Diversions: fine dining during restaurant week, and beyond.

Fruit of the Vine on Shelter Island

Spurred by nothing short of true passion for outstanding food, Vine Street Cafe owners/chefs Lisa and Terry Harwood built their dream restaurant on Shelter Island. The cafe occupies a building formerly used as an artisan bakery. Now, wood beams traverse the ceiling and wall sconces provide soft lighting in the dining room, an ideal spot for intimate conversation and romantic evenings. Modestly referring to their restaurant as "an American bistro," the Harwoods lovingly present an exceptional, diverse menu that features both classic cuisine and an edgy fusion. All within good taste, of course.

The seasonal menu utilizes the freshest meats and produce of the area and a chef's philosophy that it's possible to create great meals only from the best ingredients. Not surprisingly, Vine Street Cafe excels in the preparation of several seafood dishes featured on the appetizer and entree menus. The starter Ahi Tuna Tataki, one of the restaurant's fusion dishes, and the Jumbo Prawns (with the slightest essence of curry) were executed with the utmost precision and diligence. Calamari frisee was a light, refreshing appetizer with perfectly tender fried squid rings. Back to terra firma: If you've never had venison, this is the place to try it. A roasted rack of venison complemented with spinach and mashed sweet potatoes was as tender and juicy as sashimi tuna, and dispelled any notions that venison is always gamey. In addition to its seasonal menu, Vine Street Cafe offers a signature entree each night of the week, the plat du jour, again with careful attention to the best of the local offerings.

Lisa Harwood has the same delicate touch in creating her masterful desserts--the star is the Gateau au Chocolat topped with her own mint chocolate chip ice cream. There's always an assortment of ice creams and sorbets, in flavors dictated by seasonal fruits and berries. The dessert menu is rounded out with cordials, dessert wines (including aged ports), cognacs and coffee drinks, making for an all-around sophisticated and satisfying dining experience.

On the Green in Riverhead

A country club atmosphere extends into Stonewalls Restaurant for good reason: It's located at The Woods at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Riverhead. Whether you're just coming off the course or have never picked up a club in your life, you're sure to enjoy the near-panoramic views of the lush, green course afforded by the tall windows on each side of the restaurant, and the fine cuisine that's worth the journey.

To start, a baby arugula salad garnished with sliced avocado, goat cheese and roasted red peppers was so fresh it tasted "just picked". A delicate veal scallopine with mushrooms and shallots in a Madeira wine sauce was hearty and delicious, as was the Peconic Bay scallop risotto where, at last, the scallops outweigh the rice. Dishes are well-executed, portions are ample and the food is hot. If you have room left for dessert, you may be tempted by the cold raspberry souffle with raspberry coulis. Stonewalls does a wonderful service to the area by featuring a broad selection of local wines--those representative of the varietals grown in our region--providing a suitable complement to any dish.

Romance in Wading River

Few settings can rival the ambiance of the beach and the gentle rhythm of waves breaking on the sand. For this reason, LaPlage Restaurant on Wading River Beach has been labeled the "most romantic restaurant on Long Island." Indoors or on the terrace, the scene is set with inventive, fine cuisine. The menu changes daily and rotates according to seasonal availability, focusing chiefly on seafood, both local and imported. It's obvious that chef/founder Wayne Wadington regards food as fine art, as he sculpts and molds his medium of choice into unique and unexpected combinations.

The cuisine is considered "French-American," but takes its inspiration from other cuisines as well. Roasted Chilean sea bass, with a texture reminiscent of halibut steak, is presented over a bed of savoy cabbage with applewood smoked bacon and caraway seeds. The German-inspired complement is traditionally paired with a hearty meat like pork, but the pairing with sea bass is intriguing and ultimately successful. (The discerning Hausfrau will take note.) In the summer, a LaPlage signature dish is monkfish "osso bucco" with crispy elephant garlic, root vegetables and saffron risotto. One is compelled to order from the menu based on curiosity alone.

From March 25 through April 1, East End restaurants participating in the fifth annual Hamptons Restaurant Week will be offering 3-course prix fixe dinners at $21.95.