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| By Greg Cox, Correspondent, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News May 8--Now that turkeys by the million have given their all for the holiday season, it's once again time for critics of all stripes to stick our necks out on the chopping block of public opinion. That's right, it's the season of annual "best of" surveys. Last year was the first time I offered my picks for Best Restaurants in the Triangle. This year, based in part on response to that inaugural list, I've refined the selection process. The Top 20 list represents my choices for the very best restaurants in the Triangle, regardless of price, cuisine or location. These are the restaurants that, in my experience, most consistently deliver the "full package" dining experience of excellent food, attentive service and pleasant atmosphere. As I did last year, I've singled out a Restaurant of the Year -- a best in show, if you will. This year, I've selected Fins, already among the creme de la creme of area restaurants when it was in North Raleigh. Now that the restaurant has relocated to chic new digs downtown, Fins is better than ever. In an effort to give fair representation to establishments whose settings are modest but whose food represents excellent value, I'm offering a separate Best Bargains list. I'm also adding a Top Newcomer category to honor the best of the new restaurants I've reviewed in the past year. There's no shortage of candidates for any of these categories; I wrestled with narrowing each list. I wouldn't be surprised if you can name a worthy restaurant or two that I haven't included. I invite you to tell me what you think of my selections on my blog (http://blogs.newsobserver.com/epicurean/). Feel free to add your own nominations. And while you're at it, what do you think of the new Top 20, Best Bargain and Top Newcomer categories? Note: You can find my full review of these (and hundreds more) restaurants at http://events.triangle.com/restaurants. Top 20 Fins -- Restaurant of the Year 110 E. Davie St., Raleigh, 834-6963, www.myspace.com/finsrestaurant Cuisine: Pacific Rim fusion, seafood For nearly a decade, Fins was North Raleigh's best-kept secret. Then, last year, owner/chef William D'Auvray and his wife, Lisa, pulled up stakes and set out for snazzier, higher profile digs downtown. The new dining room was much larger than the old one, however, and even loyal fans wondered whether the couple had bitten off more than they could chew. They needn't have worried. The new space is chic and dramatic but warmly inviting, and spacious without feeling cavernous. Service, under Lisa D'Auvray's watchful eye, is attentive but not intrusive. And the food is, if anything, even better now than it was before. Fins' Pacific Rim fusion menu still leans heavily to seafood and evolves with the daily catch. D'Auvray has wisely kept some of the old favorite presentations in his rotation, too. Regardless of what you order -- butter-poached diver scallops, or Thai snapper "Indonesian style," or Marcona almond-crusted turbot draped over a mound of emerald green fava beans -- you can count on impeccable freshness and near flawless execution. You won't go wrong, either, with landlubber fare such as red curry baby lamb and Vietnamese style foie gras sandwich. The sashimi selection would put most sushi bars to shame. Fins is the first restaurant in the area to feature a robatayaki bar, where the chef char-grills small cuts of sashimi-grade fish and other delicacies to order and serves them, sushi bar-style. With advance reservations, D'Auvray will serve a multicourse chef's table-style tasting menu at the robatayaki bar -- an experience sure to be memorable. The wine selection is extensive and thoughtfully chosen to match the menu's varied flavors. Desserts, from baba au rhum to exotic fruit sorbet sampler, are as distinctive and expertly prepared as the rest of the meal. In short, the new Fins is a keeper. Bin 54 1201-M Raleigh Road, in Glen Lennox Shopping Center, Chapel Hill, 969-1155, www.bin54restaurant.com Cuisine: Steakhouse Bloomsbury Bistro 509-101 W. Whitaker Mill Road, at Five Points, Raleigh, 834-9011, www.bloomsburybistro.com Cuisine: Contemporary Bonne Soiree 431-10 W. Franklin St., in The Courtyard, Chapel Hill, 928-8388 Cuisine: French Elaine's on Franklin 454 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 960-2770, www.elainesonfranklin.com Cuisine: Contemporary Enoteca Vin 410 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh 834-3070 Cuisine: Contemporary with a European accent, wine bar Fairview Dining Room 3001 Cameron Blvd., in the Washington Duke Inn, Durham, 490-0999, www.washingtondukeinn.com Cuisine: Contemporary Four Square 2701 Chapel Hill Road, Durham, 401-9877, www.foursquarerestaurant.com Cuisine: Contemporary Frazier's 2418 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, 828-6699, www.fraziersbistro.com Cuisine: Contemporary Jibarra 7420 Six Forks Road, in Peachtree Market, Raleigh, 844-6330, www.jibarra.net Cuisine: Mexican fine dining Lantern 423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 969-8846, www.lanternrestaurant.com Cuisine: Pan-Asian Magnolia Grill 1002 Ninth St., Durham, 286-3609, www.magnoliagrill.net Cuisine: Contemporary with a Southern accent Maximillians 8314 Chapel Hill Road, Cary, 465-2455, ww.maximilliansgrill.com Cuisine: Contemporary, fusion Nana's 2514 University Drive, Durham, 493-8545, www.nanasdurham.com Cuisine: contemporary Mediterranean Red Palace Beacon Plaza, 3945 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, 231-3788, http://redpalacenc.com/ Cuisine: Chinese Saffron 4121 Davis Drive, in McCrimmon Corners shopping center, Morrisville, 469-5774, www.saffronnc.com Cuisine: Indian Second Empire 330 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, 829-3663, www.second-empire.com/secondempire Cuisine: Contemporary Vin Rouge 2010 Hillsborough Road, Durham, 416-0406, www.vinrougerestaurant.com Cuisine: French Vivace 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, in The Alexan, Raleigh, 787-7747, www.vivaceraleigh.com Cuisine: Italian Jujube 1201-L Raleigh Road, in Glen Lennox Shopping Center, Chapel Hill, 960-0555, www.jujuberestaurant.com Cuisine: Asian BEST BARGAINS Allen & Son 6203 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, 942-7576 Cuisine: Barbecue Dain's Place 754 Ninth St., Durham, 416-8800, www.dainsplace.net Cuisine: Burgers, sandwiches, pub fare London Fish & Chips 6446 Tryon Road, in Wellington Park, Cary, 859-8888, www.londonfishandchips-nc.com Cuisine: English fish and chips Los Comales 2103 N. Roxboro Road, Durham, 220-1614 Cuisine: taqueria Neomonde 3817 Beryl Road, Raleigh; 10235 Chapel Hill Road, Morrisville, 828-1628 (Raleigh); 466-8100 (Morrisville), www.neomonde.com Cuisine: Middle Eastern TOP NEWCOMERS Herons 100 Woodland Pond, in The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary, 447-4200, www.heronsrestaurant.com Cuisine: contemporary J. Betski's 10-120 W. Franklin St., Raleigh, 833-7999, www.jbetskis.com Cuisine: German, Polish Panciuto 110 S. Churton St., Hillsborough, 732-6261, www.panciuto.com Cuisine: Italian Piedmont 401 Foster St., Durham, 683-1213, www.piedmontrestaurant.com Cuisine: French, Italian Rue Cler 401 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham, 682-8844, www.ruecler-durham.com Cuisine: French ----- To see more of The News & Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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