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 $$$$: above $35 WW reviewers have visited these establishments recently and can recommend them. The restaurant world is squirrely; please call for reservation information and hours. Northwest BESAW'S CAFE Besaw's is old-school in more ways than one. The cafe was kick-started in 1903 by two French Canadian loggers and quickly became known as the place to get a good square meal. These days, the sunny cafe in Northwest Portland is still a sure bet for a reasonably priced, homey meal. Everything is whipped up by hand, and the desserts are beyond primo. Each night there are blackboard specials, and you can count on a specific special to appear on its appointed night. Eclectic 2301 NW Savier St., 228-2619. $$-$$$ FULLER'S COFFEE SHOP This is the kind of place where you can belly up to the counter, pick almost anything off the menu and get good, honest, diner fare. Burgers and milkshakes are highlights, but don't forget the strawberry shortcake when the season's right. American 136 NW 9th Ave., 222-5608. $ PARAGON Chef Peter Dougherty is handy with the fresh, hot and now ingredients, and the menu has some seasonally rotating aspects. The staff is knowledgeable and accommodating, and the dining room is upscale but comfy. American 605 NW 13th Ave., 833-5060. $$-$$$ Southeast THE EMPIRE ROOM Nicely peppered with unique touches, the light menu is as wide-ranging and carefully conceived as the room itself. Portions are extremely generous--often enough for two--and everything is tastefully garnished and visually rewarding. Try the abundant cheese and fruit plate, or the delicious lox plate with cream cheese, red onion, capers and dill. Eclectic 4260 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-9225. $-$$ ESPARZA'S TEX-MEX CAFE With its eclectic, almost nutty, menu (including smoked meats and ostrich, for example), Esparza's measures up to the best of down-home Mexican food. The Hank Williams Tamales are tasty and excellent--homemade masa wrapped around smoked beef brisket. But check the specials board for new creations. Tex-Mex 2725 SE Ankeny St., 234-7909. $$-$$$ WILLIAM'S ON 12TH William's has a slightly formal look, incongruous for this Southeast Portland neighborhood, yet it's entirely comfortable, with cozy seating and perfectly modulated lighting. The food is advertised as "American-French," and certain items common to French cooking appear, such as sweetbreads and tarte Tatin. American-French 207 SE 12th Ave., 963-9226. $$$$ North/Northeast BERNIE'S SOUTHERN BISTRO From its Down South-of-France name to its crawfish-out-of-water Northeast Alberta Street location, Bernie's Southern Bistro sustains a playful tension between expectation and deliverance. Hearty southern cuisine is given a nouvelle treatment, with results as disconcertingly comforting as a porch bench rocking on unseen gliders. Southern 2904 NE Alberta St., 282-9864. $$-$$$ ENSENADA'S Hearty taqueria fare served by the Medrano family. Watch the Blazers play on a crappy TV wedged on the counter as you sink your teeth into hefty burritos and tasty tacos. The Baja burrito with guac, cheese and steak is particularly good. Mexican 3962 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 249-7378. $ VITA CAFE This new diner from the same folks who own the Paradox offers an expanded menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as all-American burgers. At Vita, one generation can munch deep-fried tempeh sticks with Thai peanut sauce while the other eats more traditional french fries. A flavorful artichoke spread served with toasted bread transcends political-culinary leanings, and vegan hush puppies are pretty much like hush puppies everywhere. Beef eaters might never prefer Tofurkey to meat, but the Monte Cristo sandwich, a batter-dipped, grilled stack of the soy-based ersatz turkey with Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing, could persuade them. There's a decent (and cheap) breakfast on the weekend too. Vegetarian 3024 NE Alberta St., 335-8233. $ Downtown/Southwest AL-AMIR Few restaurants offer the ravishing ambience of Al-Amir, a Middle Eastern restaurant that takes up the bottom floor of the Gothic-Victorian Bishop's House. Though carnivores are certainly catered for, Al-Amir's vegan and vegetarian entrees are also recommended. From taboulleh to baklava, Al-Amir graciously offers the best of the region. Middle Eastern 223 SW Stark St., 274-0010. $$$ MORTON'S OF CHICAGO Morton's, perhaps the premier steak chain in America, is a haven for expense-account high-rollers, quaffers of big Bordeaux and lovers of enormous slabs of perfectly grilled beef. Much like its rival a few blocks away, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Morton's serves everything à la carte, so be prepared for a wallet-busting experience. The room is elegant and glamorous, the service impeccable (though perhaps a tad sycophantic) and the theatrical demonstration of the ingredients (including a large and scary-looking lobster thrust your way) rather wearisome and pretentious. Still, Morton's delivers the goods. Steak 213 SW Clay St., 248-2100. $$$$ PLAINFIELD'S MAYUR Although meat dishes are served at this Indian restaurant, it is vegetarian heaven. Condiments are from the Bombay region, but the dishes have been selected from a fine-dining tour of all India. Start with the dahi wada, fried lentil balls in a pale-green yogurt sauce, and the tomato-coconut soup. Share if you must, but finish with the cardamom-rose ice cream with saffron noodles. Between courses, watch naan being thrown onto the side of a 1,000-degree Fahrenheit oven, visit the upstairs gallery or steal a look at the downstairs wine room. Don't be afraid to ask questions, as the servers here are courteous, regal and knowledgeable. Indian 852 SW 21st Ave., 223-2995. $$$-$$$$ Suburbs CLARKE'S RESTAURANT Chef Jonathan Clarke's cooking is eclectic, with touches of French and Northwestern. Generally the fish dishes are the best items on the list: The sea bass is perfectly underdone, and its tenderness plays against the crunch of accompanying vegetables. Although the dining area seems more of a tea room than an elegant restaurant, Clarke's makes every effort to serve meals with finesse. French/ Northwestern 455 2nd St., Lake Oswego, 636-2667. $$-$$$ GIANT DRIVE-IN Yes, the great Southwestern quarter of our metropolis is a labyrinth, laid out by a drunk armed with an Etch-a-Sketch. But if you can dodge your way through the warren of moss-bordered highways, coiffed joggers and small colleges to deepest Lake Oswego, the Giant Drive-In greets you like a cholesterol Christmas. As the neighboring Thai restaurants, insurance offices and hair dressers sit and idly wait for something to happen, this triangular building hops with an echt-suburban herd of grazers. The fries are thick as fingers (and the Cajun-flavored variety short-circuits your willpower with a salty, spicy assault). Among the house's trademark Giant burgers is a cheap, no-frills version; you can hook up with a triple patty stack, add a rasher of bacon or fulfill your cheese needs for less than $5. The chocolate malt sounds exciting but fails to deliver much more than a vaguely cocoa-tinged headache; the shakes, on the other hand, star. The real secret weapon, however, is the ominous Giant Filler. This leaning tower of bread, beef, egg, special sauce, more beef, bacon and cheese is the cheap cardiovascular equivalent of Fat Man and Little Boy. Duck and cover, Oswegans! American 15840 SW Boones Ferry Road, 636-0255. 10 am-10 pm Monday-Saturday, 10 am-9 pm Sunday. Late Night FELLINI The big misconception surrounding Fellini is that--with its staff and clientele of follicularly unclean hipsters and facially perforated punks--the food can't be any good. Surprise! Fellini offers some great food at prices even a musician can afford, and the urban-chic artwork won't make gourmets feel like they're slumming. A recent New York steak special was deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy inside, while the sweet sautéed mushrooms and bulbous potato added a touch of healthiness. The Alf Chicken rocked with penne, rosemary cream sauce and perfectly spiced slivers of meat. True masochists go for Fernando's Heart Stopper (two 1/3-pound burgers with cheese, bacon and fries), and veggie-heads like the Happy Times platter (mushrooms, onion and pecan with cream sauce and grilled polenta). Eclectic 125 NW 6th Ave., 243-2120. $