When Chris Leonardi entered the tucked-away Bentley's pub and restaurant on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset on Saturday, October 31, he didn't need to reserve a table. He had brought one of his own.

Normally, this move might be considered rather presumptuous, but this was a special occasion. It was Halloween, Bentley's was sponsoring a costume contest and Leonardi was the table. That's right, all night Leonardi carried around a cumbersome table around his body, complete with checkered tablecloth and assorted silverware. And as the grand finishing touch, his head was served on a silver platter.

And because of his innovative costume, this walking, talking meal-serving-one can now book a trip-for-two to Hawaii, basking in the tropical sun with his wife Mara, who had accompanied him to Bentley's.

The Leonardis had been to the restaurant the week before and saw a banner advertising the contest. Big Halloween fans, the Leonardis had won costume contests in previous years, and decided to return to Bentley's to try once again. "We went there to win," said Chris, "and I guess luck was on our side."

But talk about fortunate, the Leonardis got more than they bargained for. Mara, who also came in costume as a "road kill" cat, took second prize, a not-too-shabby weekend-for-two at a destination of her choice.

But, wait a minute here. The costume judge awards the best two prizes out to husband and wife while several dozen other Dorothys, Pocahontases, vampires and witches went home empty-handed (but full-bellied, having selected from a buffet Bentley's served up)?

The sole judge, who happens to be this reporter, feels a little badly about that. He was unaware of the relation of the winners until after he had selected them. Nevertheless, he sticks by his decision, confident that, indeed, they did sport the best costumes.

And perhaps they were the best because this youthful duo are both designers, Mara a freelance graphics designer and Chris an exhibit designer who creates models for Long Island company Blumlein Associates.

"I design...for a living, and when you're a creative person, ideas just come," said Chris. He explained that he custom fit his creation, slicing a hole in a large piece of installation foam, for his head. He then cut similar holes in both the tablecloth which he glued onto the table and the silver platter that served his head.

Mara, whose cat costume by itself was quite nice, added that little something extra by running her car's spare tire, freshly painted, over the costume, leaving tracks. She then spray painted a Christmas dove decoration black to make it look like a crow, and proceeded to trample upon it, attaching the squished bird ¬ another highway victim ¬ to her back.

"It's always easy to to say, 'I'm going to be a furry animal'," said Mara. "[But] it's Halloween, so you want it to be spooky. You want it to be dead."

The Leonardis, who are caring for their son Spencer Blake, who is almost seven months old, are looking forward to a long-awaited vacation in Hawaii, where they had actually planned to go for their next trip.

Third, fourth and fifth money prizes went to three other individuals who dressed, respectively, as extravagant vampire, a fancy cat and a messy doctor. Bentley's provided all the prizes.