Earth & Ocean

1112 Fourth Ave (in the W Hotel, downtown), 264-6060. Breakfast Mon-Fri 6:30-10:30 am, Sat-Sun 7:30-10:30 am; lunch daily 11:30 am-2:30 pm; dinner Sun-Thurs 5-10:30 pm, Fri-Sat 5-11:30 pm. $$$

Diners who can fight through the urge to burst into laughter at Earth & Ocean's blatant pretense will be rewarded with delicious and weird-as-hell dishes. "Small plates" (and they're not kidding, with bread plates that could easily be mistaken for ashtrays) definitely rule. Nutmeg-Seared Lamb Loin ($12) is compact and delicious, with a dazzling layout and full of unusual flavor. The Duck Confit ($9), formed into the sporty shape of a hockey puck, is stacked neatly atop a matching little disk of fingerling potato salad. As with other dishes, the confit's highly dense and compact nature tends to obscure its filling character. It's as though Earth & Ocean is trying to conserve space with its tiny food, perhaps making a clever environmentalist comment with their compressed and tight little packages. JIM ANDERSON

My's Restaurant

4220 University Way NE (U-District), 634-3526. Mon-Fri 10 am-8 pm, Sun 11 am-7 pm. $

Popular with UW folk, Vietnamese My's is crowded to capacity with bearded science researchers and students during weekday lunch hours. Noodle soup ($4.25) in beef, chicken, or vegetarian varieties is popular, its clear broth a distinctive, salty, and flavorful tonic on foggy days. You can also get rice-paper-wrapped spring rolls with shrimp ($2.95) or chicken, pork, or tofu sandwiches on French bread ($1.50) for a really filling and cheap lunch. Other inexpensive, well-prepared items include curry chicken ($4.25), warm rice noodles tucked beneath hot pork skewers ($4.75), shrimp ($5.25), or saucy tofu cubes ($4.25). Sometimes lunch gets so crowded here that a doleful customer or two is directed to sit at a little desk behind the front counter, alongside the owner's piles of bills and vials of prescription medicine! Such is life at this charming, family-run business. STACEY LEVINE

Old Village Korean Restaurant

15200 Aurora Ave N (Shoreline), 365-6679. Open daily 11 am-10 pm. $

With rough wooden tables and warm smiles from the proprietors, this room is like an old-fashioned roadside inn beside the maniacally plundering Aurora traffic. Fresh, traditional Korean food is served with a stellar assortment of pickles and appetizers brought to the table in quantity to all customers. Ours included kimchee, seaweed salad, pickled and sauced radish, and Korean-style potato salad, replete with needle-thin carrot slivers. Rice, served in a tiny, covered silver bowl, was stickily perfect, each grain as glossy as a tiny jewel. The large menu features Bibimbap ($6.95), a lovely combo with marinated slivered carrots, sprouts, meat, and an egg, and delicious Chap Chae ($12.95), yam noodles with stir-fry stuff. Plump, tasty dumplings are also available, with or without soup. Some dishes are bathed in a thick, intense red-pepper sauce that may not please some Americans, so ask first! Old Village is truly among the best in local Korean venues. STACEY LEVINE

Than Brothers'

516 Broadway (Capitol Hill), 568-7218. Open daily, 11 am-7 pm. $

About two years ago, a close friend dragged me-complaining and sneering-to a smoky, dingy little cafeteria in the International District for my first bowl of Vietnamese Pho. I have returned to that same smoky cafeteria at least 60 times since then. That steaming bowl of spicy broth, rice noodles, chicken or beef garnished with a sprig of fresh basil, mung beans, and hoisin and chili pepper sauce is downright addictive. There were maybe two restaurants that served pho on Capitol Hill, but neither of them seemed up to muster compared to that skanky I.D. hole-in-the-wall. Until now. Far cleaner, much more comfortable, and blessedly smoke-free, Than Brothers' Pho Restaurant serves a wicked bowl of broth. Make no mistake, this restaurant is devoted to pho and pho alone: Aside from the confusing and incongruous practice of serving cream puffs (?) before your meal, pho-chicken, beef, or vegetarian in small, medium, or large bowls (prices range from $3.55 to $5)-is all you get. That's usually more than enough, since less than five bucks will buy more pho than most people can comfortably stuff down in one sitting. Best of all, hiking out to the International District and dying slowly of second-hand smoke-just to get that quick fix only a steaming bowl of pho can provide-is no longer required. ADRIAN RYAN

Zaina Food, Drinks, and Friends

108 Cherry St (Downtown), 624-5687. Open Mon-Fri 11 am-9 pm. Open on occasional Saturdays; call ahead to check (closed Sundays). Also a location at 2615 NE 65th St (Ravenna), 525-7747. $

The decor is a jumble: Hookah pipes and Israeli postcards and all manner of Middle-Eastern bric-a-brac line the walls of this lunchtime joint. Everything here is made from scratch: From the satisfyingly smoky and charred-tasting Babaganoush Plate ($4.55) to the succulent Chicken Schwarma ($5.50), Zaina features extremely fresh, Greek-influenced, Middle Eastern cuisine. Flavors are distinct and sharp in the lovely Schwarma ($5.95) as well as the Vegetarian Platter ($8.99), a huge delight featuring smatterings of cold salads, such as couscous with a chopped-greens mixture crowded with sweet red onion, as well as heaps of olive-oil-roasted vegetables and beans. It's topped off with a ladle of soup, which may sound odd, but the soup intensifies the flavor of this happy mélange. The basics here are reliable: Pita bread is moist and dense, and Zaina's hummus is truly garlicky. You'll never want that store-bought pap again. STACEY LEVINE

2nd Avenue Pizza

2015 Second Ave (Downtown), 956-0489. Mon-Thurs noon-3 pm, 5:30-10 pm; Fri noon-3 pm, 5:30 pm-3 am; Sat 5:30 pm-3 am; closed Sun. $

Like a rabid dog needs water, like a newborn needs a hug, pizza toppings-in order to perform their gustatory rodeo antics-require a crust as good as 2nd Ave Pizza's. Their cheese pizza ($1.75 per slice, $12 for an 18" pie) successfully balances design and flavor. No gimmicks here, just solid crafting and proper heating. Ditto for the pepperoni ($2 per slice, $13 per pie), which zigs and zags its way into our hearts. The bountiful salad ($2.50) teems with tang and a zesty spirit: mixed greens, walnuts, blue cheese, kalamata olives, and tomatoes add up to one hell of a salad bargain. JIM ANDERSON

Red Mill Burgers

312 N 67th St (Phinney Ridge), 783-6362. Tues-Sat 11 am-9 pm, Sun noon-8 pm, closed Mon. $

Burger is possibly the world's most popular food stuff. Why then, here at the edge of the heartland, are great hamburgers so hard to find? Red Mill serves a burger with sautéed hot peppers, thick-sliced bacon, and grilled onions, with a choice of regular yaller (cheddar) or pepper jack that is juicy and hot. To Red Mill's credit and fame, they got THE BEST ONION RINGS dang near on the planet. Cornmeal-crusty, spicy fried rings that will make you forget about most folks' French fries. Hot like heck-when that incendiary ring slides outta its crusty skin onto you drool-soaked chin, you'll only holler with greasy-faced glee. RIZ ROLLINS

Cyndy's House of Pancakes

10507 Aurora Ave N (North Seattle), 522-5100. Open daily 6 am-4 pm. $

Paneled in fake woodgrain and upholstered with red vinyl, the dining room at Cyndy's invites you to mellow out while awaiting your $20 psychic-energy reading at the joint across Aurora. It may be best to sit at the bar, bolstered by swivel chairs, and view the high-talent kitchen, where they flip the best pancakes north of the C.D. The Banana Pancakes ($5 for a stack of 6, $4 for 3) float on your tongue like a tropical dream, and the Bacon & Eggs ($5.50) ain't half bad, either. Crepes (more commonly called "Roll-Ups") are a feathery deal for about $4-$6. A whole continent of hash browns comes with egg orders, and you can choose country gravy or turkey gravy on anything. TRACI VOGEL

Market Street Wine & Cheese

5424 Ballard Avenue NW (Ballard), 297-1460. Tues-Sat 10 am-10 pm, Sun noon-5 pm. $

Can't afford that trip to Paris? Spend your cash in Ballard instead, at Market Street Wine & Cheese, where owner Dianna Wyatt has created an elegant yet unpretentious atmosphere with deep sofas, wood floors, and hanging shelves of unusual wines. Wyatt doesn't want wine and cheese to scare people, and fear is the furthest thing on the brain when encountering her selections. Focusing mainly on small, slightly exclusive producers rather than the big guns, you'll find her personal tastes reflected everywhere. Wyatt sells mostly imported raw-milk cheeses, and there is a small but delicious menu for you to enjoy while you sip. Already famous are the unique organic salads, like the Roasted Butternut Squash ($6.50), with caramelized onions, candied walnuts, and blue cheese. The baguettes are plentiful and soft, and the desserts are made with the freshest butter, cream, and chocolate. Ooh-la-la. MEGAN HAAS

Beth's Cafe

7317 Aurora Ave N (Green Lake), 782-5588. Open daily, 24 hours. $

Beth's could easily win any local "Best Greasy Spoon" contest. This place has it all, day and night: mean omelets (six eggs, from $8.50; or 12 eggs, from $11.95); the greasiest, tastiest hash browns; a jukebox full of 45's from the '50s to the '70s; and walls papered with pictures drawn by anyone who requests paper and crayons. Everyone converges at Beth's, where the style is informal, the video games plentiful, and there's only one non-smoking table, thanks to a handy grandfather clause. During the busy graveyard shift, you'll meet truckers en route, students, drunks, hung-overs, elderly couples, and hot-to-trot young people. For those who crave music, smoking, and fine food-all in the same room and in the dead of night-Beth's can be a little slice of heaven. They've also got the cheapest espresso in town. MEGAN HAAS

Sapphire

625 Queen Anne Ave N (Queen Anne), 281-1931. Open daily 5:30 pm-1 am. $$

While the pungent scent of hip pretense can occasionally be detected here, the food is still graceful, honorable, and marked by natural and hearty Mediterranean flavors. The Chef's Platter, billed as "a daily selection of little bites, antipasti, and salads" ($9), is a mammoth trough that seems almost big enough to jump in. Cauliflower florets are lightly steamed, providing a modest counterpoint to the other more heavily flavored "little bites": Crunchy asparagus, toasted pecans, thin slices of Granny Smith apple, purple Finn potatoes, tangy golden beets, marinated ahi, baba ghanoush, and little balls of fresh mozzarella complete this exhaustively thorough appetizer. Fedelini pasta ($10), with shaved delicata squash and mellow cheese, creates a warm and soft cloud upon which to lay our hunger. Smartly spiced, a Moroccan-style lamb stew ("Oregon Lamb," $16) blends creamily with Arborio rice, underscoring Chef Leonard Ruiz Rede's firm grasp of his "Mediterranean plus fresh Northwest" game plan. JIM ANDERSON

Hana Sushi

219 Broadway E (Capitol Hill), 328-1187. Mon-Sat 11 am-10 pm; Sun 4-10 pm. $$

Hana can't be beat for trustworthy, bountiful, and inexpensive Japanese food. Although sashimi, udon noodle dishes, and various teriyaki choices are offered, choosing the bento medleys provides a huge assortment of fresh, nutritious, and colorful dishes. Hana Bento ($12.25) is built around a centerpiece of sushi (chilled and mellow tuna and salmon, plus the perennially irrelevant California roll). The sushi is accompanied by a small and artful piece of salmon teriyaki, along with predictable-yet-pleasing tempura-battered shrimp, pork, and oysters. A dainty pile of cucumbers offers a taste from the wonderful world of plants, which sometimes takes too much of a back seat in this genre. Miso soup and a huge bowl of steamed rice bookend this grand menu selection, typical in its largesse. Despite Hana's fairly hectic pace, the efficient service and elegant touches (like the artistic flower arrangements) make it a nice oasis. JIM ANDERSON

Buongusto

2232 Queen Anne N (Queen Anne), 284-9040. Dinner daily 5-10 pm, lunch Tues-Fri 11:30 am-2:30 pm. $$

Queen Anne's best Italian restaurant feels like a "special occasions" kind of restaurant. You know-after the wake, before the wedding, whatever-there are some events which require that special blend of elegant dining with a relaxed atmosphere. With a candlelit dining room and the affable owner Salvio as your host, Buongusto offers that same serene experience. But the best part is that this is not Rocky's Italian food; this is minty olive oil on tomato bruschetta ($5.25), pumpkin ravioli with raisins and walnuts ($12.95), perfectly spiced beef and grilled vegetable lasagna ($11.95), and a host of other delicate wonders. The food and ambience are so enjoyable, in fact, you'll find yourself eagerly counting the days till the next wake. NATHAN THORNBURGH

Super Bowl Noodle House

814 NE 65th St (Green Lake), 526-1570. Sun-Thurs 11:30 am-9:30 pm; Fri-Sat 11:30 am-10 pm. $

Unlike its football-game namesake, this Super Bowl doesn't promise the moon and then leave you disappointed. A small but bright and clean joint, Super Bowl offers a variety of noodle dishes-mostly soups-that all prove satisfying and surprisingly filling. The Turbo Noodles ($5.95) are the stuff of dreams: wide rice noodles simmering in a red broth with pork, shrimp, fried tofu, won tons, fish balls (insert joke here), and more, with a hint of cilantro. A warning for the heat-shy: If you don't like your food spicy, definitely try it with "one star." If you don't like noodles, try the Shrimp Rice Soup ($5.95) or Seafood Rice Soup ($6.95), the latter featuring fish, shrimp, squid, fried tofu, green onions, cilantro, and slivers of ginger. Good eats, cheerful staff, low prices... is it any wonder most folks at the Bowl are regulars? SCOTT McGEATH

Avenue One

921 First Ave (Belltown), 441-6139. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2 pm, dinner every night 5-10:30 pm, bar until 2 am. $$$

You are alone, and have found yourself a restaurant that's nice-no, elegant-but intimate. Items on the menu are as extraordinary as this time you're spending with yourself: Tuna Tartare Wrapped in Nova-Smoked Salmon with Dill-Mint Vinaigrette ($9) comes as twin towers of seafood, on a dish dotted with discs of thinly sliced radish and lemon zest. Potato and Salt Cod Galette with Roasted Red Peppers ($8)-a thick cake with two stems, reaching out like antennae from a crown in full blush-arrives in a pool of warm cream and chives. The French Onion Soup Gratinée ($6) is thick, slightly sweet, gilded with a rich broth, and anchored by still-bubbling cheese. When it's time to move on, you can choose from Roasted Herb-Crusted Beef Filet on Roasted Shallots and Potatoes ($27)-a hearty slab of beef sliced and splayed like a deck of cards in a velvet olive glaze; or the Roasted Duck Breast and Confit with Green Peppercorn and Cherry Sauce ($25), crispy and juicy atop a plateau of wild rice. And despite your evening's indulgences, you won't want to leave until you've tasted the Fresh Mango Tart or the Chocolat Pot-au-Crème (both $6). RIZ ROLLINS

"Where to Eat" Price Scale (per entrée)

$ = $10 and under; $$ = $10-20; $$$ = $20 and up