The following listings have been distilled from recent full-length reviews; the date appearing at the end of each entry indicates the month and year of review. Hours, credit-card and liquor information are not included, so be sure to call ahead. And bear in mind that some menus change seasonally.

HAMMERHEAD GRILL, 49 1230 Ocean Road, Narragansett (789-6159). The Hammerhead Grill is one of the latest dining rooms with a view, and the food looks as good as the scenery. Located above the Bon Vue Inn, it's an informal, paper napkin sort of restaurant, but the decor is sleek, with sand-colored walls, and potted palms with dangling ivy above the entryway. Window tables surrounding the bar's back wall, and the seascape is near the bay end. Menu prices are remarkably low, and the house wine is an appealingly fruity Italian pinot grigio ($4 a glass). Seafood is serious business here, but meat eaters can choose from five items, including the one-pound sirloin (the most expensive item at $18.95), and Jamaican-style jerk chicken ($12.95). Don't miss the fish chowder ($3.95) -- it's among the best we've had. A heap of fish comes through in every spoonful, while the broth has a little tomato in the cream base and reflects a light hand with the herbs. The half-dozen broiled oysters ($7.95), covered in buttery bread crumbs and pumped up with garlic, will melt in your mouth. Six seafood dishes, from sea scallops ($14.95) to striped bass ($12.95), are prepared with a simple and pleasing white wine and butter treatment. Yellowtail flounder ($10.95), although made with a slightly greasy batter, was still a treat. The Key lime pie ($3.95), made at Ginger's Cafe next door, boasts a tasty crumb shell, extra citrusy filling and thick whipped cream. (7/00)

MEMPHIS ROADHOUSE, 383 Washington St., South Attleboro, Massachusetts (508-761-5700).With red-checked tablecloths, pig cut-outs and ubiquitous photos of cattle and blues musicians, Memphis Roadhouse resembles a replication-ready barbecue theme park. But the proof is in the pudding, and the more we ate, the happier we got. Meals start with generous pieces of good cornbread -- not too sweet, just shy of moist, with ample corn flavor and real butter on the side. Besides barbecue, the huge menu offers big steaks, chops and Louisiana-style seafood, and an array of refreshments, from wine and bottled and draft beers to oversized frozen drinks. The kitchen shows impressive attention to detail with fresh vegetables and greaseless frying on the oyster po' boy ($8.95). Appetizers include the winning Delta crab cakes ($2.49 each) -- large, with a crunchy brown exterior, tender minced crab stuffing and a nicely tangy remoulade sauce on the side. The barbecue choices come with excellent coleslaw and smoky pit beans. It's no wonder this place, which offers large portions and attractive prices, is popular with families: a half-chicken dinner is $7.69, a two-meat combo is $10.99, and the barbecue and spaghetti dinner is $6.99. While the purportedly spicy sausage was bland, the brisket, ribs and chicken in the "all meats, pig out" ($17.99) were flavorful, tender and well-seasoned, and accompanied by an appealing molasses-and-spices-based sauce. The otherwise attentive waitresses tend to disappear after meals are served, but it's good to have some leisurely time to chew on the 'cue. (7/00)

QUITO'S, 411 Thames St., Bristol (253-4500). The food at Quito's runs the gamut from fried seafood platters to white and red seafood dishes over pasta, and it's well worth the trip. Based on our experience, you might have to wait a bit if you order one of the specials, such as baked or pan-seared scallops. But the seafood at this tiny restaurant, located on a pier in the middle of Bristol Harbor, is as fresh as can be. The seafood stew ($5.25 a bowl) is stuffed to the gills with fish, scallops and shrimp, in a tomatoey broth. On 10 littlenecks ($8.95), the rich garlicky red sauce was appreciated as much as the clams. The satisfying and generous portion of scallop casserole ($12.95) had a lemon-butter crumb baked topping, and the scallops were cooked to a delicate doneness. Sizable portions of clams, shrimp, scallops and fish, plus delicious coleslaw, are featured in the whole clam-seafood dinner ($14.95). Quito's has a few bottled beers and four wines, including the intriguing white zinfandel from Turning Leaf Vineyards, as well as a large assortment of non-alcoholic beverages, like Nantucket Nectars and Mad River. If you've brought along a Scrabble board or a deck of cards, so much the better for leaning back and enjoying the sunset on Bristol Harbor. (7/00)