Hayes and Octavia. Powell’s is a soul food kitchen, and a damn fine one. It’s almost the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, juicy with a crispy skin that is to die for. The corn muffins, albeit a little small, provide the perfect complement. There’s never been a wait in the several times I’ve gone here, and the staff is pretty friendly and prompt. There’s usually gospel playing from the jukebox in the front of the restaurant for added atmosphere. If you’re really hungry and want to spend the extra cash, the dinner plates should fill you up. But for under four dollars you can get two fresh pieces of chicken and a corn muffin that would make the Colonel run back to his kitchen crying. How can you go wrong?

On University between Milvia and MLK. I went here with my friend Dave Nguyen, and we both agreed this was about the worst pho we’ve had out here. The broth was somewhat flavorless, there weren’t many noodles, and the bo vien (meatballs) were dry. It was a very unconvincing imitation of good pho. The spring rolls were a bit better, but all in all, this place isn’t worth trying in the first place.

On Shattuck and Addison, closer to Oxford. This is a Downtown Vietnamese restaurant, and pretty standard, by all accounts. I find their goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) to be the tastiest I’ve had in Berkeley. I’ve never gotten the pho here, but the bun (vermicelli) dishes are pretty decent sized, and the vegetable/rice dishes are good too. They have a good vegetarian selection, which is a plus. It’s more bang for your buck than Le Regal, but the options are more limited.

At 8th and Clement. Another small dim-sum place, but one I was told is “more authentic.” The food here was pretty good, and pretty cheap, if you stay away from the high-price items like the jellyfish (which was spicy and good, but there was too much of it for us to finish). The shumai were some of the best I’ve had, as were the turnip cakes, a little crunchy on one side.

Since it’s a smaller place, there aren’t people with platters or carts wandering around — you order off a menu like you would a la carte sushi. The only downside of this setup is that the service is a little slower, and we got things one at a time at first. The full-on barrage of bite-sized options didn’t manifest itself until we had demolished some of the earlier courses. If you like to mix things up, you have to have to be patient, which isn’t easy if you skipped breakfast.

There are tons of dim sum places like this in the Richmond, of course, and chances are most of them are better than the similar places closer downtown. If you’re up for the commute out there, you won’t be disappointed.

On 4th between Market and Mission. Within view of the Metreon, Annabelle’s is a pretty standard bar and grill kind of place, with some tasty fresh seafood. Since we didn’t want to miss our movie, we ended up getting just a main course, although my fellow diners told the appetizers were a mixed bag. I ended up with grilled salmon on a mushroom risotto, which was sort of lacking in mushrooms. The fish was delish, though, and I was pretty happy with my meal overall. If you’re a steak fan, they can certainly accomodate that too.

The only downside to Annabelle’s is the price. Good luck finding a place that will serve up this kind of chow for less, but my tastebuds were not particularly wowed here. It would be a good place to take midwestern relatives with somewhat conservative (American) eating habits, while leaving yourself flexible for trying something a little more Californian. On their dime, of course.

On Telegraph between Channing and Haste. Intermezzo wins my vote for best place to eat on Southside. They serve up huge salad bowls, tasty soups, and gigantic sandwiches on their delicious honey-wheat bread, and all at around 4 to 6 bucks. The vegetarian sandwich is avocado and cream cheese with the works, and I heartily recommend it if you don’t mind making a little mess. For a lighter but still substantial lunch or dinner, try one of the salad bowls — I usually stick with the tossed greens, but they have one with every conceivable bean for your protein needs.

There’s usually a line out the door at this place, and for good reason. It’s a bit crowded inside, but the turnover’s pretty fast. I’ve never had to wait for a table. And if you’re feeling fat and lazy afterwards, you can waddle across the street to Cody’s Books or Amoeba Music and browse around.

On Telegraph between Channing and Haste. Slurp is a brand-new noodle shop on Southside, serving up various noodle dishes at slightly elevated costs. I had their lime-coconut noodles with bean sprouts and chicken, mainly because it was cold, and Berkeley was sweltering. It was a passable noodle bowl, but it was almost drowning in a somewhat disappointing sauce. I cannot speak for the other dishes, but it seems to be another one of those low-bang-for-your-buck places that Berkeley specializes in.

On Hayes at Laguna. Ahh, Frjtz, bastion of creperies in San Francisco. Frjtz calls itself a Belgian crepe and fries place, but having never been to Belgium, I cannot speak for its authenticity. However, it is a fine place to go for a pre-Symphony or Opera snack, or if you happen to find yourself in Hayes Valley for lunch. The Crepes are neat squares of chewy bread and tasty fillings, and they have a wide variety on the menu, all named after famous painters. I’ve only had the savories — I recommend the Duchamp, Brancusi, Dali, and Caravaggio, although the salmon ones are supposed to be good as well.

A trip to Frjtz is not complete without having som frjtz, delicious fries that come with your selection of dipping sauces — one with a small, and two with a large (groot). I recommend the caper-onion ketchup and the honey mustard, although there are more adventurous choices as well. I found the wasabi mayo kind of disappointing, and the spicy peanut was more like peanut butter. For a truly authentic experience, top it all off with a nice Chimay, although that’ll cost you extra.

On Euclid, half a block north of Hearst. La Val’s is your typical bad pizza/pasta joint catering to the college crowd. For $2.50 you can get a huge slice of pizza and a soda, and it will be fast. For $5 you can get an individual pizza which will be pretty filling, and they have good veggie options. For $5 you can also get a sandwich or pasta. But really, there’s no need to eat here unless you need it fast and near Northside.

I went to this place again to sample different dishes this time. Rather than going for the noodle options, we went with some of the rice dishes. For an appetizer we had the dragon dumplings, which were somewhat disappointing veggie pot-stickers. I felt that the dumpling wrapper was a little too thick and chewy for the drab interior. The citrus short-ribs were sweet and tender, and came with a side of sticky rice — delicious! The mango chicken was very dry, which was strange, but the glaze helped make up for it.

The strong point of Nirvana is certainly in the sweeter dishes — meats glazed with fruit. If you want something spicier or less cloying, I would recommend going somewhere else, but if you have a sweet tooth but don’t want to pig out on ice cream for your meal, Nirvana is a good bet.