THE TOP TABLES IN TOWN

It’s one small triumph to get a reservation In the hottest restaurant, but you haven’t really made It until you’re seated at the best table in the hottest restaurant.

THE PALM Lots of people who come to The Palm want to sit by their picture, if their portrait isn’t on the wall, locals prefer the high-profile booths, the first two on the left across from the bar, No. 40 and No. 41. (Sit there often enough and maybe they’ll put your picture on the wall.) Big shots from out of town hate It there-they prefer to sit in the back. Lots of people like the Star Trek booth because it’s halfway between the front and back of the restaurant. But Emmitt Smith likes table No, 44: It’s low-profile, but large.

GREEN ROOM OK, sometimes It’s not hard to tell which is the best table. Chef Marc Cassell says that in the summer, the table under the stairs to the roof are popular with the guys, “for some twisted reason.”

THE RIVIERA Even though it’s right beside the kitchen door, table No. 11s the favorite table because it’s a banquette, slightly removed from the crowds. On the other hand, table No. 11 is right in the middle of the restaurant, so if you are a person who loves all eyes on you, that’s the place to sit, see, and be seen.

STAR CANYON The hottest tables at Star Canyon are the “quads,” the half-booth, half-chair tables that seat five to eight people. Booths No. 32,34, and 34 are the best. Preference might depend on whether the dinner is for business or social reasons, but most Star Canyon regulars prefer the tables and booths facing the fountains. Younger people like table No. 26 because it faces the bar. The wine room seats 10 and is the hardest place to book because it’s got the rarest commodity in restaurants today: seclusion and quiet.

NANA GRILL Request a window when you make your reservation, and Manager Paul Pinnell says that nine times out of 10 your request will be honored. Of course, that’s not going to make the 10th person very happy. The best table in the restaurant Is Ho. 41, without question.

FOG CITY DINER Fog City’s mahogany booths overlooking McKinney Avenue are labeled with brass plaques-Troy Aikman and Will Clark share a plaque over No. 25. Aikman usually comes In on Sundays, but if the Cowboys win, he has a bunch of people with him-too many to sit In his booth. That means he warmed the bench at Fog City a lot this year. Plaqueless regulars request No. 52.