One year ago today, restaurants were empty all over the city. Eating out seemed too frivolous, too normal. The top independent restaurant in the country, Windows on the World, was in the rubble of New York's World Trade Center.

        Recovery was slow. Restaurant sales declined 2.4 percent nationwide in September, and still were depressed at the end of the year. In lower Manhattan, many restaurants could not reopen for months.

        But restaurants also were part of the recovery. In New York, they fed rescue workers. All over the country, they raised money for victims of the attack and for the Red Cross rescue effort. Windows of Hope collected $19 million for the families of food-service workers killed. Dine for America collected $18 million for the American Red Cross.

        The Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association coordinated a number of efforts to gather donations from customers. Waiters at the Maisonette and other restaurants, for example, donated tips.

        The economic impact has lingered. Jeff Ruby, owner of four high-end restaurants in Greater Cincinnati, says the decline in air travel prompted by the fear of terrorism kept people out of local hotels and, in turn, out of restaurant seats. Advance reservations for tonight were noticeably low at the Precinct and the Waterfront, owned by Mr. Ruby.

        Other restaurants expect a usual Wednesday night.

        Jean-Robert at Pigall's, a new French restaurant downtown, is fully booked.

        At Vito's Cafe in Fort Thomas, the mayor will come by to say a few words about the anniversary, and the songs from the singing wait staff will be patriotic.

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