There was a time, and not so long ago, when the best you could hope for in Edinburgh was a steak or a mixed grill. No longer. The city now claims (who can prove or disprove it?) that "per head of population, Edinburgh has more restaurants listed by gourmet guides than any other city in the country." What's sure is that the adventurous eater out can find almost any cuisine he or she wants Chinese, French, Greek, Italian, Indian, Pakistani, Turkish, and even Scottish. A sampler:
Abbotsford Bar and Restaurant, 3 Rose Street. Tel.: 225 5276. Victorian hostelry featuring four cask conditioned Scottish traditional beers. Bar lunches include such Scottish desserts as Plum Duff and Scotch Trifle. Upstairs restaurant offers poached salmon and "Cullen Skink" soup.
Bar Italia, 100 Lothian Road. Tel.: 228 6379. Businesspeople have come to value this restaurant for its comprehensive Italian menu and extensive wine list as well as for its late night (or early morning) hours: until 3:00 a.m. Close to the city center, too.
Cramond Inn, Cramond. Tel.: 336 2035. Just a quarter of an hour from the city by car, or half an hour by bus, Cramond is a fishing village of stone, whitewashed houses that was the site of a Roman fort (the original name was Caeravon: the fort on the river). The inn, dating from the seventeenth century, specializes in Scottish dishes, with a strong emphasis on fish and seafood. Copious servings; short but good wine list.
Handsel, 22 Stafford Street. Tel.: 225 5521. Edinburgh is so far north that it's hardly surprising to find a Nordic restaurant within the city limits this one being Danish. Elegant decor; elegant young business and banking executives, too.
Howtowdie, 27a Stafford Street. Tel.: 225 6291. Like the Handsel, situated in the handsome Georgian New Town district; popular with busi
ness people. Good French and Scottish cuisine a reflection of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France.
La Potiniere, Gullane, near Edinburgh. Tel.: (0620) 843214. Regularly listed as one of Scotland's finest restaurants. Small, intimate, elegant; reserve well ahead.
Loon Fung Seafood Restaurant, 32 Grindlay Street. Tel.: 229 5757. Chinese seafood delicacies. The city's Chinese eat here, surely a very good recommendation.
Old Boathouse, Old Post Office Lane, 19 High Street, South Queensferry. Tel.: 331 1155. Scottish food with a French influence; seafood and vegetarian dishes are specialties. High quality gift shop with a nautical f lavor.
Prestonfield House, Prestonfield Road, Newington. Tel.: 667 8055. Peacocks primp and pipers play in and around this magnificent seventeenthcentury house. Certified associations with King James 11, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Benjamin Franklin, and others of that ilk and era, or thereabouts. Pleasures of the table are memorable.
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