Restaurants to Be Reckoned With

** 1/2 RAY'S THE CLASSICS

MICHAEL LANDRUM AND MICHAEL HARTZER MAKE A GOOD CASE FOR CLONING. The host and chef, respectively, of this sophisticated new spinoff of Ray's the Steaks in Arlington made an immediate and mostly favorable impression when they joined talents in Silver Spring over the summer. Landrum is the witty master of ceremonies, eager to please and quick with a joke; Hartzer previously toiled at Michel Richard Citronelle, which means his updated takes on American classics tend to be as clever as they are delicious. (Scampi is filled with fruit and nuts and sheathed in shredded phyllo for a "baklava" like no other.) The fried chicken would pass muster in the South; the steaks reveal good shopping habits; the sides are glamorous; and I'd like to shake the hand of anyone who can finish a slice of coconut cake, which is good but the size of a glacier. Ray's has its patrons' best interests at heart: Valet parking is free, a lovely salad is included in the cost of an entree, and the champagnes are priced so fairly that you're tempted to buy a bottle even when there's nothing more to celebrate than the end of a workday.

· 8606 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-588-7297. Open: for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. All major credit cards. Entree prices: $13.95 to $30.95.

*** 1/2 RESTAURANT EVE'S TASTING ROOM

SIPPING "PEACHES AND HERB" THROUGH A THIN METAL STRAW, I'm reminded that sommelier Todd Thrasher is also one of the best mixologists anywhere. His elegant vodka-and-fresh-peach cocktail -- one from an imaginative collection of libations -- is shot through with rosemary (syrup) and lemon (juice). It does what a cocktail should do: refresh and tease. Then I start eating in this understated restaurant-within-a-restaurant, and I'm reminded of how fine and focused a chef Cathal Armstrong is. The evidence surfaces in dish after dish on his five- or nine-course tasting menu: sheer circles of lamb's tongue braised in anise, bay leaf and orange and garnished with curls of aged goat cheese and a confetti of minced beets; light-as-air gnocchi nestled with tomatoes, spicy arugula and a swirl of Manni, the world-class extra-virgin olive oil from Tuscany; and "Bacon, Egg and Cheese," a witty remake featuring crisp-tender pork belly, a trembling quail egg and Grafton cheddar foam. The event -- and dining in this intimate room, with its low ceiling and soft music, is a special occasion -- commences with lovely hors d'ouevres and house-baked bread, and concludes with sublime desserts and a tray of itty-bitty sweets. Pastry chef Rebecca Willis, the hands behind Eve's delicate fig napoleon and salted chocolate caramels, is a welcome addition to a kitchen that nudges toward greatness.

· 110 South Pitt St. (near King Street), Alexandria. 703-706-0450. www.restauranteve.com. Open: for dinner Monday through Saturday. All major credit cards. Fixed-price menu: $95 to $125 per person.

*** TWO AMYS

YEP, IT'S NOISY. AND SOME DAYS THE PLACE IS SO FILLED WITH HALF-PINTS AND THEIR HANDLERS, the scene could pass for one big children's party. Just get a glass of vino and relax: You're about to eat some of the best pizza in the country. Two Amys specializes in the Neapolitan variety -- puffy, yeasty and baked in a wood-burning oven -- which it decorates with such finery as cockles, house-made pork sausage and mozzarella di bufala (the real deal), and prefers to serve the Italian way, uncut. Pizza isn't the only thing the kitchen does exceptionally well. There are lovely Italian nibbles (salt cod croquettes, fava bean crostini) to start, and simple, sensational desserts (the almond cake and Marsala-laced custard being my weaknesses) to close. Families tend to congregate in the front room, paved in tile and cheerful in yellow; those looking for a little tranquility with their pie know to snare a seat in the rear wine bar, with its softer lighting and charcuterie on display.

· 3715 Macomb St. NW (near Wisconsin Avenue). 202-885-5700. www.2amyspizza.com. Open: for lunch Tuesday through Sunday; dinner daily. MC, V. Entree prices: lunch $7.95 to $13.25, dinner $7.95 to $13.25.

*** ZAYTINYA

EXCELLENCE COMES IN MANY FLAVORS. One of them is Zaytinya, the mezze specialist that manages to be beautiful, luscious and easy on the wallet (well, so long as you don't get carried away ordering retsina cocktails). The blue-and-white palette evokes a Greek coastline; the service flows warm and efficient. As for the cooking, I never cease to be amazed at how chef Jorge Chicas and his minions are able to infuse so much soul into so many plates, seven days a week. Zaytinya, right in the heart of Penn Quarter, offers nearly 70 different small plates and feeds an average of 5,000 diners a week. And what flavors! Nuggets of skate in a light wrap of beer batter are exquisite examples of good fish and fine frying, improved only by their sauce of pureed potato and garlic. Marble-size falafel, arranged on a dab of tahini dip, blasts most of the competition out of the water. Lamb chops are rosy and crusty, and desserts look and taste as if they were flown in from an expense-account restaurant. (I'm partial to the marriage of wine-soaked apricots, yogurt ice cream and crushed pistachios.) "I feel like I'm in New York!" a food pal from the Big Apple says as she surveys the sexy crowd, takes in the sweeping interior -- and makes a serious dent in the spread on the table.

· 701 Ninth St. NW (near G Street). 202-638-0800. www.zaytinya.com. Open: for lunch and dinner daily. All major credit cards. Entree prices: lunch $6.95 to $11.95, dinner $6.95 to $11.95.