Where do we eat? Opera News simplifies your preshow dining choices in the Lincoln Center area.

You've chosen your opera and bought your tickets. The big evening looms, and mild panic sets in as you realize you'll be facing five hours of Wagner on an empty stomach if you don't make dinner plans fast. As we all know, the wrong restaurant choice can ruin your night at the opera (or a least the first act of it).

The restaurant landscape in the Lincoln Center area has undergone some radical changes since the end of the 2001-02 season; old stalwarts, such as the Saloon (for twenty years a cavernous landmark on the east side of Broadway between 64th and 65th Streets) and the popular 65th Street branch of John's Pizzeria have closed their doors, victims of either new construction or skyrocketing rents. But the neighborhood still offers a manageable range of dining options with good food, good value and service that keeps an eye on curtain time. Bearing in mind that not all evenings at the opera have the same cast of characters, we've selected a few of our favorite restaurants to complement a wide variety of operagoing experiences.

Is this night at the opera a first date? Try Rosa Mexicano (61 Columbus Avenue at 62nd Street; 212-977-7700), which has unbeatable guacamole, prepared fresh at the table, and plenty of conversation-inspiring decor, including the two-story water wall studded with "cliff divers." The house's specialty libation is a pomegranate margarita; sip one as you watch the pre-show street scene across Columbus Avenue at the New York State Theater. For big romantic evenings, stop in at Cafe des Artistes (1 West 67th Street; 212-877-3500), a West Side classic. Its lushly colored, slightly campy murals of frolicsome nude nymphs, painted in the 1930s by Howard Chandler Christy, set a sophisticated, bantering tone in the main dining room; the wide-eyed "Parrot Girl" is a favorite. Try the "salmon four ways" appetizer, or tuck in to the cassoulet or pot-au-feu.

Are you a luxury hound? Treat yourself to Picholine (35 West 64th Street; 212-724-8585), often named as one of the city's best restaurants, which offers

a triple-threat combination of superb, Mediterranean/French food, impeccable service and world-class elegance. Save room for the cheese course. Similarly lauded is Jean Georges (1 Central Park West; 212-299-3900), which fits neatly into the high-gloss world of the Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle. Its innovative, twenty-first-century French food and smooth service complete the pampering experience. Where else can you order rhubarb soup for dessert?

Are you in the mood for good plain American food? The neighborhood champ is the pub-like O'Neals' (49 West 64th Street; 212-787-4663), closed for renovations at press time but scheduled to reopen in early fall 2002. Hearty sandwiches and salads are good values here, and the staff has the local curtain-time schedule down cold. A little more uptown and upscale is Vince & Eddie's (70 West 68th Street; 212-721-0068); sample their braised lamb shanks or calf's liver with frizzled onions, but beware the occasionally overcrowded quarters. Do you require absolutely no frills whatsoever? There's good value (i.e., cheap eats) in the standard-issue diner menu at Westside Restaurant (2020 Broadway at 69th Street; 212-724-4000), rumored to be a favorite breakfast haunt of the Met's standee hopefuls on Saturday mornings.

Will you be having dinner with the boss before the opera? Try Gabriel's (11 West 60th Street, near Columbus Circle; 212-956-4600), where the spacious dining room and sharp-eyed staff make audible, uninterrupted business conversation a reality. The menu leans toward Tuscan specialties, with seasonal game a wintertime offering. Recent power-lunchers here included U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Barbara Walters (at separate tables). Are you or your companion eager for vegetarian options? Cafe Fiorello (1900 Broadway, between 64th and 65th Streets; 212-595-5330) has a smashing antipasto bar with lots of fresh vegetable choices available, in addition to a good selection of carnivore-friendly entrees, risottos and pastas. Music-business and TV celebrities (Beverly Sills, George Stephanopoulos, Miguel Ferrer, Regis Philbin, Cecilia Bartoli) favor this high-energy, well-managed dining room, which reaches near-mania on matinee ...