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 $$$$: above $35 WW reviewers have visited these establishments recently and can recommend them. The restaurant world is squirrely; please call for reservation information and hours. Northwest FOOTHILL BROILER Nestled inside the painfully cute but harried Uptown Shopping Center is a cafeteria-style diner where regulars from Westover Heights and the West Hills are keeping it real over grilled cheese sandwiches, patty melts and milkshakes. The Broiler has been sold a few times in recent years after decades of ownership by one family, but fortunately for regulars, it never really changes. The current owners have added a few new items--gyros, a Greek salad and a reuben--to the standard American diner-grub menu, but the time-tested burgers and fries remain the same. They also offer a different soup every day. Plates of homemade cupcakes and individual slices of pie will make you smile. American 33 NW 23rd Place, 223-0287. $-$$ FRATELLI An Italian restaurant opens and serves food completely different from all of Portland's other Italian restaurants--what a testament to the regional diversity of the boot-shaped peninsula. Fratelli takes advantage of that variety with a shifting menu featuring gloriously prepared fish, beautiful meats and juicy pasta. A separate "classics" menu lists recurring favorites such as the crespelle filled with roasted vegetables. If the chestnut crepes are offered, you must try them. Italian 1230 NW Hoyt St., 241-8800. $$ Southeast ASSAGGIO Assaggio means a taste or a sampling, and the entire menu is set up around this gracious concept. The highlight of the entree list is a variety of three pastas, selected daily by the chef. If you're not in the mood for small portions, any of the 16 freshly prepared dishes makes a perfect meal all by itself. Italian 7742 SE 13th Ave., 232-6151. $$ CASABLANCA Talk about atmosphere. Step inside Casablanca and you find yourself transported through centuries and across continents to the sultry languor of a sultan's palace, complete with embroidered pillows, brass tables, belly dancing and a sumptuous array of gustatory treats. Morocco has long been a cultural crossroads--the Moors, the Spanish, the Portuguese and the French have all left their mark on its history and cuisine--and the five-course Royal Feast Dinner is probably the best way to explore this exotic heritage. Moroccan 2221 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-4400. $$$ JARRA'S All Ethiopian, all the time. Stewed beef, lamb, chicken and lentil dishes are served in hot and mild sauces. For the risk-taker, there's Ethiopian steak tartare. Embrace the occasion to eat with your hands. Ethiopian 1435 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 230-8990. $$ LUCKY LABRADOR BREW PUB Don't be afraid because almost everyone in this place looks like they just jumped out of a J. Crew catalog. Lucky Lab is a blur of cotton turtlenecks, rough-hewn wood and fresh-scrubbed cheeks. But that's sorta nice. The menu chalkboard separates the meaty items from veggie: turkey sandwich, BLT, bento a-go-go (the spicy curry can make you cry!). The beer selection is as colorful as patrons' fleece jackets. Eclectic 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-3555. $ North/Northeast 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. Americana 2201 N Killingsworth St., 735-4652. $ 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. $ THAI GRILL Apart from its open demeanor, Thai Grill's great virtue is that it fills a need. Like any neighborhood restaurant with staying power, this place gives what you're looking for. In main dishes like the curries, the kitchen at Thai Grill performs a balancing act of flavors. A fried catfish and eggplant dish not only fuels the fish with the chili heat it craves, but also includes two kinds of eggplant--domestic and Thai. Basil and kafir are deployed with still-crisp vegetables to bank the curries' fire. Only in the noodle dishes like pad Thai is the scrupulous balance disappointing. Thai 5810 NE Sandy Blvd., 282-3970. $$ SAM HO Sam Ho's Thai menu has its share of piscatorial adventure, with separate sections for "lobster, geoduck, crab" and "shark's fin, abalone, sea cucumber." You might imagine the jellyfish appetizer as Jell-O's revenge--a bowlful of gelatin cubes that bite back--but the vinegary dish that actually appears is more like a nubbled, chewy kim chee, a shredded heap of genetically modified organism that might result from crossing Chinese cabbage with an octopus. Oysters with X.O. sauce, the tasty flavoring made with dried scallops, shrimp and anchovies, combines huge specimens of the shellfish with snow peas, straw mushrooms and celery. The earthy tang of black-bean garlic sauce is a good choice for the clams, which come arrayed in the shell, like a platterful of presents someone's already started opening for you. Thai 5846 NE Sandy Blvd., 288-0629. $$ Downtown/Southwest EL GRILLO This downtown taqueria serves your favorite cheap South of the Border treats: tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, etc. It's right next door to a strip club, and if you use the restaurant's bathroom you'll get a surprising peek of full-frontal nudity. You decide whether that's a bonus or not. Mexican 703 SW Ankeny St., 241-0462. $ 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. $$$-$$$$ SOUTHPARK Southpark sits smack-dab in the midst of Portland's "Cultural District" and makes a great dinner stop if you're off for a concert at the Schnitz or a shindig at the Art Museum. This is the place for seafood done up Mediterranean-style; if you order right, you may very well feel as though you're kicking back in Spain. For lunch or dinner, don't miss the intense fish soup (la bourride): sautéed shellfish in a golden saffron broth with a grilled crouton nestled in the middle to soak up every nuance. Pasta and paella dishes abound, and don't forget to check out Southpark's wine list, which separates the wines by character descriptions ("rich, full-bodied whites" or "easy-drinking, lighter-bodied reds") rather than by labels. Mediterranean 901 SW Salmon St., 326-1300. $$-$$$ PASTA VELOCE The pastas are simple and light, and the portions are honest. Every bowl of noodles--there are over a dozen choices in all--comes with fresh Parmesan and bruschetta. Standouts include penne alla zucca, a vegetarian mix of butternut squash, spinach and tomatoes, and the gnocchi with grilled chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, Gorgonzola, walnuts and brown butter. Italian 1022 SW Morrison St., 916-4388, and 933 SW 3rd Ave., 223-8200. $ Suburbs HIRO SUSHI RESTAURANT You won't find any trendy offerings here like Philadelphia or Spider rolls. Customers tend to be Japanese-Americans or intelligent Americanos who don't require pandering. The seafood is extra fresh, and the attention to preparation is artistic and obsessive. Japanese 6334 SW Meadows Road, Lake Oswego, 684-7521. $$. Late Night 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. $-$$