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A - C Abou Karim Portland seems to specialize in casual dining, but often that means seedy furnishings and ugly decor. At Abou Karim, the environs are both dignified and relaxed; high ceilings, exposed brick walls and attractive woodwork give the comfortable rooms finesse. A brief menu of fine dishes completes the mood. Many diners never stray from the bounteous mezza platter, and for good reason. Centuries ago Middle Easterners mastered what Western chefs still struggle to perfect: the balance of six or so flavors and textures that play off one another perfectly. The warmth of ful, an earthy Mediterranean bean dip, broadens against the crisp tang of tabbouleh; pungent, smoky baba ghanouj bolsters the richness of silky hummus. While a kebab or stew will provide hearty sustenance, the treasure here is in the sharp flavors of small bites, such as the excellent karnabeet tarator--sautéed cauliflower with parsley, cayenne and buttery tahini sauce. Cleanse your palate with a crisp, dry Almaza beer from Lebanon or a mellow Tunisian wine. Your taste buds never had such a workout. (KES) 221 SW Pine St., 223-5058. Lunch and dinner daily. Moderate. Al-Amir There are plenty of Lebanese restaurants in this city, but Al-Amir rises above the rest. That's partly because this busy downtown spot has something many others don't--atmosphere. Diners walk through the long, narrow bar area and into the dining room to a place that's dark, mysterious and even romantic. A menu highlight is the Maza Al-Amir, a magnificent spread of hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel and tabbouleh. Carnivores can add a meat kabob to the array, although after scooping up all those Middle-Eastern treats with basketfuls of warm pita bread, you may find the task of cleaning your plate impossible. There's also plenty of kebabs and other dishes, including vegetarian ones. You may want to avoid the place on weekends if you don't think that belly dancing adds anything to the dining experience. (MO) 223 SW Stark St., 274-0010. Lunch and dinner daily. Moderate. Alexis Alexis is the kind of place people like to go on a Friday night: Getting a table is usually no problem, and if there is a wait, the ouzo-stocked bar makes it tolerable. A familial atmosphere pervades, making diners feel as if they're welcome guests at an entertaining but not too boisterous party. The blue-checkered tablecloths, cheery lighting and tasteful bellydancing inside belie the grungy Burnside Street location, and the fare is heartwarming and heart-healthy. Mediterranean cuisine has achieved a favorable reputation in the last few years because its unctuous foundation, olive oil, has lower levels of bad cholesterol than other oils. But the real reason this yuppie staple is so popular is the taste--who would dip bread in a puddle of Crisco? Alexis has excellent bread and olive oil to keep patrons happy while they gear up for lamb souvlaki, spanakopita or dolmades (stuffed grape leaves). Just be sure to order a salad; Alexis' one weak point is the side of vegetables, which looks as if it came from a can. The swift service effectively quells hunger, and the bill won't break the bank. (CM) 215 W Burnside St., 224-8577. Lunch and dinner daily. Moderate. American Palate At the outer limits of Northwest Portland's restaurant row, this unassuming spot is likely to be overlooked by hungry trend surfers. Use that to your advantage, and you'll be treated to cooking that respects the integrity of the ingredients and lets the flavors speak for themselves. As our warm summer slipped into memory, the season's end was celebrated with a simple tomato salad that combined red and orange cherry tomatoes with a low-acid yellow pear variety, arranged with a few basil leaves and just a hint of aged balsamic vinaigrette. Scallops were grilled perfectly, barely charred and still sweetly tender, and served with slightly crunchy herb-infused red lentils. The list of entrees, while short, provides plenty of choices, from a simple grilled New York steak to roasted herb-crusted chicken. (JD) 1937 NW 23rd Place, 223-6994. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Expensive. Assagio Portland is filled with Italian restaurants, some of them unimaginative, others lacking in energy. This is not such a place. From the enticing menu to the lengthy yet affordable wine list to the welcoming decor, it's clear that Assaggio is about a love of reasonably priced good food and good company. The concept itself is inviting: assaggio means a sampling, or a taste, and the menu is set up with that idea in mind. Can't decide on an appetizer? Try three, served family style for just $4 a person. Our favorite is the verdure--a warm and satisfying melange of roasted onions, fennel and potatoes--but they're all tantalizing. Same goes for the pasta. Order a sampling of three at $12 per person, and enjoy the experience of sharing with your companions. (MO) 7742 SE 13th Ave., 232-6151. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Moderate. Atwater's In most restaurants that feature spectacular views, you're better off looking at the scenery than the menu, but not here. From perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes to a sublime peach sorbet, the choices at Atwater's combine the best of local ingredients. The kitchen may be high above the ground, but this is far a cry from airline food. Crisp corn, tiny cubes of roasted potatoes and a slathering of aged goat cheese enliven a delicate warm baby-greens salad. You won't find rarer ahi tuna this side of Saburo's Sushi House; you won't find it any better prepared either. The sharpness of the accompanying plum relish complements the richness of the fish. Atwater's service is superb and the atmosphere slightly somber, as befits a space that's a private club during the day. It's difficult to make a mistake with the well-chosen wine-list, but it's less difficult to make a serious dent in your wallet with some of the selections. (NJ) 111 SW 5th Ave., 30th floor, 275-3600. Dinner daily. Expensive. *Avalon* Under Chef Roy Breiman's new regime, Avalon has leapfrogged to the upper echelon's of Portland's restaurant hierarchy. His cuisine blends Asian and French, one lending vigorous spices and unexpected flavors, the other finesse and subtlety. This is a highly worked style of cooking, as labor-intensive as it gets. Surprising combinations, playful presentations and a high degree of elegance mark the cooking here. Try nuggets of roasted langoustine atop a wedge of foie gras pierced by two slices of potato so thin that a leaf of cilantro appears between them like a pressed flower or try three tartars--salmon, ahi and yellowfin--surrounded by salmon and sturgeon roe and a julienne of cucumber. The appetizers are the most spectacular items on the menu, and though they hardly come cheap, they're worth the price if you enjoy foods that is as conversation-inspiring as it is delicious. For a dish that is virtually a signature of the cultural mix, try the Vietnamese pot au feu, a tender beef stew deeply braised and perked with lime, chili and basil. The fish is stunning at Avalon, such as a whole fried bass curled around a bed of crackling fried spinach or a preparation of black cod, baby abalone and local fresh porcini mushrooms. Desserts dazzle on occasion. Who could resist a raspberry souffle with crème anglaise or a trio of pots de crème (spicy chocolate, ginger, mandarin orange)? Avalon feels a bit like a special-occasion restaurant, but it's so good that it has its regulars, even at its high prices. The views of the unspoiled reaches of the Willamette River are striking, and the decor is '30s glam--the setting for a Noel Coward shipboard romance. The only negative note is that the staff, however nice, seems rather untrained and insufficiently informed about the cuisine. This is a common problem in Portland restaurants (with notable exceptions) and one for which there is no excuse, especially at a place of Avalon's caliber. (RJP) 4630 SW Macadam Ave., 227-4630. Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Friday. Upstairs Asian bistro serves lunch and dinner daily. Expensive.

Bamboo's A smallish place tucked beneath a shopping strip, Bamboo's is your neighborhood Chinese standby but with more class. The decor features hunter green walls hung with large gold prints and mosaics of coral and jade. Don't miss the fantastic lacquered and bejeweled folding screen stuck in the corner of the back bar that serves as the foyer to the parking garage. Whimsical menu names need some explaining--Skipper's Favorite turns out to be fish ball soup, whereas the First Mate Special is a soup of pickled greens and pork. It could take years to eat your way through a menu of such curiosities as sweet and pungent pork with kumquats, "minced squab in the nest," sliced duck with sweet preserved ginger and classics like garlicky dry sautéed string beans or house special pan-fried noodles (a.k.a. chow mein) with whole pea pods and black mushrooms. Skip the appetizers and their bottled sauces, you don't want to spoil your appetite for the huge main-dish portions. And ask the server to notch up the fire; Bamboo's Szechuan is mild. (JTW) 103 NW 21st Ave., 241-8122. Lunch and dinner daily. Moderate. Basta's Pasta For a number of years Basta's was one of the better Italian restaurants in town, its pastas fresh and vibrant, its main dishes hearty and unpretentiously satisfying. It still seems like an option if Caffe Mingo is too crowded and you want to stay in the neighborhood. But that's the point: having lost some of its edge, Basta's seems less venturesome and more willing to stand on its laurels. It can't match Mingo or Assagio, for the cooking lacks the personal touches that distinguish those two trattorias. There are still a number of fine things about the place: The focaccia is as delicious as ever; the spinach sauteed in olive oil with lemon is a great simple starter; the penne puttanesca is as fiery as the women for whom the dish is named; and the fettuccine with duck meat is a terrific and unusual dish. Basta's wine list is eminently reasonable and impressively broad in its selection of Italian bottles. And one must applaud the restaurant for bringing sweetbreads to the antipasti selection. As for decor, the old Tastee Freeze quarters is as lively as ever, while on summer evenings the grape arbor-enclosed patio is a pleasant place to be. But a number of dishes at Basta's seem a bit tired. The spirit is still there, and the menu is appealing in its earthy, peasant way; what's needed is more quality control and attention to detail--in short, more sizzle. It still ranks high, but it needs to pay attention. (RJP) 410 NW 21st Ave., 274-1572. Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Friday. Moderate. Bella Coola If you had suggested a couple of years ago that stodgy old Westmoreland was soon to start looking like Northwest Trendythird Avenue, most people would have laughed in your face. Fernando Divina is laughing now. The chef who opened Fiddleheads, a pioneering restaurant both for its high tone in an unusual spot and for its Native-American culinary theme, has done himself one better by translating indigenous cuisine into the popular tapas genre, and the response has been enthusiastic. "Cool small plates" and "hot little dishes of the Americas" dominate the menu at Bella Coola, with the vast majority of items under $5. A quinoa salad with mint and tomato is essentially a native tabbouleh--simple, cool and refreshing. Roast pumpkin soup with toasted hazelnuts has an intriguing mix of textures and flavors with just the right bite, and wild woodland mushrooms make for a tamale with a twist. The restaurant is located just two doors down from Fiddleheads in the former Westmoreland Pharmacy, a great airy space that would have benefited from a little less aggressive interior design. Bella Coola, incidentally, is the name of a clan and a river in coastal British Columbia; the emphasis, especially here, is on "cool." (JM) 6910 SE Milwaukie Blvd., 233-1547. Dinner daily. Inexpensive-Moderate. Berbati's With a mix of Old Town charm and European eccentricity, Berbati's Pan has remained a satisfying spot for thoughtfully prepared Greek cuisine. The Mediterranean feast begins with bread slabs as thick as steak and served with a potent olive oil and garlic dip. Show some restraint and quickly move on to sample the sumptuous starters. The signature fried calamari, garlic-infused hummus and mouth-watering keftethes (crusted lamb meatballs accompanied by creamy tzatziki, explosively flavorful olives and salty feta) form a staunch barrier to the entrées that await. But there's another obstacle in the form of salads--heaping, colorful bowls of greens decorated with plump tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, olives and more feta. If you're still not sated, delve into a main course; meat dishes are hit and miss, so stick with lamb, the Greek staple, or go vegetarian--the spanakopita satisfies with a flaky crust and a burst of lemony spinach. The adjoining pool hall and night club are clearly delineated from the restaurant, but they've inspired Berbati's to serve a scaled-down, late-night menu that offers yet another incentive to visit this Portland restaurant landmark. (RM) 19 SW 2nd Ave., 226-2122. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Moderate. *Bernie's Southern Bistro* The name is incongruous and the location unlikely, but the place sure feels right. Bernie's Southern Bistro is the latest chapter in the Northeast Alberta Street renaissance, and it's a welcome new neighbor. The cuisine is highfalutin' Southern: fried chicken, catfish, gumbo and the like, made with finesse from the best ingredients. You won't think the same way about catfish once you've had the blackened version here: Served with a bourbon-butter sauce, caramelized onions and lightly sautéed tomatoes, it's a good example of how a lowly ingredient can be elevated by the right approach. Pork loin medallions cooked to the point of dryness represent a rare lapse from this kitchen, but the accompanying mashed root vegetables are excellent. Appetizers include a spicy preparation of prawns in brandy, delicious wilted field greens with roasted beets and fried green tomatoes, of course, with a smoked tomato coulis. The dining room is comfortable and low-key, the lighting is dim and old jazz plays softly in the background. Bernie's is altogether an excellent addition to the local restaurant roster. (JM) 2904 NE Alberta St., 282-9864. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday, brunch Sunday. Moderate. Bijou Cafe For years proprietor Kathleen Hagberg has talked with chef Leather Storrs about reinstating dinner at this local favorite for breakfast and lunch. At summer's end they finally did it, with the result that evenings, Tuesday through Saturday, this familiar spot now offers downtown's most appealing and sophisticated bistro fare. A completely different crew, headed by co-chefs Storrs and Christian Hattemer and aided by night manager Courtney Lindner, is in charge. The large, airy room remains informal and inviting. Most important, the Bijou's evening offerings are consistent with the cafe's longstanding preference for fresh, locally grown, organic ingredients, but the chefs use them to depart aggressively into a more elevated realm of preparation. Start with the vegetable soup with basil purée or the gnocchi with chanterelles and shallots. Among the entrées, most intriguing is a whole roasted sweet onion, filled with mushroom orzo and set atop a tasty ragout of corn, green beans and crispy potatoes. There are always two seafood dishes, one beef (recently a flavorful New York strip steak), and one chicken--all handsomely and effectively prepared. Desserts at the Bijou sing, too. Our favorite is the nectarines layered with phyllo squares and touched up with star-anise caramel. Coffee, wine list and service are all up to snuff. (RHM) 132 SW 3rd Ave., 222-3187. Dinner Tuesday through Saturday, breakfast and lunch daily. No credit cards. Moderate. Bima Bima gets its name from the beloved pet canine of one of the restaurant's owners, but this is no dog of a place. With its Soho sensibility, the warehouse-turned-eatery has become synonymous with the Pearl District. But Bima is not only a great place to meet, greet and people-watch; it also has some stellar menu items, such as grilled Alaskan halibut with papaya mango salsa and baby greens tossed in vanilla rum vinaigrette; Asian seared beef tenderloin with grilled Japanese eggplant and wasabi; and slow-smoked ribs with out-of-this-world baked beans. Bima is big on skewers--the wood-grilled chicken skewer served with a delectable peanut sauce is so good it would go well with just about anything. Bima also serves great salads made with fresh, flavorful greens; the spinach salad with bourbon brown-sugar dressing and crumbled bleu cheese is one of the best you'll ever taste. (FF) 1338 NW Hoyt St., 241-3465. Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday. Moderate-Expensive. Blue Tango Some restaurants have a wine list; this wine list has a restaurant. Learning the lessons hard won by Vignale, the ill-fated wine bar previously occupying the space, Blue Tango offered a full menu from the very start, from crostini, pâtés and tarts to salads, grilled fish and an array of desserts. But with more than 20 wines available by the 2-ounce taste or 4-ounce glass--served from the largest cruvinet tap system in town--wine is really the focus here. There's a great selection of mostly New World wines along the wall for retail purchase, but if you'd like one with your meal, a moderate $7 corkage fee is added, bypassing traditional restaurant markups. Service is friendly, approachable and--critical for a wine bar--never intimidating, and the environment is decidedly less stuffy than that of its predecessor. Nevertheless, the owners wisely retained the fireplace ringed by comfy chairs, ensuring that Blue Tango will be a great place to start or end an evening as the weather cools. (MG) 930 NW 23rd Ave., 221-1466. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday, lunch Saturday and Sunday. Moderate. Bombay Cricket Club Bombay Cricket Club is not just another excellent Indian restaurant. Undoubtedly due to the Muslim culture of Pakistan, where the chef and the owner were both raised, there's an exotic, aromatic Middle Eastern element to the dishes you won't find in most local Indian fare. The results are a sensual treat. Start with a less intrinsically Indian appetizer like chaat, garbanzo beans by way of tabbouleh with parsley, tomatoes, onions and lemon. For dinner, a standout item is the chicken makhani, cooked in the tandoor oven to tenderness on the inside and grill-like crispiness on the outside and served in an incredibly flavorful but understated sauce of peppers, ginger, garlic and cream. The kitchen's impeccable sense of balance even extends to side dishes like the basmati rice, subtly perfumed with saffron, cardamom and cloves. Cocktails (including a mango margarita), Indian beer, a token wine list and videotapes of cricket matches round out the experience. (MG) 1925 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-0740. Dinner daily. Moderate. Brasserie Montmartre A Portland institution, the Brasserie has sometimes been known less for its food than for late-night jazz and table-drawing competitions. (The resulting art, often of high quality, is displayed prominently around the club.) This has not always been unjustified, but the restaurant is capable of turning out some quite credible dishes, and while the designation "brasserie" is not really apt (brasseries historically have an Alsatian influence, with beer, fresh seafood, choucroute and other German-inspired specialties, the restaurant has a number of French dishes that qualify for a visit. The ersatz Stork Club decor (black and white tiles set the tone), jazzy bar, classical columns and elegant table settings signal a soigné ambiance. Among the enticing appetizers are fried brie, the ménage à trois (duck, veal and mushroom pâtés), a convincing onion soup and a bracing seafood bisque. For best results stay close to the French dishes, especially the roast duck or the grilled venison in a sun-dried cherry vinaigrette showered with cubed beets. (RJP) 626 SW Park St., 224-5552. Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Saturday, brunch Saturday and Sunday. Moderate-Expensive. *Bread and Ink Cafe* Considering its simple, almost austere decor and somber, padded green chairs, there's something a little institutional and frumpy about Bread and Ink at first. But its high-ceilinged room grows on you, especially in the daytime, with its large windows and north light. As you settle into a meal, the ambience of an everyday French dining room blooms, accentuating but not dominating your conversation and the food in front of you like an unobtrusive seasoning--a very French idea. The kitchen can be uneven, but many offerings are quite inspired, like the nicely balanced arugula salad, with grilled figs, warm goat cheese and fennel-seed flat bread, or the paglia e fieno ("straw and grass"), a deft mix of egg and spinach pasta, sausage, zucchini, crimini mushrooms and cream. Especially recommended is the unique Yiddish brunch option on Sundays. For $12.50, expect generous portions of smoked trout, tangy herring salad, unsurpassed Bread and Ink bread and bialies and a second course of your choice. If you can keep reminding yourself that it's just a kind of smoky pâté, try the chopped liver. It will be your only opportunity to turn to your companion and ask, "What am I, this?" (MG) 3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-4756. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, brunch and dinner Sunday. Moderate. Bugatti's This little Italian cafe offers a nice change from the big chain restaurants that populate the suburbs. Simple appetizers such as fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and basil or the Tuscan garlic toast called bruschetta lead into a pasta-dense menu. The standards--puttanesca, carbonara and Bolognese--are all here doing yeoman duty, but take a chance with something different. A very flavorful agnello combines tender braised lamb with rosemary and prosciutto in a light tomato cream sauce over rigatoni. Secondi include bistecca alla Toscana, a rib-eye cut prepared with a nod to the simple grilled T-bones served in central Italy, and butterflied tiger prawns in a brandy-spiked sauce. The cannoli come with a crispy hazelnut shell instead of the typical deep-fried pastry. (JD) 18740 Willamette Drive, West Linn, 636-9555. Dinner daily. Moderate.

*Cafe Azul* Since moving from McMinnville, Claire and Shawna Archibald have have been going full bore in their Pearl District quarters, the faithful flocking night after night to this emporium of authentic Mexican fare. If you've not yet eaten here, you'll be astonished at the range of possibilities in this underrated cuisine. Incorporating many ingredients garnered from shopping expeditions to Oaxaca, where the sisters used to live, and occasionally diverting from traditional dishes with innovations that nevertheless take Mexican tastes into consideration, Claire's cooking seldom disappoints. The concern for flavor and texture emerges in sauces that simmer for hours, completely intregrating as many as 28 ingredients. Tacos are unlike any you've tasted, the best featuring handmade corn tortillas wrapped around pork roasted in banana leaves with Seville orange and achiote. A standout is the tlycoyos, two masa dough snacks filled with crispy pork and doused with a green chili sauce and crumbled white cheese. The moles are stunning--amalgams of nuts, seeds, dried chilies, tomatillos, bread, fruit and sometimes chocolate. Don't pass on the pork loin casserole featuring pasilla chilies. Even desserts star at Azul. Try the red banana ice cream, prune tequila ice cream or lemon flan with espresso. (RJP) 112 NW 9th Ave., 525-4422. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Moderate-Expensive. Cafe des Amis Chef Dennis Baker's sedate little bistro has long been a giant among Portland restaurants. Where others frenetically update and innovate, Cafe des Amis quietly offers a bill of fare that remains reliably recognizable through the years. The resilience of the menu has allowed a number of items to become legends: the earthy smoked-mushroom ravioli, Dungeness crab cakes with an arresting chipotle aioli, and a filet of beef with a port garlic sauce that's flat-out the best piece of meat in town. In fact, that's the only frustration here; so good are certain dishes that you can't help but order them, even though it means missing out on sampling the rest. Should you make a foray into the unknown, you won't be disappointed. The tender duck with blackberry sauce is outstanding, as is the classic pan-roasted chicken with forty cloves of garlic. Desserts are likewise excellent; the crème brûlée has no peers. The typically quiet atmosphere is a sign of the calm that Cafe des Amis inspires. It's a place to linger in, and to keep coming back to year after year. (JM) 1987 NW Kearney St., 295-6487. Dinner Monday-Saturday. Expensive. Cafe Sol Cafe Sol makes an earnest attempt to serve good Spanish food. The tapas are less interesting then those at Tapeo, and the main dishes don't hold up to those at Fernando's Hideaway. Still, the restaurant sometimes pulls it off. Especially delicious are the meaty stews, several influenced by the Moorish traditions of southern Spain. Tenderloin of beef stewed with pears is stunningly good, much like a Moroccan tagine, and pork tenderloin in pomegranate sauce is another Tangiers-inflected dish. But in the paellas, always a true test of Iberian cooking, the rice is mushy, the broth is less than pungent, and flavors never meld perfectly. The tapas are a mixed collection: Scallops with Serrano ham are golden and pungent, and ham-filled mushroom caps ooze with salty juices. But a salad of cold squid, garlic and capers never rises above the fairly mundane. One nice touch is a fiery aioli-like paste of tomatoes, garlic and olive oil that comes with the bread. It's a fine excitement that keeps hunger at bay while you await the tapas, and you'll need it because service can be pokey. On weekends a flamenco group enhances the scene, and Sunday afternoon tangos may put you even deeper in the mood. (RJP) 1135 SW Washington St., 243-2181. Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Saturday. Moderate. Caffe Mingo Simplicity rules at Caffe Mingo. There are Italian restaurants in town with longer menus, bigger kitchens, more capital and loftier aspirations but none more honest and reliably satisfying. Chef Glenn Miller turns out excellent pastas, masterful risotto and beauteous roasted chicken and fish; the one-page menu rarely changes, but it's never routine. Specials are definitely worth trying--a delicious, improbably moist roast pork was a recent one--but you could be quite happy with the most basic alternative, a mixed green salad and roast chicken. Even just bruschette with wine from the well-chosen, Italian-dominated list make a superb meal. Mingo isn't really about food in the way that so many restaurants are; it's not meant to inspire plate-gazing or awed admiration of culinary genius. Rather, it's an emphatically Italian approach in which good food is just part of good living, and the conviviality that prevails at this modest, bustling eatery night after night affirms that in spades. (JM) 807 NW 21st Ave., 226-4646. Dinner Monday-Saturday. Moderate. Caprial's Bistro With her own weekly cooking show on OPB (7 pm Saturdays) and a new cookbook in the stores, Caprial Pence has made herself into a cottage industry capped, in many ways, by her Westmoreland bistro. For fans, it's a chance to taste what they've seen and read. Even though she rarely cooks here, she develops the menu with chef Mark Dowers each month. It's worth a visit for Caprial neophytes, too. Imaginative dishes show a sure hand in the kitchen, arriving perfectly cooked and simply presented without the architectural nonsense cluttering other $20 meals around town. Wine lovers will appreciate the bistro's pioneering dual identity as restaurant and wine shop. Bottles can be picked off the wall at retail prices and enjoyed with dinner for only $3 more. As we go to press, Caprial's is in the middle of expanding its tiny storefront bistro into the space next door, and from the looks of things, it promises an improved layout and mood. (MG) 7015 SE Milwaukie Ave., 236-6457. Dinner Wednesday-Saturday, Lunch Tuesday-Saturday. Expensive. Casablanca Dress for lolling exotically when you dine at Casablanca. A perfume of cardamom bread, rose water and North-African spice wafts out when you open the nailhead-studded front door. The dining room in back is like the inside of the bottle in I Dream of Jeannie; tuffets and low divans covered in gold-shot fabric glitter under a gauze-tented ceiling. Casablanca's Moroccan menu reaches to the Mediterranean for olives, seafood and lemons, and then to the African souks for saffron, cinnamon, apricots and lamb. Groups can order the prix fixe Royal Feast, served family style with traditional Moroccan lentil soup, an array of salads, and main dishes from the regular and specials menu (which will include the outrageously succulent house lamb sausages if you're lucky). The feast ends with dense mint tea and a diamond of flaky, sticky baklava. The à la carte menu includes shish kabobs, savory tangines and a sweet stew of lamb, prunes and apricots simmered with honey and cinnamon. Another traditional offering is the pastilla, a feathery phyllo tort that comes with shrimp, scallops, mushrooms and scallions. Windowless and intimate without being stuffy, Casablanca provides a great escape. (JTW) 2221 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-4400. Dinner daily. Moderate. Caswell The hysterical restaurant scene doesn't seem to have noticed Caswell yet, and that's fine by me. Located on Southeast Grand Avenue, it's the kind of laid-back gem you discover and pray no one else will. In fact, I ought to be telling you that Caswell sucks. Take an appetizer like the bruschetta, for instance, delicious, crunchy and woefully anointed with your choice of chicken pâté, goat cheese or roasted garlic toppings. You'd hate it. Then, whatever you do, don't move on to a thin-to-crispy-crust pizza, even though it will also, unhappily, be excellent, especially if it's the cajun pizza, with Black Forest ham and a surprisingly subtle blend of peppers. The pastas will be likewise, including the rich and hearty tarragon chicken--perfect for a fall night--or the Italian sausage, zucchini and green-pepper pasta, which at least sounds substandard in its wonderful "creamy tomato gravy." The classy but thoroughly unpretentious atmosphere, the casual but smart service and the best bar on the east side are certainly cause for lament, but it will be the astonishingly reasonable tab which sends you over the edge in a froth of rage. Don't say I didn't warn you. (MG) 533 SE Grand Ave., 232-6512. Lunch and dinner daily. Inexpensive-Moderate. Celadon The cuisines of Japan and Korea, politically uneasy bedfellows, coexist with considerable harmony in this charming place. A handful of stools at the bar, lamps that mimic hovering butterflies and a scattering of shogi screens constitute the decor. The sushi is spanking fresh; among the appetizers, rings of squid grilled in teriyaki sauce rate highly. Most main dishes arrive with a collection of small Korean snacks, including miniature pancakes of mung beans, kim chee and a sauteed beef patty with scallions in egg batter. Don't miss grilled duck glazed with honey sauce; it's one of the best versions in town. Beef dishes are usually splendid, especially a slab of prime rib grilled with a sweet wine and soy sauce. For those seeking less weighty fare, a tofu and vegetable stew ought to hit the mark. The menu offers a number of hearty dishes; this is not a restaurant that prizes exquisiteness or features the minimalism of Zen culinary aesthetics. No trompe l'oeil birds or fetishized carved pears here, only good, simple preparations of both countries' classic dishes. (RJP) 1203 NW 23 Ave., 464-9222. Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Friday. Moderate. Chameleon Restaurant & Bar Housed in a former fast-food fish-and-chips emporium, this neighborhood restaurant offers an eclectic menu that transcends its architectural heritage. The menu, like the shade-shifting lizard namesake, morphs back and forth between culinary colors. What we've come to call Northwest cuisine--regional, seasonal products in creative but mostly continental preparations--shares the bill with dishes usually found in Southeast Asian restaurants. This isn't fusion but authentic ethnic food. The salad rolls, satay, spring rolls and coconut milk-curry-chicken-lemongrass soup (called tum yum) come from Chef Pat Jeung's Thai background. Fragrant with fresh rosemary and thyme, a rack of lamb drizzled with a merlot sauce represents the domestic side. (JD) 2000 NE 40th Ave., 460-2682. Dinner Monday-Saturday. Moderate. *Chez Grill* Chez Grill is a great place that's hard to pin down. It's a full-service restaurant that does double duty as a popular bar (this is technically a separate entity, Chez Lounge, but one flows seamlessly into the other). It's got some of the casual, laid-back feeling of its cousins, Chez Jose East and West, but it's also stylish à la Northwest 23rd Avenue. And the cuisine is a hybrid, part Mexican and part Santa Fe with a little bit of California thrown in for good measure. You can sate a big appetite here with dinner--Sante Fe chicken off the grill, perhaps, or a succulent New Zealand lamb shank braised with tomatoes and chipotles--or you can snack late into the night. The fish tacos are fresh and light, the southwestern Caesar zippy and satisfying, and the supply of soft warm tortillas endless. Even if you're not hungry, come in for the house margarita, one of the best in town. (JM) 2229 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-4002. Lunch and dinner daily. Moderate Clay's Smokehouse Grill Housed in a former pizza joint on busy Southeast Division Street, Clay's fills a niche in Portland's culinary landscape with grilled fare for gourmets and gourmands alike. The menu is anchored by sandwiches, but not the kind you'd encounter at a deli. The barbecued salmon is nestled into a soft bun and topped with savory dill havarti, onions and a spicy red tartar sauce. Thinly sliced apple and a zesty garlic mayo mingle with barely melted bleu cheese atop a honey cured pork loin. Accompanying these sandwiches are grilled home fries and onions like you'd find in a Southern roadhouse, though these potatoes are bathed in a white garlic sauce; a slaw sprinkled with vinegar vies for room on the crowded plate. For those with an even more ravenous appetite, Clay's keeps the barbecue rack crowded with chicken, spare ribs and brisket, and it usually offers a blackened fish of the day (including salmon, which arrives with a smokiness that's a welcome alternative to the ubiquitous broiled version around town). If there's a flaw, it's an occasional blandness that's puzzling given the cook's use of hickory and mesquite. But Clay's is a mostly reliable Pacific Northwest newcomer with a delectable Texas touch. (RM) 2932 SE Division St., 235-4755. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday, brunch Sunday. Moderate. Club El Baile The erstwhile location of the low-key Italian restaurant Angelo and Rose's now looks like a bit of south Florida plunked down beside Southwest Barbur Boulevard, with potted tropical plants and vinyl-upholstered chairs in colors that would make Mondrian blush. The Cuban contingent among the clientele hints at what's most authentic about Club El Baile (Dance Club): really good food made by two chefs from Cuba. The menu covers the bases like Luis Tiant; roast pork is a mainstay, and there's also a moist and spicy chicken fricassee, meat stews and calamari in ink. Sides include fried plantains, banana chips and yucca root. On weekend nights a DJ spins salsa music and the floor fills up with dancers, some of them amazingly good. Crank up the heat and park half a dozen humidifiers around the room, and you'd feel as if you weren't in Portland anymore. (JM) 11051 SW Barbur Blvd., 246-0023. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Inexpensive-Moderate. Colosso Tapas are currently all the rage in Portland, and there are many bogus renditions of these traditional Spanish small plates. For the real thing, try Colosso. This casual, inexpensive restaurant serves an array of exotic and wonderful dishes such as spicy prawns with Mediterranean rice pilaf; tangy carrot cumin salad; mussels stuffed with rice and red peppers; and a spectacular tapenade of lentils, spinach and caramelized onions. The menu is divided mostly between seafood and vegetarian items, with a nod to red meat in the form of an excellent top sirloin with peppers in cider. Colosso's owners have transformed the space (formerly Kitchen Venus) by painting the walls bright gold and the trim blood red. It's not so much shocking as stimulating, but even if gold isn't your color, not to worry. Once the food comes you'll focus on nothing else. (CM) 1932 NE Broadway, 288-3333. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Saturday and Sunday. Inexpensive. *Compass Cafe* One of the nicest neighborhood restaurants in town, Compass Cafe combines a group of dishes that are unbudgeable fixtures (its signature meat loaf, for example) with a monthly set of recipes from a new region of the world. Chef Mike Siegel is an explorer of gastronomy whose culinary curiosity knows no bounds; you can never guess what will show up in the succeeding round (Africa and southern Italy have just had their turns). The garden setting is among the most serene in Portland, so make a beeline in warm weather. Several appetizers are hits: a paper-thin carpaccio of tuna, a duck salad on crisp Asian noodles, and a bundle of smoky salmon-filled wontons. The restaurant has an especially nice way with fish. Sometimes the dishes are tasty but seem rather unseasonable, such as a sweet potato pancake jammed with fruit, nuts and melted brie served at the peak of summertime. Portions tend to immensity, largely because numerous ingredients vie for attention on the plate, with near baroque extravagance. Hence swordfish comes with sauteed greens, black-bean hash and sweet potatoes. But you have to hand it to Compass--it's a restaurant with absolutely no culinary inhibitions, an entirely likable, unpretentious spot, even if it's occasionally over-the-top. (RJP) 4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 231-4840. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday, brunch Saturday and Sunday. Moderate-Expensive. Couvron This diminutive place--two small rooms in a low building you might pass on a regular basis without noticing--is phenomenal. Even the menu makes for a pleasant night's reading; consider, for example, "Cervena venison loin wrapped in apple wood smoked bacon served with a 'risotto' of barley, crispy duck confit, organic carrot brunoises and a stew of Cipolline onions and a port wine sauce." The careful enumeration of ingredients is just one way that Chef Anthony Demes takes great pains to bring food to your attention. Another is the wild architecture of the dishes, a style of presentation that elsewhere tends to smack of adherence to an obnoxious trend but here is just another sign of rampant creativity. First and foremost, however, Couvron appeals to the palate. Demes does an especially beautiful and careful job with deeply flavored items such as duck and lamb; the aforementioned venison is insanely delicious. Appetizers and desserts are equally exquisite. Dinner here amply repays the attention you give it; you'd do well to make a long evening of it. It comes at a price, of course, but there's no better anesthetic for a radical cash-ectomy on your wallet. (JM) 1126 SW 18th Ave., 244-9296. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Very expensive. Czaba's Unless you're a barbecue aficionado or you live in the vicinity of the University of Portland, you may not have had the pleasure of dining at Czaba's. This St. John's-area barbecue joint is decorated in early American funky and unabashedly pumps out the rocking, soulful sounds of Tina Turner and the like. The ribs, pork or beef, are divine, as are the chicken thighs and the barbecued turkey sandwich (the best thing to happen to turkey since cranberry sauce). There's also fine-tasting catfish and tangy skewered shrimp. The portions are huge and many come with delicious sides, like the incredible corn succotash, sesame cabbage salad (so way beyond slaw) and black-eyed peas with dirty rice. The days of the week have a special significance at Czaba's: Tuesday is "Buck-A-Bone" day; on Wednesday it's free orders of garlic toast; and on Saturday there's an all-you-can-eat rib special. (FF) 5907 N Lombard St., 240-0615. Dinner Monday-Saturday, lunch Monday-Friday. Inexpensive-Moderate. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published October 14, 1998