Funny, isn't it? When I look over last year's restaurant wrap-up, I notice how quickly this year has gone by, and how little things seem to have changed.

People who lusted for comfort food last year still want it, and now music is everywhere, in late-night venues and piano bars like Avenue B's. I predict that there will be more of these opening this year, because they're a throwback to the '50s, when things were seemingly easier and more peaceful. Of course, then we had politicians talking segregation, and McCarthyism and the Cold War, and problems with Korea Funny, isn't it, how little things have changed?

The first restaurant to dare to open in 2002 was Le Castagne, the Senas' attempt to freshen up Chestnut Street. It definitely gives a touch of class to the block between 19th and 20th, and it does have some very unusual dishes on the menu (I had a delicious cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and borlotti beans), but the vote is still out on whether it will succeed. People are emphatic about spending less money when they eat out, and it shows in the popularity of BYOBs like Rx, which opened in an old apothecary shop to brighten up Spruce Hill. With Ross Exner and Greg Salisbury using only organic and free-range products and Plugra in the mashed potatoes, it had to be a winner. On the flipside, Stephen Starr reliably opened two new spots -- the gorgeous Morimoto and his paean to the '50s, Jones. Morimoto's exciting decor and omekase meals bring real glamour to the 700 block of Chestnut, already home to the Blue Angel. The toro tartare, the raw scallops sprinkled with truffles, the abalone cooked on a stone, even a dessert of chocolate mousse dashed with wasabi, were all innovative and delicious. Whereas Jones, a good place to eat after you've seen Far From Heaven, evokes the Wrightian decor and warmth of a lost era and serves us chicken with waffles, macaroni and cheese and even Jell-O for dessert. Roy's came to town, and the Hawaiian-fusion foods pleased some, but not all. I loved the sensuous black cod washed down by sake, and the exuberant, energetic waitstaff.

On the homier side, Aliza Green opened Stella Notte in Chestnut Hill, giving that neighborhood a taste of simple Italian dishes and good pizza. Nearby, North by Northwest is causing a furor, with live music, the ubiquitous mac and cheese and lots of other good things. Meanwhile, out in East Goshen, we encountered La Encina, a cheery Spanish restaurant with a huge menu. It's a good place to try out some of the Spanish wines now increasing in popularity. Northern Liberties got a magic touch with the delightful Pigalle, a French bistro with real style and a good, seasonal menu. Stu Pelligrino, late of Opus 251, is the new chef, and they seem to have a real hit there.

Further down, at Fourth and Wood, Radicchio Café was packing them in from day one. Philly's version of Laceno, a Voorhees fave, it's also a BYOB and the fish is delectable. It is also here that I had the best version of veal Milanese that I've had in town. It's noisy and they don't take reservations, but if you get in, you'll like it.

Twenty21 opened where Cutters used to be, and it looks like a keeper. The atmosphere is sleek and refined, and Chef Martin Doyle's cosmopolitan cooking should keep them afloat. Lobster tart, Dover sole -- not too shabby (and free parking). The wonderful deck at Manayunk Brewery was a good place to while away the summer evenings and nibble on bar food. Trax in Ambler had the same kind of easy outdoorsy feel, and the food -- truly terrific salads and great crab cakes -- is quite pleasant.

David Cunningham arrived from New York and set the historical Yardley Inn ablaze with tuna tartare and ginger gelato, wonderful snapper and an affordable wine list. We ate good ribs at Jolly's on Walnut Street, and terrific grilled squid at a rustic trattoria named Valentino's on Pine Street (restaurateurs are hustling to open places as close to the Kimmel Center as possible). The Bamboo Club opened in King of Prussia with a multi-fusion menu and exotic drinks, and much fun for the overflow from the Cheesecake Factory. Another fusion spot, World Fusion, has just surfaced on the site of the old Rococo, and Latin rhythms are heard in the new Mixto on Pine Street and El Viejo San Juan at Third and Girard. And a chef came out of retirement to give us Tartine, and some real neighborhood French cooking.

Yes, it was an interesting year. Georges Perrier redecorated Le Bec-Fin and installed an American chef de cuisine, Daniel Stern. Avenue B, Monte Carlo Living Room and Davio's, to name a few, have new chefs as well. Jean-Marie Lacroix is tastefully installed at the Rittenhouse.

The trends for the coming year are hard to forecast. There will be much more emphasis on organic and local products, and people will continue to nest, with a surge of cooking at home that should inspire more cooking classes -- only this time men will be taking as many classes as women. Artisanal cheeses will be seen in more and more restaurants. Restaurants will offer more bar menus with lower prices, as Avenue B and Striped Bass have attempted. People will drink more of the wines of Spain, Chile and Australia for their wonderful flavors and agreeable prices. Sake is big, too.

This year I've enjoyed particularly: the crab veloute at Passerelle, sinfully rich and creamy; quenelles of pike with a lobster sauce at Le Bar Lyonnais, below Le Bec-Fin; a glorious mushroom dinner at Opus 251 during the Book and the Cook, and one at Le Mas Perrier, just to celebrate the mushroom season. Also during the Book and the Cook, there was great pasta alla chitarra with lamb ragu at Panorama, chicken with olives and preserved lemons at Fork, and lavender skewered shrimp with white beans at Zanzibar Blue. The oysters at Sansom Street Oyster House are always delicious. Among desserts, the churros at Azafran and Alma de Cuba stood out, and the gingerbread with cajeta semifreddo at Sonoma. I have tasted my first and last durian at Indonesia, an otherwise tasty little spot in Chinatown.

It's been difficult to focus on dining when the world is in such a mess. We stand on the brink of possible war, the Middle East problem is far from being resolved, the economy remains on a downward spiral, the old demon of anti-Semitism is returning to the fore. It seems too much like the 1930s to me, when we danced on the edge of a very real volcano. I do know that Tom Stoppard's words, with which I conclude every New Year article, are more prescient than ever: 'We shed as we pick up, like travelers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind.¨ Happy 2003, I hope.