Hours: Dinner seven days until 11 p.m
Appetizers: $8 to $14
Entrees: $22 to $36
Wines by the glass: $7 and up
Reservations requested.

The sense of stepping back into the past as you go through the front door of the American Hotel in Sag Harbor is no illusion, for the hotel is the oldest continuous business in the village.

It is full of history. During the revolution, when the original wooden building, known as James Howell's Inn, was being used by the British as headquarters, Col. Jonathan Meigs surprised them while they slept in there beds and captured them all.

The present building was built in 1864 and was converted to a hotel in 1876. Mark Twain and Henry Ford Beecher stayed here as did Mary Pickford. The present owner, Ted Conklin, bought the hotel in 1972 and restored it to its former glory of polished mahogany, comforting Victoriana, and mementos of Sag Harbor's past. A pianist plays Friday and Saturday nights for good measure.

The food is excellent, and compared to prices charged for far less by other places, it no longer seems so expensive. (Though of course you could go for the $100 shellfish platter for two or the $85 dollar Beluga caviar.) The service and ambiance are always good, and at their best they make the customer feel cosseted and pampered like a favorite grandchild.

Wine
The hotel claims a wine cellar reputed to be the best not only on the East End but possibly on the whole of Long Island. It also includes plenty of less expensive wines.

Entrees: Rare tuna burritos with fresh salsa and guacamole were rolled up like a giant Christmas cracker. Cuban enchiladas with spicy black beans, polenta, silvers of grilled chicken, and giant shrimp bound together with baked cheddar cheese.Simply the best Pad Thai.

Hours: Lunch and dinner seven days seasonal . Prices: mid to high
Reservations recomended on weekends.

There are few better places for a summer Sag Harbor experience than Long Wharf. If you want to sit with a daiquiri in hand enjoy and enjoy it in comfort, there's B. Smith's, whose deck commands an unbeatible view of the sunset and the boats at the marinas. Inside you'll find one of the prettiest dining rooms around, tables with a water view, black and white stripped banquets, and a feeling of light and space.

Prices are high, although the clientele, which is young and pretty, obviously has a great time. The staff is young, too, and willing if a little inexperienced.

The menu contains such interesting items as Cajun catfish crispins, conch fritters, and curried crisped oysters with a coconut wasabi dip. Among the entrees are barbequed ribs, jerked halibut with shavings of fried scallions and pea sprouts, and sweet chili prawns with red curry gravy.

Hours: Dinner nightly. Closed tuesdays. Seasonal
Prices: Sushi/sashimi, $3 to $6 a piece, sushi platter for one $45
Wines by the glass: $7 to $8.50
No reservations.

As one the hottest restaurants around, this japanese restaurant on Sag Harbor's Main Street will have a line strecthing out the door in summer.

It's a pretty place, which helps explain why it's mobbed with trendy, good looking young diners. Theres is a large and interersting choice on the menu but prices are high and sometimes unwarranted by the service and presentation.

But there is plenty of excellence. All the salads—wakame, hijiki burdock, spinach ohitashi—are wonderful and, when they are on the menu, don't miss the generous bowls of soup with, for example big pieces of fresh salmon, which are a very good value as well as delicious.

Best Picks
Appetizers: Baby octopus. Tuna tataki salad—superlative. Soft-shelled crab, sliced into pieces, and explosively crunchy.
Entrees: Sushi and sashimi, of course. Curried duck nam bam with udon noodles. Black Angus terriyaki. Beef negamaki—at its best it melts in your mouth. Desserts: Green tea, red bean, and ginger ice cream.

One might, not unkindly, call Conca D'Oro red-sauceItalian There's veal Parmigiana, meatballs, sausage and peppers, stuffed egplant, endless permutations of pizza, and no less than 22 differnt pasta dishes.

Conca D'Oro has a double row of tables along one side, but if you can elbow your way back through the mob waiting for pizza at the counter, you'll find a proper dining room. The pizza, by the way scores high with the fans.

The room is gemutlich, wth the cheerful atmosphereyou get when customers really feel at home. The portions are gargantun and although it isn't the most delicate cooking there were no complaints—and you can easily dine for $15 dollars a head with wine and salad. Like the Variety store across the street, Conca D'Oro is a part of Sag Harbor tradition and long may it thrive.

Best Picks
Appetizers: Minestrone, antipasto, green salads, iceberg lettuce, grated carrot, and quartered tomatoes, but they couldn't have been fresher, with extra Gorgonzola provided..
Entrees: The winner: Spaghetti and meat balls; it looks pretty awful but the meatballs are light and tomato sauce excellent. Salmon and vegatable lasagna (a daily special) with a careful balance of flavors and no one element overwhelming.