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 $$$$: above $35 WW reviewers have visited these establishments recently and can recommend them. The restaurant world is squirrely; please call for reservation information and hours. Northwest DOGS DIG This veggie deli is a grab-it-and-dash breed of streetside service with a twist: It's vegan lunch central. Order one of the soup specials--always a pleasant daydream. And pray they have prepared the Nairobi pea and yam soup: a creamy and smooth combination of sweet orange tubers and soft baby green peas that is capped with a healthy dose of electrifying cumin. All sandwiches at Dogs Dig are served in a brown paper bag half-filled with either pretzels or popcorn--the forgotten children of lunchtime savory snack foods. Vegetarian 212 NW Davis St., 223-3362. Takeout only. $ LUCY'S TABLE Seek out Lucy's Table for contemporary cooking with Mediterranean inflections. The dimly lit room, with pretty amber lamps, soft velour curtains and crisp napery, is a warm and slightly formal setting. International 706 NW 21st Ave., 226-6126. $$$ 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. $$-$$$ RICHIE B.'S This new eatery, in the old Gabriel's Bakery spot, offers New York-style sandwiches, pizza and, as a sign near the entrance tells us, "appetites and attitudes." And it delivers on both promises. The hoagie here is called an Italian sub and will set you back a hefty $7.25. It's filled with all the requisite meats and cheeses and resembles a baseball bat when served. This sub is a good thing that could be a great thing with a few alterations. The hot meatball wedge at $6.25 is truly a handful; meatballs the size of fists are smooshed on a long roll, topped with a nice dollop of red sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and heated. American 2272 NW Kearney St., 299-1200. $ Southeast 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. $$-$$$ CAFE LENA Both the food and the crowd are authentic in this cafe known for open-mike poetry nights. No tired tofu dishes here--Lena serves food fit for a revolutionary. Take the Jean-Paul Angst on challah, for example: an open-faced sandwich of grilled chicken breast with baked brie, Roma tomatoes and basil. Or consider the delicious Vinnie's Pesto Vino, fettuccine with an excellent, subtle pesto and Portland's tastiest sun-dried tomatoes. The servings are generous, so if you're a truly starving artist you can keep it cheap by forgoing the salad and soup. Eclectic 2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 238-7087. $ RIYADH'S A quiet place behind an unassuming storefront, the little Lebanese eatery serves a basic, solid menu of kebabs, mezzas, sandwiches and sides. Freshness and care in preparation are the hallmarks; the hummus is smooth and potent, the meats are well spiced and the falafel isn't greasy. Middle Eastern 1318 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 235-1254. $ 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 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. $ LEMONGRASS This Thai restaurant presents all the greatest hits of the region in such a fresh and authentic way, you'll want to search the Web for cheap airfare to Thailand so you can enjoy the complete experience. Unlike many of the quick-fix Thai joints around town, Lemongrass' menu features a small, focused group of traditional dishes that are prepared individually to order. You may be sitting in a comfy converted house in Northeast Portland, but you're as close to Bangkok as one meal can take you. Thai 1705 NE Couch St., 231-5780. $$-$$$ LA SIRENITA It's hard to resist the tacos and burritos at this neighborhood taqueria--you can't eat this well this cheaply at very many places. But splurge once in a while on some of the seafood dishes (the name does mean "The Little Mermaid," after all). One of the best items on the entire menu is the Seven Seas Soup, a spicy concoction of fish and shellfish. Mexican 2817 NE Alberta St., 335-8283. $ PAPARAZZI The earth-toned interior at this upscale Italian restaurant is a soul-soothing oasis augmented by unpretentious, familial service. The menu mostly draws on the food of the Mezzogiorno--southern Italy's sun-kissed realms. The thin, fast-cooked and rib-sticking pizza scarfed by the ton in Naples leads the antipasto roster; a respectable set of husky risottos and gnocchi augment the joint's pasta/ravioli core. Try something that includes shrimp--the little guys have been delectably fresh and firm recently--and if you order a full dinner, the Caesar salad is far more interesting than the mixed green. Italian 2015 NE Broadway, 281-7701. $$$ Downtown/Southwest COUVRON Opened in 1995 by chef Anthony Demes and manager Maura Jarach, Couvron has already established itself as a French restaurant worthy of a growing number of local and national awards. Demes regularly outdoes himself with vertical, rococo creations Jean-Paul Gaultier would admire. The service is impeccable, and every dish here is an event worth experiencing. French 1126 SW 18th Ave., 225-1844. $$$$ GOOD DOG/BAD DOG Hot dogs are still king. Your proof? This downtown doghouse is almost always full of lunchtime revelers seeking its quirky atmosphere and true-blue bratwurst, kielbasa, British bangers, sweet Italians, hot Italian and an even hotter Magma dog. Sausages 708 SW Alder St., 222-3410. $ THAI PEACOCK This Thai hot spot anchors one of downtown's most oddly shaped and eclectic blocks. And unlike the bird after which it is named, the restaurant's aesthetics--bare pine, a couple of lonely textiles and some nervous-looking aquarium fish--are spartan; the food, however, is as rich and varied as the hues in a peacock's tail. Thai Peacock's greatest strength is curry. Whether green, yellow, red or Penang, the curries here are eggplant-laden bowls of heaven. Thai 219 SW 9th Ave., 228-2310. $ Suburbs GERALDI'S In a city crammed with so-called sandwich shops that serve thin slivers of so-so cold-cuts on lame-ass buns, Geraldi's is a stunning oasis. The hulking hot and cold sandwiches are served on the most superb lowbrow rolls in town--crusty and cantankerous on the outside, pillowy and inviting on the inside. Italian Various locations, including Beaverton Mall, 3205 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 643-7200. $ MERCHANT OF VENICE Back in the early 1990s the Merchant of Venice, known for thoughtful and inexpensive Italian cuisine, occupied a run-down building on Northeast Broadway until gentrification pushed it out. More than four years later and about 15 miles away, the Merchant has been reborn in the award-winning suburban development called Orenco Station and serves up the same homey Italian food. Italian 1341 NE Orenco Station Parkway, Hillsboro, 640-1523. $$ 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 Washington County. Japanese 209 NE Lincoln St., Hillsboro, 640-3131. $$$ Late Night DOTS CAFE The epicenter of collegiate cool, Dots is the place to scratch your itch for decorative kitsch and observe Trendus hipstera in its natural environment. Like the thrift-score decor, the menu at Dots hasn't changed over time. And why should it? Simple burgers, sandwiches and Mexican food keep the kids coming around. American 2521 SE Clinton St., 235-0203. $-$$