Barocco and Bottino) new joint has been on everyone's to-eat list. They decide to try Barbuto, Jonathan Waxman new place next, but I move on before I can hear just how long they'll be inconvenienced.

A few blocks away, the just opened Extra Virgin swarms with good looking gay men and a waitstaff that surely spends their time away from the restaurant in auditions, but much to our surprise, a table in the rustic dining room awaits us. We gorge on crab ravioli and wild mushroom fettucine tossed with flavorful fava beans, thrilled that a new restaurant has managed to deliver such tasty fare in such a short time. Then it happens.

After longing for the poached pear for dessert and after our Tyra Banks look-alike of a waitress promises us it will be "up in a few minutes," she soon returns, teetering on her heels to tell us that they're "out of the poached pear." I take a look around and everyone is having such a good time, laughing, sharing plates of food, I too am feeling elated, so I opt for the grainy ricotta cheesecake with blood orange compote without even a sigh.

The transformation is amazing.

Two and a half years ago, New York 's culinary scene was dark and sad. During the turbulent 9/11 aftermath, some restaurants shut their doors, others waited for tables to fill up with fearful souls who had more important things on their mind than anise pannacotta and chefs were hesitant to unleash their wildly creative powers. After all, this was the comfort food era, when mac and cheese and mashed potatoes reigned supreme. But now it's hard to remember that taking-each-day-slowly time even existed when there's oat pannacotta for dessert at Clinton Street 's WD-50 and david burke & donatella looks like Alice 's sexy version of Wonderland. Tables are filled, people want to eat and they're willing to pay for it.

"We have survived," says Peter Michaels of the instant culinary slump after 9/11. The Antwerp-reared restaurateur is behind such successful restaurants as Markt, Osteria al Doge, Osteria Laguna and most recently, Osteria Stella near Rockefeller Center , an area he describes as flourishing.

Michaels has been in the industry for a decade now and when he chose the space for Markt, he was instantly drawn to the then gritty Meatpacking District.

"It was the last rough area," he points out.

Rough is hardly the word that springs to mind now. Not when the power duo of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Gray Kunz have planted themselves on W. 13th Street with Spice Market and their creative interpretations of Asian street food, and Steve Hanson, that master marketer, has added Vento, another crowd-pleasing formulaic restaurant to his B.R. Guest portfolio. This time, thin crust pizza's all the rage, just as it is at La Bottega, the Italian wine bar at the trendy Maritime Hotel also in the area. We're still saddened that Chickenbone Café in Williamsburg had to close, but Zak Pelaccio relocated to the Meatpacking District now, too, serving up his "global" cuisine at 5 Ninth, in a lovely fireplace-studded brownstone.

With other new restaurants like Mas, the Southern French-styled farmhouse that took over the old Isla space popping up in the West Village , it seems that downtown in particular, the area hardest hit by the post 9/11 economy, is back in full swing.

Chef Marc Murphy had a storied, globe-trotting career and this March, undaunted, he finally decided to open his own place in Tribeca. His menu features an eclectic mix of inventive bistro fare like goat cheese stuffed profiteroles (how refreshing to see a savory twist on the classic dessert) and a weekly roster of homemade pastas.

Pasta. It seems the high-carb classic is everywhere now, thanks to a surge of popularity in comforting Italian food. Rocco tried to do it, Mama style, but as viewers of The Restaurant and diners of Rocco's soon realized, it wasn't as brilliant a formula as the chef had hoped for.

Like newcomers Bivio, Barbuto and Vento, red sauce is being reinvented at other eateries as well.

The red brick-walled space in Tribeca that used to be the home of Chef John Villa's Pico, has transformed itself into dominic, with the dishes a tribute to Villa's Italian émigré grandparents. Here you'll find crisp mini calzones, Veal T. Bone "Milanese" and fluffy fried zeppoles.

While Michaels acknowledges there are numerous Italian restaurants in this city, he believes it is authenticity that sets them apart.

"Diners have been to Italy . They want to have the same experience back here. We've changed the menu to weed out Americanized versions, expanded the wine list, created a more balanced menu," he says of his restaurants.

Antonio Bellomo loves downtown and its underground, avant-garde flair, so Houston Street was the natural choice for him to open Petrosino, a sleek Nolita trattoria he assures is an authentic ode to Southern Italian cooking.

Bringing Southern Italian wines to the forefront, a trend New York has noticed more and more, is something the Palermo native is especially proud of.

"It's hard to duplicate a country's cuisine if you're not in the country. You need a certain water to boil the pasta, but wine is something particularly from there, " Bellomo points out. "It's something that stands out immediately, they have a great flavor and mineral content and they're older than France . Between the homeopathic food and wine, it's a cultural experience."

Sipping wines from Southern Italian regions like Sardinia and Apuglia and Sicily has become a new delight, especially with wine bars like

In Vino (don't even think about getting a glass of Chianti here) in the East Village , offering small tapas-size plates that are perfect for nibbling and sipping.

"It's an inverted trend. A younger crowd woke up," says Bellomo.

They sure did. Frank J. Vivolo, the 24 year old techie turned restaurateur has opened bar.vetro, a stone's throw away from legends like Felidia and Bruno's, where the cooking is the Italian food he grew up with. On a conservative block of borderline Upper East Side , bar.vetro has a downtown feel with its glass bar (Vivolo fought to make sure it wasn't typical marble).

"Casual dining is taking on a whole new skin," says Vivolo. "There's a need for not feeling pressured and spending more money than you want to spend."

With boisterous crowds excited about simple spaghetti and meatballs, it's hard not to be reminded of the era of the brasserie.

Les Halles may have gotten heaps of attention when Anthony Bourdain became a celebrity chef overnight, but it's Philippe Lajaunie who opened the Park Avenue South spot (and the downtown locale that followed after) as the first true brasserie in NYC.

He feels brasseries-a French version of the diner where simplicity and authenticity meet in a fun setting-are in tune with New Yorkers.

Mexican cuisine has been one genre that's received lukewarm reviews. New York is definitely not San Francisco , with burrito joints everywhere you turn, but in the past year, bold authentic flavors have been keeping New Yorkers happy.

There's Sue Torres's innovative cooking at Suenos in Chelsea, the fresh seafood heavy menu at Richard Sandoval's Pampano and Pampano Taqueria in Midtown and now Julian Medina has moved over to upscale Zocalo, where the dishes are Mexico City style. "It took a while to discover what New Yorkers wanted," says Medina . "Mexican is not only spicy and burritos and fajitas." Medina altered the menu and made it a little lighter, incorporating more ceviches and guacamoles spiked with lobster and chipotle pepper.

"We're changing the concept of Mexican cuisine," he adds.

With additions like Kobe beef tacos, it's a sure bet that Mexican cuisine is starting to get the high-end attention it finally deserves. New Yorkers are hungry for the cutting-edge food, the striking design and table sharing with fellow scenesters, but there's something comforting about the classics. With all the competition how does a restaurant thrive in this "ready for the next big thing" city?

Executive Chef/Owner Alfred Portale took over the reins of a struggling little West Village eatery called Gotham Bar & Grill in 1984 and ever since, the restaurant which just celebrated 20 years, has been renowned for its aesthetically pleasing food that's garnered three-star reviews from The New York Times on numerous occasions. Sure they have the signature chocolate cake, but the $25 prix fixe lunch remains an amazing value for a restaurant of such luxurious stature.

Bobby Flay is another chef who has managed to maintain a loyal following. Take a gander inside the dining rooms at the celebrity chef's playful Southwestern Mesa Grill and the sherry sippers crowding the bar at the nearby contemporary Spanish restaurant Bolo. The food stays daring, yet hasn't skimped on quality just because buzzworthy Flay is at the helm. Executive Chef John Johnson has been with Town, the swanky but modern space at the Chambers Hotel since its opening in spring 2001 and in three years, the restaurant still hasn't lost its luster.

"You have to constantly be on your toes. Service is relevant and a restaurant has to stay consistent and keep the menu up to date," says Johnson, who revamps his own menu every two to three months.

"Each person has their own passion, but there's a gravitation towards locally grown," he adds.

Right now, he's particularly relishing his guinea hen from Vermont , paired with an organic poached egg, pickled ramps and chanterelles. As Lajaunie so aptly puts it, "The food scene here is more vibrant than anywhere else on the planet."