With its sizeable crowd of well-heeled residents and visitors, Naples has a built-in audience for fine restaurants -- and the stumbling economy has yet to trip up enthusiasm for them.

In recent months, several notable start-ups have emboldened the dining scene. Most notably: Sea Salt, established by Venice-born Fabrizio Aielli and his wife, Ingrid, whose celebrated Washington, D.C., restaurant, Teatro Goldoni, catered to well-known politicians and journalists. Sea Salt's arrival in Naples was greeted with raves in Gourmet magazine, which noted that Washington's loss is the West Coast's gain in Florida. (The beach-elegant newcomer is at 1186 Third St. S., 239-434-7258; www.seasaltnaples.com. Entrees $22 to $46).

Optimistic newbies aside, some of the city's successful restaurants have started offering recession meal deals. Longtime local chef and restaurateur Tony Ridgway has dropped prices by as much as 30 percent at his superb Ridgway Bar and Grille (1300 Third St. S., 239-262- 5500; www.ridgwaybarandgrill.com. Entrees $20 to $34). In part, the price reductions come from a cut in the luxe extras. Instead of serving a hanger steak with lobster mashed potatoes, Ridgway subs in French fries. The result is a $13 savings passed on to diners.

Other dining options in Naples worth busting your recession diet:

• Escargot 41: Chef Patrick Fevrier's restaurant serves the city's best haute French food. The specialty is, of course, escargot, with seven varieties on the menu and about 300 more in Fevrier's head for specials. Try the Escargot Dr. Ivan ($17), a rich mix of escargot, tender sweetbreads and slightly chewy trumpet mushrooms in a creamy Marsala sauce. For a main course, the beef tenderloin ($30) is finished with an anchovy butter, adding a new dimension to the classic steak.

4339 US 41 N., 239-793- 5000; www.escargot41.com. Entrees $18 to $33.

• Naples Tomato: Most people, including the New York Times, rave about the lasagna ($19), and for good reason. You aren't likely to find better outside of a little Italian grandmother's kitchen. But there's a lot more going on here than just pasta. The alder plank tilapia ($27), veal saltimbocca ($29) and a new mozzarella bar ($18 for two) make it worth the drive to North Naples. For the ultimate Italian indulgence, try The Bomb ($35), black truffle ravioli in a white truffle sauce.

14700 US 41 N., 239-598- 9800; www.naplestomato.com. Entrees $13 to $35.

• Truluck's: Sure you can get a top-grade steak smothered in Maytag cheese butter and a red wine demi-glace ($43), but that would be missing the point. The reason to go to Truluck's Naples outpost is the so-fresh-it's-practically-still-flopping seafood. As tempting as it sounds, don't get sold on the Australian cold water lobster tail.

698 Fourth Ave. S., 239- 530-3131; www.trulucks.com. Entrees $22 to $45.

• Campiello: While the outdoor bar attracts the local aristocracy, the food is just as brilliant as the glitter of the diamond jewelry you'll see walking in. The place is so popular, you need to book a few weeks in advance during the winter season. The menu boasts one of Naples' best appetizers: spicy fried calamari ($15.50). The entrees are simple yet superb. You aren't likely to find a better pizza than the wood-oven cooked margherita ($14.50). And the fresh Tagliatelle with spicy lamb sausage Bolognese ($22.50) will have you planning a return visit.

1177 Third St. S., 239- 435-1166; www.campiello.damico.com. Entrees $14 to $42.

• Bleu Provence: Chef Lysielle Cariot had no formal training when she and her husband, Jacques, moved from Provence, France, to Naples to start a restaurant. But she did bring with her a lifetime of home-tested recipes she learned growing up in Nigeria and France. While there are surely the trappings of traditional French cuisine -- from the seared foie gras with raspberry sauce ($18) to sauteed sweatbreads ($27) -- Cariot's menu is full of happy kitchen ''accidents.'' Don't miss the lobster with truffle cream sauce and risotto ($33) or her play on beef Bourguignon with Kobe short ribs ($38). Looking for a deal? Go between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for a two-course meal with a glass of wine for $24.

1234 Eighth St. S., 239- 261-8239; www.bleuprovencenaples.com. Entrees $24 to $38.

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