Many claim that this elegant terrace restaurant at the Alizéa hotel offers the island's best cuisine. French chef Laurent Guyon trained with Roger Vergé from the famous Moulin de Mougins in France. Sample the homemade foie gras with red-wine jelly or roasted sea scallop appetizers. Entrées include mahimahi with fennel and sweet potatoes or beef tenderloin with stewed shallots in red wine sauce. There are also several vegetarian selections. You won't go wrong with the crème brûlée with honey and vanilla for dessert. AE, D, MC, V.

Antoine
103 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-22964
Over $25
St. Maarten
French

The setting is romantic at this elegant spot overlooking Great Bay. Candles glow on tables set with crisp blue-and-white tablecloths and gleaming silver, and the sound of the surf drifts up from the beach. You might start your meal with French onion soup or lobster bisque, then move on to steak au poivre, duck in brandy sauce with cherries, or lobster thermidor. Pastas and creole specials are also available. For dessert try the sublime Grand Marnier soufflé. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. off-season.

Bistrot Nu
Rue de Hollande, Marigot, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-97-09
Under $35
St. Martin
Cafes

It's hard to top the simple, unadorned fare and reasonable prices you'll find here. Traditional brasserie-style food - coq au vin, fish soup, snails, and pizza - is served in a friendly atmosphere. The place is enormously popular; its tables are packed until it closes at 2 AM. MC, V. Closed Sun.

Chesterfield's
Great Bay Marina, Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-23484
Under $35
St. Maarten
Continental

Casual lunches of burgers and salads and more elaborate Continental dinners are served at this informal, nautically themed marina restaurant. The dinner menu includes French onion soup, roast duckling with fresh pineapple and banana sauce, and several different preparations of shrimp. The Mermaid Bar is popular with yachties. D, MC, V.

Claude Mini-Club
Front de Mer, Marigot, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-50-69
Under $50
St. Martin
Caribbean, Creole

This brightly decorated upstairs restaurant on the harbor serves terrific creole and French cuisine. The chairs and madras tablecloths are a mélange of sun yellow and orange, and the whole place is built (tree house-like) around the trunks of coconut trees. It's the place to be on Wednesday and Saturday nights, when the dinner buffet ($40) features roast pig, lobster, roast beef, and all the trimmings. AE, MC, V. No lunch Sun.

Indiana Beach
Pelican Key, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-42797
$25 to $50
St. Maarten
Eclectic

This quirky restaurant-bar is fronted by Kimsha Beach at Simpson Bay. The motif is pure adventure and jungle exotic. Terra-cotta walls and tables are painted with designs based on Indian petroglyphs, and you'll find caged monkeys, snakes, parrots, and Wally the alligator on the lush grounds. The big night here is Thursday, when happy hour runs until the wee hours. You can swim at Kimsha or at the restaurant's own pool, and although the fare is mainly sandwiches, steaks, and seafood, don't be surprised to find wild boar or alligator ribs on the menu. AE, MC, V.

Kangaroo Court Caffè
6 Hendrickstraat, Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-24278
Under $25
St. Maarten
Cafes

The Kangaroo might just serve the island's best cup of coffee. Decorated in a whimsical West Indian style with potted plants and colorful tiles and umbrellas, it's in an old salt warehouse off Front Street. Come for breakfast or a lunch of salads, pastas, and sandwiches. The pastries are fresh, and there's a wide array of coffees - cappuccinos, mocha lattes, caramel lattes, and espressos. MC, V. No dinner

L'Escargot
84 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-22483
Under $50
St. Maarten
French

A 19th-century house wrapped in verandas is home to one of St. Maarten's oldest French restaurants. Starters include frogs' legs in garlic sauce and crepes filled with caviar and sour cream. There's also, of course, a variety of snail dishes. For an entrée try grilled red snapper with red wine and shallot sauce or canard de l'escargot (duck in pineapple and banana sauce). There's often a cabaret Wednesday night; you don't have to pay the cover charge if you come for dinner. AE, MC, V.

La Vie En Rose
Rue de la République and bd. de France, Marigot, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-54-42
Over $25
St. Martin
French

This bustling restaurant is right off the pier, about a 30-second stroll from the tourist office. The menu is classic French with an occasional Caribbean twist - fillet of swordfish sautéed in a passion-fruit butter sauce, freshwater crayfish in puff pastry. Appetizers include a warm smoked salmon with potatoes and chives and lobster salad with a touch of ginger. Save room for chocolate mousse cake topped with vanilla sauce. The ground-floor tearoom and pastry shop serve an excellent luncheon with wine for about $20. In season you may make dinner reservations up to one month in advance. Reservations essential. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch Sun.

Le Bec Fin
141 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-22976
Under $50
St. Maarten
French

You stroll through a flowery courtyard to reach this well-known upstairs restaurant. The rotation of chefs has unfortunately led to inconsistency in the quality of the classical French cuisine, but it's pleasant for its ambience and views of Great Bay. Starters include vol-au-vent (pastry) bursting with escargots and served in a fennel cream sauce. Fish, such as red snapper fillet in rum butter sauce, is your best bet for a main course. The meringue swan with mint ice cream is delightful to the eye and the palate. The breezy downstairs café serves breakfast and lunch with great crepes and salads. AE, MC, V.

Le Marocain
147 rue de Hollande, Marigot, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-83-11
Under $35
St. Martin
Moroccan

This exotic oasis in the middle of Marigot resembles a pasha's posh digs, with lush potted plants, intricate mosaics, hand-painted tiles, and wood carvings. The food is as colorful and enticing as the decor, with wonderfully perfumed tajines (casseroles of chicken or other meats) and pastillas (fragrant pastries filled with spices, raisins, and meat) among the standouts. AE, MC, V.

Le Perroquet
Airport Rd., Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-54339
Over $35
St. Maarten
Contemporary

A cool green-and-white West Indian-style house overlooking a lagoon is the peaceful, romantic setting for this restaurant. Chef Pierre Castagna prepares exotic specialties, such as grilled breast of ostrich in a bordelaise sauce, as well as savory dishes featuring duck, veal, and beef. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Closed Mon., June, and Sept.

Le Pressoir
30 bd. de Grand Case, Grand Case, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-76-62
$25 to $50
St. Martin
Eclectic

Combine skillful presentation with excellent food in a charming West Indies house, where the bill won't break the bank, and you have a great restaurant. French and creole fusion cuisine reigns at this one; go for the fresh local fish prepared with tropical fruit glazes and sauces. The crème brûlée is superb. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Closed Sun.

Le Santal
Sandy Ground Rd., Sandy Ground, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-53-48
Over $35
St. Martin
French

The approach to this dazzler, through a working-class suburb of Marigot, is forbidding. The exterior appears ramshackle, but the interior is transformed by soft lighting, china, and crystal. Specialties include lobster soufflé on a bed of spinach and eggplant, foie gras sautéed in cassis, and lacquered duck. Reservations aren't required, but they're highly recommended if you want to eat at one of the five tables by the water. AE, MC, V. No lunch.

Le Tastevin
86 bd. de Grand Case, Grand Case, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-55-45
Over $35
St. Martin
Contemporary

A chic pavilion, with tropical plants, ceiling fans, and water views, provides an elegant dining setting. Owner Daniel Passeri, a native of Burgundy, also founded the homey Auberge Gourmande across the street. The menu here is more ambitious, including foie gras in Armagnac sauce, duck breast in banana-lime sauce, and red snapper fillet with curry and wild-mushroom sauce. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V.

Maison sur le Port
Front de Mer, Marigot, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-56-38
$25 to $50
St. Martin
Eclectic

Watching the sunset from the palm-fringed terrace is only one of the pleasures in this old West Indian house surrounded by romantically lighted garden fountains. Try the sautéed duck fillet in passion-fruit sauce or red snapper with beurre blanc. Chef Jean-Paul Fahrner's imaginative salads are lunchtime treats. There is a children's menu with burgers and chicken sandwiches. AE, D, MC, V. Closed Sun. and June and Sept.

Mario's Bistro
Sandy Ground, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-06-36
$25 to $50
St. Martin
French

Mario Tardif, formerly with The Rainbow in Grand Case, now operates this fabulous eatery. His wife, Martyne, and partner, Didier Gonnon, are out front, while Mario is in the kitchen creating such dishes as baked salmon in a caramelized onion crust. The open-air country French-style restaurant is on the canal as you enter Marigot from Sandy Ground, and if you didn't know better, you'd think you were in Venice. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. Sun.

Oyster Bay Beach Resort
East side of Oyster Pond, Oyster Pond, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-36040 or 877/478-6669
$25 to $50
St. Maarten
French

Tables on the terrace with wonderful sea views are decked with fresh flowers at this resort's restaurant, which is popular with families. Lobster in a mushroom sauce; fillet of red snapper in sauce piquant; and sweet, billowy, dessert soufflés, prepared by the resident pastry chefs, are specialties. Hotel guests have priority here, so reserve well in advance. Reservations essential. AE, D, MC, V.

The Rainbow
176 bd. de Grand Case, Grand Case, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-55-80
Over $25
St. Martin
Eclectic

In a town of splendid seaside boîtes, this is one of the best. The cobalt-blue-and-white decor of the split-level dining room is strikingly simple, and the atmosphere, created by lapping waves and murmuring guests, is highly romantic. Fleur and David are the stylish, energetic hosts. Specialties include shrimp and scallop fricassee with Caribbean chutney, and dishes are dressed with such fanciful touches as red cabbage crisps. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Ric's Place
69 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-26050
Under $35
St. Maarten
American

This Front Street sports bar is popular with Americans who need a dose of home and with just about anyone who wants to drool over one of the biggest burgers in town. College and pro sports banners and caps hang all over the place, and seating is indoors at the bar or on the deck over the water of Great Bay. The fare is American and Tex-Mex. No credit cards.

Saratoga
Simpson Bay Yacht Club, Airport Rd., Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-42421
$25 to $50
St. Maarten
Eclectic

The handsome mahogany-outfitted dining room in the yacht club's stucco and red-tile building has views of the Simpson Bay Marina. The menu changes daily, borrowing from various influences, including Asian and Southwestern. You might start with Malpeque oysters with balsamic-horseradish sauce or seven-seaweed salad with beans, daikon, and sesame, then segue into crispy fried roundhead snapper in fermented black bean sauce or grilled chicken breast in a cumin-Gouda crust. The wine list is admirably balanced and reasonably priced, with 10-12 wines offered by the glass. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Closed Sun. and Aug.-Sept.

Shiv Sagar
20 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-22299
Under $35
St. Maarten
Indian

Authentic East Indian cuisine, emphasizing Kashmiri and Mogul specialties, is served in this small mirrored room fragrant with cumin and coriander. Marvelous tandooris and curries are offered, but try one of the less familiar preparations, such as madrasi machi (red snapper with hot spices). A large selection of vegetarian dishes is also offered. There's a friendly open-air bar out front. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.

Spartaco
Almond Grove, Cole Bay, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-45379
$25 to $50
St. Maarten
Italian

Every element of the Northern Italian cuisine served in this 200-year-old stone plantation house is either homemade or imported from Italy. Some of the specialties are black angel-hair pasta with shrimp and garlic; swordfish baked with pink peppercorns and rosemary and served over linguine; and veal Vesuviana, with mozzarella, oregano, and tomato sauce. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Closed Mon. and May.

Turtle Pier Bar & Restaurant
114 Airport Rd., Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-52562
Under $35
St. Maarten
American

Monkeys and parrots greet you at the entrance to this classic Caribbean hangout, teetering over the lagoon and festooned with creeping vines. There are 200 animals in this informal zoo, but that's nothing compared to the menagerie hanging out at the bar during happy hour. The genial owner, Sid Wathey, whose family is one of the island's oldest, and his American wife, Lorraine, have fashioned one of the funkiest, most endearing places in the Caribbean, with cheap draft beer, huge American breakfasts, all-you-can-eat rib dinners, and live music several nights a week. No credit cards.

Wajang Doll
167 Front St., Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Phone: 599/54-22687
Under $35
St. Maarten
Indonesian

Indonesian dishes are served in the garden of this West Indian-style house. Nasi goreng (fried rice) and red snapper in a sweet soy glaze are standouts, as is rijsttafel, a traditional Indonesian meal of rice accompanied by 15 to 20 dishes. (A wajang doll is used in Indonesian shadow plays, a traditional art form.) AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.

Yvette's
Off the Orléans road, Orléans, St. Martin
Phone: 590/87-32-03
Under $35
St. Martin
Caribbean, Creole

Yvette passed away in August 1999, but husband Andre has continued with her traditional food, which includes creole specialties, such as accras (spicy fish fritters), stewed chicken with rice and beans, and conch and dumplings. No credit cards. Closed Wed.