(FORTUNE Magazine) – It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. The task? Try new restaurants in an effort to figure out which ones are worth the hype. Luckily, New York City has no shortage of contenders. These are the cream of the season's crop, in alphabetical order. (Addresses and phone numbers can be found at the end.)

BLUE HILL I went to Blue Hill soon after it opened last month and felt as if I'd crashed a wake. The crowd was unrecognizable--not the usual high-fashion types you get at a Village hot spot, but young and quiet. ("Is this what dot-com money looks like?" asked my dining companion.) Chef Alex Urena did time at El Bulli, a restaurant in Spain that has received much press, especially for its use of foam. Sure enough, there it was on the asparagus soup: a froth of Parmesan. Can't say I loved Blue Hill, but I think I simply visited too soon. I'll go back, for the food shows promise. One standout: the poached shrimp ravioli in a toasted-almond sauce.

BRASSERIE The renovated Brasserie, in the Seagram building, tests your patience. There's the recording when you call, in which a cloying Frenchwoman says, "The Brasserie is located midtown, but our mood is downtown." Then there's the bored reservationist telling you she might have something at 11 P.M. (The formerly 24-hour Brasserie now closes at 1 A.M., 10 P.M. on Sundays.) But wait until you get inside: The room is spectacular--futuristic, not retro. Check out the flat-screen monitors flashing your entrance, and the sink extending between the men's and women's rooms--you can hear snippets of conversation through the cut-out. Unlike at most happening places, the best tables are in the middle, near the dramatic stairway that juts into the room. The food? Standard French, though done well. Get the fries.

CELLO The good: Laurent Tourondel cooks some of New York's most elegant French cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood. Lentil-crusted scallops, tuna tartare with nashi pear and basmati tuile, potato-crusted halibut--it's fantastic. And nothing beats the doughnut holes--I doubt Tourondel calls them that, but that's what they look like--that appear with coffee. I'm not sure I've tasted anything better. The bad: surly service. And at $72 prix fixe, there's no excuse for keeping anyone waiting for 40 minutes (with a reservation, without an apology).

CHICAMA Rugs hanging from the rafters, religious statues, toothpicks with little seashells stuck on the ends...The theme, if you haven't guessed, is Rustica Latina. (Why is it that theme restaurants feel so odd in New York?) In the famed ABC Carpet & Home store, Chicama started out as an Italian restaurant called Colina; it bombed. The interior had been shipped almost whole from Brazil, so the owners reinvented it with the help of chef Douglas Rodriguez, who had lit a Latin fire over at Patria. His ceviche--raw seafood marinated in citrus juice and seasonings--has drawn afterwork crowds. Don't miss the Viagra version: squid, mussels, clams, conch, and sea bass in a mixture of ginger and soy sauce. Or, for that matter, the hot churros you dip in warm chocolate.

DANUBE David Bouley's bid to have the best Viennese restaurant in the city has succeeded; of course, I'm not sure there are too many other Viennese restaurants to compete with. It's definitely one of New York's most romantic spaces, high-ceilinged and swathed in draperies and Klimt-ish paintings, with tables set far apart. The food is wonderful, especially the butter-soft beef cheeks. The beer ice cream accompanying one of the desserts, however, was...just as you'd imagine.

ESCA AND LUPA Mario Batali--the Food Network's Molto Mario-- has opened two restaurants in the past few months. (It's nearly impossible to get a table at his others, Babbo and Po.) The simpler, Lupa, is also the better: There's a salumeria with terrific salamis, and a pasta dish of bavette with pecorino cheese, olive oil, and black pepper that will make you swear off tomato-based sauce forever. Destined to become a pre- or post-theater favorite, Esca is already showing a bit of attitude. The day before your reservation, you have to call a different number (212-564-8153) with a five-digit confirmation code. Parts of the seafood-based menu are worth the trouble (bucatini pasta with baby octopus), but at times more effort seems to have gone into presentation. Order the fish cooked in a salt crust and you'll see what I mean.

ISLA Every time I go to Isla I order a Luna Roja (Sauza gold, Cointreau, and agria fresca, with salt and cayenne pepper on the rim), and as embarrassed as I am to admit it, the food is a blur. I know it's Cuban, and I know I always have fun. The atmosphere is pre-Castro Havana, with turquoise walls, palm trees, and white leatherette banquettes; everyone wears black, though, so you know you're in New York. Fair warning: Others have told of waiting more than an hour, regardless of reservations. Don't get uppity, Isla. A Luna Roja will go only so far.

METRAZUR It took a hit in the New York Times: The paper's critic savaged the food for its overwhelming blandness. I'm not sure anything could compete with the setting, the East Balcony of Grand Central. It's the most dramatic in town. Perhaps Charlie Palmer (of Aureole) and Tony Fortuna have tried too hard; with the sky-high ceiling, the space feels like a European plaza, and what you want is something simple. If you order just that--a salad, something from the raw bar--you'll be happy as a littleneck clam. Ask for a table next to the railing so you can watch the commuters rush about (it's another wonder of Grand Central that you don't really hear them at all).

71 CLINTON FRESH FOOD Don't waste time. Call now and reserve. Chef Wylie Dufresne graduated from Bouley only to trump him: This food is fresh indeed, invigorating and electric. The marinated salmon covered with avocado and served with pickled radish and horseradish oil; the potato, bacon, and goat cheese tart; the black sea bass in an edamame-rye bread crust...I want to eat this way every day. The food is light enough not to leave you in a food coma. Some people complain the place is noisy, but I've never noticed (and in case you can't tell, I tend to notice things like that). The Lower East Side neighborhood may be a bit funky, granted, but it's worth the minimal risk.

THE TASTING ROOM On what has become the East Village's restaurant row--new places open faster than you can say "Starbucks"--the 25-seat Tasting Room rises above the rest. Renee Alevras amiably chats up the guests while her husband, Colin, slaves in the kitchen. It's a modern marriage that benefits all: The food is seriously good. You can order a "taste" or "share" portion of each dish (I recommend ordering lots of "tastes"). Among the best are lobster with pea shoots, bacon, and johnnycakes, and a foie gras terrine with sweet onion, ginger, and rhubarb. Wine lovers take note: There's an excellent all-American list of about 300 bottles.

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