Fore Street has emerged to take its place as one of New England's most celebrated restaurants -- chef Sam Hayward has been profiled in Saveur and House Beautiful, and the restaurant has been listed in Gourmet's 100 best list. Its secret is simplicity: Local ingredients are used when possible (note the rustic vegetable cooler overflowing with what's fresh), and the kitchen shuns fussy presentations. The room is equally honest: Light floods in through huge windows in the loftlike space, and a sprawling open kitchen is in the middle of it all, a team of chefs stoking the wood-fired brick oven and grilling fish and meats. The menu changes nightly; some of the most memorable meals are prepared over an apple-wood grill, such as Maine pheasant, or two-texture duckling with grilled pears. Lobster and rabbit courses never fail to disappoint. Though it can be mighty hard to snag a reservation here, particularly on a summer weekend, Fore Street sets aside a few tables each night for walk-ins. Smart move. Now, you make one: Get there.