Escargot is officially on the menu here. So are crab leg, tilapia and Portobello ravioli. A nice, thick steak is on the way, along with chocolate martinis and 100 different types of beer.

A host of restaurants are opening in Yorkville, a town that's seen many new people and few new places to eat. Anyone who has squeezed into Panera during lunch hour knows this place could support more eateries.

DelaRita's Italian Market and Pizzeria on Route 47 by Menard's opened in June and has a full house at mealtimes, owner Joe Owens said.

“We're busy every night,” he added. “Friday and Saturday night we'll have six, eight, 10 tables waiting.”

On a recent Wednesday night, the dining room was packed, and many people had made reservations. Owens had to cajole this reporter's table into relocating to the bar after dinner so a waiting party could sit down. His offer of a round of drinks did the trick nicely.

The bill certainly reflected the upscale atmosphere Owens is striving to achieve.

The longtime caterer originally planned his restaurant for Sugar Grove. But the Yorkville property “turned out to have everything we wanted,” and was available sooner. His first priority was ample parking, and “Yorkville's the hot place.”

Owens touts the authentic Italian fare, but the menu also packs in fried chicken, barbecue, seafood and, of course, the escargot. Diners order the squishy delicacy every night, Owens said, although the calamari is the most popular appetizer.

Owens is hardly alone in his new venture. At least three more eateries will open in the city this year, and another is slated for next spring. Lynn Dubajic, the executive director of the Yorkville Economic Development Corporation, said she has worked for almost three years courting regional restaurateurs who are already successful in nearby suburbs.

“It's finally at this point where it really is paying off and these people do understand the value of coming here,” she said. “We've certainly had a breakthrough both with national restaurants and ones that have more of a local feel.”

Chain restaurants are arriving too, Dubajic said. She has a commitment from one “quick-casual” restaurant and is working with two other “truly fast-food” companies and two national chain restaurants. She declined to name the franchises, but said all are interested in 2006 openings.

National chain restaurants select their locations by formula, Dubajic said. It's a simple matter of having adequate population within a certain radius. She contacted restaurant chains, but Yorkville was not yet in their numeric range.

“So instead of doing nothing,” Dubajic changed her focus to local restaurants. And now that Yorkville is on the radar of national chains, “we've only just begun,” she said.

On downtown Bridge Street, Grant Westphal has only just begun as well. His Kendall Pub, formerly Little Joe's, will open some time this week. Patrons will have more than 100 brands of beer to choose from, with 22 on tap, as well as upscale pub fare like pizzas with homemade dough, and hefty burgers. Westphal imported alabaster chandeliers from Europe for the interior and commissioned and impressive 42-food mahogany bar that is as much a reason to stop by as the dizzying array of beers.

A Yorkville native, Westphal said he often wished “I could just go down to a pub and get a Guinness and not feel like I'd get my (butt) kicked.”

“A bar in a strip mall is a bar in a strip mall,” he said.

Some incoming restaurants, like the new Italian carry-out Maciano's on Route 34, cater to busy families who don't have time to cook. Others boast sharp amenities more typical of downtown Chicago. Blackstone, a steakhouse set to open in October, will offer a range of exotic martinis and large-screen plasma televisions for game day crowds. When Stonefire Pub and Restaurant opens next year, it will offer a back room big enough for 65 people and equipped with technology like sound systems and projectors for business meetings.

Blackstone's owners also own Tribella Bar and Grill in Batavia. Partner Rino Dervishi said the pack of eateries is a food thing even for restaurant owners.

“A restaurant off somewhere by itself doesn't work,” he said. “One day they got to T.G.I. Fridays, one day they go to Blackstone.”

“We want all the way from Algonquin to Bolingbrook just to see what's out there,” he said. “We like Yorkville the best.”