A ROTATING GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS WE LIKE Navigator: Northwest | Southeast | Northeast | Downtown/Southwest | Suburbs | Late Night $: up to $15 per person, beverage and tip included $$: $25 and under $$$: $35 and under $$$$: above $35 WW reviewers have visited these establishments recently and can recommend them. The restaurant world is squirrely; please call for reservation information and hours. Northwest Caffe Mingo There are no secrets at Caffe Mingo. Crusty loaves stacked in a pyramid wait to be sliced. A large, round, shallow metal tray that looks like an industrial castoff from the turn of the century cradles the tomatoes that will be part of your insalata caprese. Chunks of parmigiano-reggiano lie heaped together with the hand-held grater used to shred the cheese tableside. If you sit at the counter or the marble-topped communal table, you can look into the kitchen and watch every step of the preparation of your robustly flavored meal. Italian 807 NW 21st Ave., 226-4646. $$-$$$ Fratelli That an Italian restaurant could open and serve food completely different from all of the other Italian restaurants in Portland is testament to the regional diversity of the boot-shaped peninsula. Fratelli takes advantage of that diversity with a shifting menu featuring gloriously prepared fishes, beautiful meats and juicy pasta. A separate "classics" menu lists recurring favorites such as the crespelle filled with roasted vegetables. If the chesnut crepes are being offered, you must try them. Italian 1230 NW Hoyt St., 241-8800. $$ Fuller's Coffee Shop This is the kind of place where you can belly up to the counter, pick almost anything off the menu and get good, honest, diner fare. Burgers and milkshakes are highlights, but don't forget the fish and chips, which might just be the best this side of Greenwich (England, not Village). American 136 NW 9th Ave., 222-5608. $ L'Auberge L'Auberge combines some of the best things about French culture--passion, romance, Jean-Paul Sartre--with some very Portland qualities to create a relaxed and funky French restaurant that hasn't changed its philosophy much since its establishment in 1969. The menu is French countryside meets Oregon coastline, with an order of barbecue ribs thrown in for your dad or anyone else who grumbles about the French any chance he gets. French 2601 NW Vaughn St., 223-3302. $$$-$$$$ ¡Oba! Oba successfully adopts the flavors of Texas, the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Latin America from Mexico to Brazil, using them in dishes more familiar to norteño palates. Check out the pollo confit tostada, marinated and slow-cooked chicken on a flat, crisp tortilla topped with mixed greens and sliced avocado, drizzled with lime-cumin vinaigrette and pomegranate molasses and sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds. Smoky and slightly sweet guava-habanero barbecue sauce elevates a full two-pound rack of rotisserie-cooked babyback ribs a few notches above rib-shack barbecue, and the signature ahi tuna encrusted with mild ancho chili and black pepper is just plain delicious. Latin 555 NW 12th Ave., 228-6161. $$-$$$ Southeast Il Piatto Regulars at this homey Italian cafe each have a favorite dish, one that tastes so good they have to order it again and again, even if it means skipping something else that looks almost as delicious. For many, it's the portobello mushrooms in garlic cream with polenta, a blend of robust flavors that tempts eaters to dispense with table manners so they can actually lick the bowl clean. For others it's the crespelle alla ricotta. You decide. Italian 2348 SE Ankeny St., 236-4997. $$$ Bombay Cricket Club Fusion is a concept largely ignored by local Indian restaurants. The Cricket Club takes a swing at it, presenting what amounts to two separate menus, one North Indian, the other Middle Eastern. The Cricket Club is no Saucebox, but the owners' willingness to try something even slightly different should be applauded. Indian/ Middle Eastern 1925 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-0740. $$-$$$ Grand Central Bakery For quick lunches, you can't go wrong here. Even something as simple as a tuna sandwich comes perfectly seasoned with chopped onion, celery and a little red pepper. The sandwich bread is fantastically fresh, obviously full of Grand Central's trademarked chewy and crusty formula. The bakery offers a sack lunch that comes with your choice of sandwich, chips and a cookie. The only thing it lacks is the smiley face Mom used to draw on the outside of the bag. Best of all, Portland-area businesses can now have lunch delivered free ($25 minimum order). Cafe 2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 232-0575; 1444 NE Wiedler Ave., 288-1614; 3425 SW Multnomah Blvd., 977-2024. $ Legin Unlike the Mandarin and Szechuan offerings in town, Legin is thoroughly Cantonese. That means that very little on the 300-dish menu is spicy; instead, everything expresses itself with an assist from ginger and garlic sauces. But nothing is ordinary here: seven kinds of shark's fin soup, sea cucumber and frog dishes, as well as clay pot choices galore. The best offerings, however, come from the specials board and wait-staff suggestions, especially the seasonal seafood. Chinese 8001 SE Division St., 777-2828. $-$$ Iron Horse Restaurant The portions here bulge over the corners of the plates. The beef burrito is a lavish thing, about the size of Tom Hanks' neck, stuffed with meat and vegetables with red sauce--and cheese seems to be applied with a fire-hose. The chicken Belize tostada is more elegant, but no less grand. Slow-cooked and flavored with orange, garlic, oregano and cinnamon, this dish is an unusual, successful twist on Mexican cuisine. Mexican 6034 SE Milwaukie Ave., 232-1826. $ Wild Abandon Situated between Genoa and Bangkok Kitchen, Wild Abandon borrows from both its Belmont neighbors--and almost every other cuisine--with sometimes spectacular results. The Mussels Tropicale pairs the world's most underrated mollusk with coconut milk, cilantro, lemongrass and lime juice and is worth committing a felony for. The goat-cheese torta, which swims in pesto, sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic and a tarry reduction of balsamic vinegar, would be right at home at Genoa at twice the price. Main courses are less predictably excellent, but the fish tacos and cioppino, a seafood stew, are first-rate. Be sure to check out their new breakfast menu, too. International 2411 SE Belmont St., 232-4458. $$-$$$ North/Northeast Horn of Africa Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti share the eponymous geography of Africa's east coast with the former kingdom of Abyssinia, and the food served at this outpost of a little-known culture reflects flavors from the entire region. Unlike most of the Ethiopian food served in Portland, these dishes are not particularly fiery. If you like it hot, ask for a bit of chutney--a thin blend of cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, vinegar and spices. Abyssinian 3939 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 331-9844. $ Beaterville Cafe For less than the price of a '74 Dart wheel cover, you can eat like you're driving a much more stylin' ride. Breakfasts are built around frittata-style omelettes, from the doomed-but-visionary Edsel spuds with bell pepper and cheddar, to the nearly forgotten road king DeSoto, with cheddar, spinach, tomatoes, garlic and bacon. This is basically good, solid diner fare upgraded with decent bread, fresh vegetables, leaf-lettuce salads and extra care in the kitchen. American 2201 N Killingsworth St., 735-4652. $ Ensenada's You haven't lived until you taste the tinga: chicken cooked with onions and chipotle sauce--mucho spicy. Find it in tacos and burritos, and also cast your eye (and tastebuds) on the red snapper tacos. Quite a change from the fishy tacos at that chain set-up all over town. Mexican 3962 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 249-7378. $ Du's Grill Finding a shorter menu than Du's is not easy; finding better teriyaki or bento is even more difficult. This small storefront grills chicken, beef and pork Korean-style. With your meal comes a mountain of rice and a creditable salad. Kim chee is on the menu if you prefer pickled salad to iceburg. Asian 5365 NE Sandy Blvd., 284-1773. $ Downtown/Southwest Berbati For most, Berbati means music to the ears, not the belly, but it happens to be one of the city's swingingest spots for great Greek eats. Good Mediterranean cuisine is all about finger food washed down with a few hoists of wine or ouzo (dare ya) and a bitter Greek coffee, and this place does it right. Try to stumble in on a Thursday, when it's belly-dancing night: It aids digestion. Middle Eastern 19 SW 2nd Ave., 226-2122. $$-$$$ Bijou Cafe Now in its 22nd year, the Bijou continues its commitment to using organic and local ingredients in its hearty fare, which leans toward healthy. Breakfast specialties include a roast-beef or snapper hash, tofu scramble and whole-wheat quesadillas with a spicy pumpkin-seed, tomatillo and roasted-pepper spread. The Bijou's cheery decor and friendly staff make it an excellent choice for relaxed, non-power dining. American 132 SW 3rd Ave., 222-3187. $$ Jake's Famous Crawfish For more than a century, Jake's has been attracting crowds with a remarkably simple approach: well-produced, uncomplicated seafood served by a friendly, knowledgeable staff. The Southwest Portland fixture remains especially appealing in a town that can, at times, become a little fusion-happy. Make sure to try a broad plate of the restaurant's still-famous crawfish--your server will certainly show you how to eat them. Seafood 401 SW 12th Ave., 226-1419. $$$-$$$$ Oritalia The decor is sumptuous: booths with curtains and tasseled rope ties; polished wood everywhere; huge, moodily lit paintings; elegant chopsticks resting on a disk illustrated with poetry by Basho. This San Francisco outpost is an opulent purveyor of fusion food (Oriental + Italian, get it?), a testimony not to native traditions and the rootedness of place but to the ingenuity of a chef's unbridled imagination. When things come together nicely, as they often do here, the tastes are explosive and marvelous. The sake-steamed bass is loaded with flavor, the portobello mushrooms provide just a hint of depth, and the Chinese black-bean sauce lends a heady and salty touch to the mild fish. Even more wonderful is the plate of rare ahi slices, grounded in a heady mustard sauce, accompanied by a lotus leaf open like an offering on perfumed jasmine rice. Fusion 750 SW Alder St. (in the Westin Hotel), 295-0680. $$-$$$ Pasta Veloce The pastas are simple and light, and the portions are honest. Every bowl of noodles--there are more than a dozen choices--comes with fresh Parmesan and bruschetta. Standouts include penne alla zucca, a vegetarian mix of butternut squash, spinach and tomatoes, and the gnocchi with grilled chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, Gorgonzola, walnuts and brown butter. Italian 1022 SW Morrison St., 916-4388, and 933 SW 3rd Ave., 223-8200. $ Portland Steak and Chophouse The tony decor, intimate booths, low lighting and hyper-attentive service make this the kind of place where power brokers and expense-account people can get comfy. Even better, the food is outstanding and unapologetically retro. Whether it's porterhouse, New York, sirloin, chicken, veal or fish, the portions are large and of fine quality. American 121 SW 3rd Ave., 223-6200. $$$ Suburbs Merchant of Venice Back in the early 1990s the Merchant of Venice, known for thoughtful and inexpensive Italian cuisine, occupied a run-down building on Northeast Broadway until gentrification pushed it out. More than four years later and about 15 miles away, the Merchant has been reborn in the award-winning suburban development called Orenco Station and serves up the same homey Italian food. Italian 1341 NE Orenco Station Parkway, Hillsboro, 640-1523. $$ Hall Street Grill Inside a dining room of ski-lodge capaciousness, a range of interesting dishes is served by a very agreeable staff. Menu hits include mesquite-grilled pork chops in a maple sauce, portobello mushroom ravioli and Hawaiian swordfish with vermouth lemon butter (!) and artichoke tartar. It may be located in an unlikely spot, but this is an inventive restaurant drawing skillfully from a broad palate. Northwest 3375 SW Hall Blvd., Beaverton, 641-6161. $$$-$$$$ Henry Ford's Restaurant Henry Ford's is a Portland institution that has been around since the '50s and, thankfully, hasn't changed a bit. Architecturally beautiful, the restaurant's atmosphere isn't "retro"--it's historic and mysterious. Friendly, efficient, old-school waiters run the dining room serving classic fare such as prawn cocktail, crab, escargot and porterhouse or New York strip. Dinner comes with biscuits, green salad and baked potato. And where else can you get a side dish of cooked carrots glazed in brown sugar? Old School 9589 SW Barbur Blvd., 245-2434. $$$-$$$$ Hiro Sushi Restaurant You won't find any trendy offerings here like Philadelphia or Spider rolls. Customers tend to be Japanese-Americans or intelligent Americanos who don't require pandering. The seafood is extra fresh and the attention to preparation is artistic and obsessive. Japanese 6334 SW Meadows Road, Lake Oswego, 684-7521. $$.   Late Night 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; simple burgers, sandwiches and Mexican food keep the kids coming around, so why change it? Nurse your hangover in this shadowy den with a $1.25 Rainier pounder. When your stomach is ready for food, stick to the classic bacon cheeseburger or, for the more organic-loving types, the Vegan Vavoom, which features a pita and falafel with spicy tofu sauce for $4. A black-bean burrito is another popular option, but stay away from the heavy-handed pollo platter--the excessive spicing fails to disguise its overall blandness. American/Eclectic 2521 SE Clinton St., 235-0203. 11 am-1:30 am daily. $ Acropolis It's an endless parade of meat at the Acropolis, and we're not talking about the dancers. This is carnivore headquarters, and anyone squeamish about beef would do well to stay away. The meaty burgers start at a whopping full pound and swell up to huge--the Acropolis Colossal Burger is almost dangerous. A 16-ounce sirloin with mushrooms and potato is only $8. If your arteries still aren't begging for mercy, burst your aorta with a 10--count 'em--egg omelette for a mere $5. There is a salad bar on the premises, but one doesn't succumb to the Acropolis' call for food and flesh out of a desire to stay healthy. Give in to your animal side. Flesh 8325 SE McLoughlin Blvd., 231-9611. 11:30 am-2:30 am daily. $