A ROTATING GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS WE LIKE Navigator: Northwest | Southeast | Northeast | Downtown/Southwest | Suburbs $: up to $15 per person, beverage and tip included $$: $25 and under $$$: $35 and under $$$$: above $35 WW reviewers have visited these establishments recently and can recommend them. The restaurant world is squirrely; please call for reservation information and hours. Northwest PARAGON Chef Peter Dougherty is handy with the fresh, hot and now ingredients, and the menu has some seasonally rotating aspects. The staff is knowledgeable and accommodating, and the dining room is upscale but comfy. AMERICAN 605 NW 13th Ave., 833-5060. $$-$$$ LUCY'S TABLE Seek out Lucy's Table for contemporary cooking with Mediterranean inflections. The dimly lit room, with pretty amber lamps, soft velour curtains and crisp napery, is a warm and slightly formal setting. INTERNATIONAL 706 NW 21st Ave., 226-6126. $$$ TAPEO Ricardo Segura has brought a little bit of Spain to his storefront restaurant, and the best way to start your exploration may be with an order of tostaditas de boquerones. Homemade bread is thinly sliced, toasted, spread with a tapenade of farga and manzanilla olives and topped with a shiny, marinated anchovy that will forever change your notion of the minuscule, maligned fish. Finish up with the best flan in town. SPANISH 2764 NW Thurman St., 226-0409. $$$ HOYT STREET CAFE Ah, an oasis of humility in the flagrantly upscale Pearl District. Breakfasts, such as the design-your-own omelette and the Belgian waffle, are created with care. Lunches are hearty and good. ECLECTIC 1131 NW Hoyt St., 226-3451. $-$$ Southeast LA CATALANA Strong tastes pervade the dishes at La Catalana, the first among Portland's tapas restaurants. Don't miss specialties like the shellfish-packed paella and the kickass potato pie with aioli--you'll never look at scalloped potatoes the same way again. Save room for the caramelized crema Catalana or the house-made lemon ice cream. SPANISH 2821 SE Stark St., 232-0948. $$-$$$ 3 DOORS DOWN CAFE 3 Doors Down is a treasure: a tiny, stylish bistro unassumingly tucked between a strip of shops off ever-frenetic Hawthorne Boulevard. An all-time fave is the penne with vodka sauce, with a slow-simmered gravy of plum tomatoes, cream, chili flakes, vodka and Italian sausage. Space is tight, and the cafe doesn't take reservations, but the staff is one of the friendliest around and will take care of you as quickly as possible. ITALIAN 1429 SE 37th Ave., 236-6886. $$ CASWELL Think of Caswell when you want a quick meal. Think of the pasta: the wild mushroom, with gobs of seasonal fungi sauteed with spinach, hazelnuts and sherry. Think of the pizza: the San Daniele, sized just for you and topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, hot oil, figs and fresh mint. Think of the miscellany: the Island Witch, a pepper and potato hash empanada. Mmm. ECLECTIC 533 SE Grand Ave., 232-6512. $$ ASSAGGIO Assaggio means a taste or a sampling, and the entire menu is set up around this gracious concept. The highlight of the entree list is a variety of three pastas, selected daily by the chef. If you're not in the mood for small portions, any of the 16 freshly prepared dishes makes a perfect meal all by itself. ITALIAN 7742 SE 13th Ave., 232-6151. $$ J&M CAFE Breakfast at J&M is a savory way to wake up. The high-ceilinged, airy interior is as comforting to the nerves as the carefully prepared dishes are to an empty stomach. If you skipped dinner the night before, you can feast on the black-bean-heavy breakfast burrito, the potatoes (a cheesy pile with salsa and sour cream) or J&M's signature platter of bacon and eggs smothered with fontina, cheddar and Parmesan. AMERICAN 537 SE Ash St., 230-0463. $ DOTS CAFE The epicenter of collegiate cool, Dots is the place to scratch your itch for decorative kitsch and observe Trendus hipstera in its natural environment. Like the thrift-score decor, the menu at Dots hasn't changed over time. And why should it? Simple burgers, sandwiches and Mexican food keep the kids coming around. AMERICAN 2521 SE Clinton St., 235-0203. $-$$ Northeast COUNTY CORK PUBLIC HOUSE When it comes to Irish food, County Cork takes a different approach. Rather than ersatz Irish dishes, this pub offers real flavor along with the Guinness. There's an Irish theme, of course: Bangers and mash combines grilled sausages and garlic mashed potatoes, and a cold plate of Irish cheddar, hard-boiled egg, pickled onions, sliced apple, dill pickles and a wedge of soda bread called the ploughman's platter purports to be a "traditional Irish workman's lunch." But the burgers, fries and clam chowder are just like what owner Jeanie Subotnick used to make when she ran Shakers. IRISH 1329 NE Fremont St., 284-4805. $$ CHEZ WHAT? Chez What? is a quirky place to load up on cheap eats with friends. Breakfasts lean heavily on hearty egg-and-potato combos, such as Gigi's eggs, which come scrambled with red onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, dried tomatoes, feta and scallions. Lunch and dinner choices are equally filling. Burgers, both beef and veggie, can be enhanced by the gnarly mix of grilled onions, garlic, mushroom, peppers and jalapeños. Save room for dessert, a changing menu of candy-bar-based concoctions. AMERICAN 2203 NE Alberta St., 281-1717. $ Downtown/Southwest HOUSE OF ASIA More than its snazzy decor, House of Asia is distinguished by a dining-room kitchen, an open, stainless-steel fortress in which the native Cambodian chefs can showcase their flair. Knives chop-chop with an even, rhythmic beat just steps away from the tables; flames--controlled and otherwise--jump 6 feet into the towering oven vents; meats are evenly sauteed with that quick flick-o'-the-wrist exclusive to well-trained cooks. It's pretty sophisticated for a walk-in mini-mall joint, and the food, which covers many regions of Asia, is also surprisingly refined. ASIAN 7113 SW Macadam Ave. (inside Zupan's Macadam Village), 452-5002. $$ COUVRON Since opening in 1995, chef Anthony Demes and manager Maura Jarach already have established a French restaurant worthy of a growing number of local and national awards. Demes regularly outdoes himself with vertical, rococo creations Jean-Paul Gaultier would admire. The service is impeccable, and every dish here is an event worth experiencing. FRENCH 1126 SW 18th Ave., 225-1844. $$$$ PORTLAND STEAK AND CHOPHOUSE The tony decor, intimate booths, low lighting and hyper-attentive service make this the kind of place where power brokers and expense-account people can get comfy. But even better, the food is outstanding and unapologetically retro. Whether it's porterhouse, New York, sirloin, chicken, veal or fish, the portions are large and of fine quality. AMERICAN 121 SW 3rd Ave., 223-6200. $$$ Suburbs CLARKE'S RESTAURANT Chef Jonathan Clarke's cooking is eclectic, with touches of French and Northwestern. Generally the fish dishes are the best items on the list: The sea bass is perfectly underdone, and its tenderness plays against the crunch of accompanying vegetables. Although the dining area seems more of a tea room than an elegant restaurant, Clarke's makes every effort to serve meals with finesse. FRENCH/NORTHWESTERN 455 2nd St., Lake Oswego, 636-2667. $$-$$$ SYUN IZAKAYA This remarkably sophisticated yet friendly spot brims with authenticity, from the more than 50 varieties of sake to the fiercely unusual dishes, including the best tempura in the region and disks of pâté of monkfish liver. A dinner here will provide you a liberal education in Japanese mores and tastes--not something you'd expect from a drive across the fields of western Washington County. JAPANESE 209 NE Lincoln St., Hillsboro, 640-3131. $$$ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published February 16, 2000