January 2006 100 Very Best Restaurants

THE SCENE. Owners Jeff and Barbara Black know how to pick their real estate. In an older neighborhood of turreted Victorians, this turn-of-the-century post office by the railroad tracks oozes country charm. The snazzy comfort food takes it beyond a local hangout.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE. The front porch for summer dining and the casual drop-in vibe. You'll feel as though you're in some far-flung rural burg instead of mere minutes from "civilization." Freight trains that thunder by only add to the charm.

WHAT YOU WON'T. The first-come, first-served policy means waits on weekends at dinner. And if you're not in the main dining room, you may be left wondering about that vaunted charm--the second dining room feels second-rate.

BEST DISHES. Cornmeal-crusted fried oysters to dunk in chipotle rémoulade; steamed mussels gone Asian with coconut milk and cilantro; crisp-crusted pizzas; pan-seared rockfish with a zippy radish-and-scallion salad; grilled hanger steak with chimichurri; homey roasted free-range chicken with jus; a great hamburger with a heap of brittle onions and the pungent bite of Maytag bleu; an honest-to-goodness triple-layer chocolate fudge cake; and, at brunch, eggs Benedict on tender house-made "angel flour" biscuits.