"Breakfast, lunch and dinner" is far too prosaic a phrase to capture the range of possibilities offered throughout the course of the culinary day. Sunday brunch. The midnight snack. The midafternoon Snickers bar. The continental breakfast. Teatime. The cocktail hour. The post-theater snack. The six-course prix-fixe matching-wines extravaganza, f'Chrissakes.

Of all these gustatory possibilities, perhaps the most essential is the weekday lunch. It's the highlight of the work cycle, the focal point by which we measure the progression of our daily toil. It delivers protein and vitamins to bodies decimated by tasks burdensome and menial. It can range from a two-hour three-martini celebration to a quick nosh at a shopping mall snack bar. It is the best means yet devised for extracting ourselves from the workaday world and reconnecting with the things (food and drink) that really matter.

Like any writer beneath the fiduciary level of Stephen King, I hold down several extracurricular freelance gigs to keep the wolf at bay. The most lucrative is situated in that no-man's land beneath the Richardson Bay Bridge near the old heliport and the pumpkin patch. The immediate opportunities for midday sustenance are severely limited, but over the course of the past four years my colleagues and I have had the opportunity to sample most of the local lunching options. Some are special-occasion places, some are reliable favorites, some are courts of last resort. Viz:

The Buckeye (15 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley, 415/331-2600). This is the two-hour three-martini celebratory joint mentioned above. Especially festive during the holidays with antlers bedecked and hearth blazing. Between martinis enjoy the oysters Bingo, something from the smokehouse and the coconut cream pie.

The Bayside Cafe (1 Gate Six Rd., Sausalito, 415/331-2313). A friendly, unassuming old-fashioned diner and an exceptionally reliable day-to-day hangout. Delectable omelets in several dozen varieties, a bountiful Cobb salad, a juicy and humungous steak sandwich and wonderful spaghetti with meatballs are among the menu's highlights. The sunny back room is a nice place for a quiet meal.

Avatar's (2656 Bridgeway, Sausalito, 415/332-8083). This temple to Indian-Mexican-Italian cookery sounds like the punch line to a joke about California cuisine, but the results are dreamy: porcini-stuffed ravioli with rose-petal sauce; luscious tostadas with wild salmon and chutney; Cajun prawns with mint-ginger preserves; curry-edged enchiladas stuffed with smoked eggplant. Maitre d' Ashok Kumar makes you feel right at home.

Fish (350 Harbor Dr., Sausalito, 415/331-3474). Sure, the prices are on the astronomical side, especially for a counter-service hangout with picnic tables and paper napkins, but when the sun's shining and the bay is a-sparkling and a platter of perfectly grilled tilapia appears before you, it all seems worthwhile. Pretty damned good French fries, too.

Fred's Coffee Shop (1917 Bridgeway, 415/332-4575). Exponentially fluffy scrambled eggs, deep-fried French toast and a fruit bowl from Eden itself are all well and good, but Fred's greatest asset is its homey, friendly neighborhood vibe. Sit at a communal table, shoot the breeze and did I mention the French toast?

Le Garage (85 Libertyship Way, Sausalito, 415/332-5625). Tucked among the lofts and warehouses of Sausalito's old shipyard is an oasis of French cookery fragrant with mussels l'Espigoule, seared foie gras and quiche Lorraine. Everything's delicious, including the burger with fries. The house croque monsieur is one of the county's better grilled cheese sandwiches. Caffe Oggi (745 E. Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley, 415/383-4355). Assemble a memorable feast from Oggi's tempting display case and savor your lunch beneath the flowering alfresco arbor. I myself am partial to the garlic-ribboned braised chard and the chicken piccata snarked up with lemon and capers, but the inventive pastas and focaccia sandwiches are equally irresistible.

Mama's Royal Cafe (393 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, 415/388-3261). This eye-filling hangout cooks up yummy casual fare inventive enough to compete with the surrounding memorabilia. Terrific savory crepes and English muffin sandwiches. Snag the private booth if possible.

Joe's Taco Lounge (382 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, 415/383-8164). The tacos are pretty good, but you can't beat the platter-sized polenta cake studded with sweet corn and draped in fresh cilantro and black bean salsa. Or the grilled-steak quesadilla with guacamole. With a pitcher of Anchor Steam.

And don't forget The Robata Grill (591 Redwood Highway., Mill Valley) for terrific sushi, the all-you-can-eat buffet at India Palace (707 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley), the smoothies at Bridgeway Bagel (3001 Bridgeway, Sausalito), everything at Sausalito Gourmet Deli (209 Caledonia), the Anchorage (475 Gate 5 Road, Sausalito) for exemplary huevos rancheros, Toast (31 Sunnyside, Mill Valley) for its amazing array of bountiful salads, and the smorgasbord of pan-Asian restaurants in the first block of Sausalito's Caledonia Street. Noon is just around the corner.

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