The first decade of the 21st century is drawing to an unmourned close, offering only a few random moments and nuggets of experiential wisdom to recommend it. Happily, good food, the great equalizer, has been with us every step of the way, stroking our psyches and filling our bellies and giving us the nutritional strength to go on. Here are some of the culinary trends that have made the past 10 years worth enduring.

• The organic/sustainable/free-range/free-trade movement's expansion into the mainstream. Practically every new local restaurant trumpets its green credentials nowadays, a healthy and humane practice pioneered four decades ago by Alice Waters. A tasty way to save the planet, one morsel at a time.

• The arrival in Marin of Cold Stone Creamery (1010 Court St., San Rafael) and the whole create-your-own-chunky-ice-cream concept. Mathematicians postulate that some 11 million flavor combinations are within the realm of possibility, including, say, cinnamon bun ice cream combined with yogurt-covered pretzels, peppermint patties, graham cracker pie crust and big chunks of Kit Kat candy bars. Who can resist the sheer showbizzery of the marble slab, the chopping and the blending, the mounting excitement as concept becomes reality?

• The reopening in 2003 of the Ferry Building into San Francisco's premier noshing paradise. Many of the Bay Area's finest purveyors of cheese, olive oil, produce, baked goods, meat, seafood and cookware are gathered under one 660-foot skylight along with a wide variety of snacking items. (Make sure to drop by the Slanted Door, Ciao Bella Gelato, Boccalone Salumi, Recchiuti Chocolates, Frog Hollow Farm for a perfect peach and Marin's own Cowgirl Creamery cheese establishment and Hog Island oyster bar.) A good if busy time to visit is during the Saturday morning farmers market, when the Aidell's sausage stand and Donna's tamale cart add to the culinary mix. Lovely picnic-friendly bay views too.

• Rye whiskey's new respectability, especially in artisan Sazeracs and manhattans.

• Top Chef, a reality television series of irresistible suspense, drama and kitchencraft.

• The East Bay culinary renaissance of the past couple of years, particularly in Oakland. Low rents and liquor licenses and diverse, well-honed taste buds have created a welcoming environment for chefs and investors, and the result has been one high-buzz restaurant opening after another. Especially satisfying: the deceptively simple, vibrantly flavored fare at Grand Tavern, the hip Andalucian cuisine at Barlata, everything at Adesso salumeria and wine bar, the smoked pork belly and wall of bourbon at Pican, Miss Pearl's dreamy cocktail menu, Shashamane's high-end Ethiopian cooking, Corso's Tuscan comfort food, the nouvelle soul of Brown Sugar Kitchen, the 21st century California cuisine served at Five in Berkeley.

• Despite the post-boom bust (and uber-bust) of the past 10 years, San Francisco's managed to open some pretty swell eateries of its own. Viz.: Zazil (gourmet Mexican cuisine), Bar Crudo (fresh raw seafood of impeccable quality), the Four Seasons (awesome cocktails), Cafe Divine (one of North Beach's few consistently good eateries), Saison (six courses of relatively affordable heaven in a converted 1880s stable), Contigo (the city's best tapas bar), Acme Chop House (a restaurant worthy of the new ballpark), Street (deeply satisfying comfort cuisine), Pizzetta 211 (the pizza reinvented), Medjool (al fresco barbecue four floors up), Mission Pie (freshly baked and for a good cause).

• Marin has also welcomed several new eateries over the past decade, but a few are particularly noteworthy:

Le Garage (85 Liberty Ship Way) serves casual yet absolutely admirable French bistro fare in a friendly setting; the croque monsieur, mussels Provencale and tarte tatin are yummy indeed.

The prices may be lofty and the service strictly counter at Fish (350 Harbor Drive, Sausalito), but you can't argue with the Saigon Salmon Sandwich, the fish and chips or the Manhattan clam chowder, enjoyed out on the dock on a sunny day.

After years of deprivation, Sol Food (732 Fourth St./901 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael) has brought the lusty flavors of Puerto Rico to the Bay Area, garlic-oregano chicken, fried plantains, coconut pudding and all.

Fairfax Scoop (63 Broadway) offers organic ice cream of such irresistible flavor and texture, aficionados from miles around crowd into its closet-sized space to enjoy a scoop of honey lavender, Mexican chocolate or cream of pumpkin.

The old Barracks and facilities of Fort Baker have transmogrified into Cavallo Point Lodge (601 Murray Circle), a romantic getaway in the Headlands with a classy restaurant and the charming Farley Bar.

And let's not forget Poggio (777 Bridgeway, Sausalito), one of Esquire magazine's Top New American Restaurants a few years back, and Boca (340 Ignacio Blvd.), superstar chef George Morrone's Argentinian steak house in the wilds of Novato.

• R.I.P. Capricorn Cookware, the Alta Mira Hotel, the Sweetwater, Patterson's Bar, the Kasbah, the Cheese Shop, Royal Frankfurter, Noonan's, the Cantina and the See's outlet on Fourth Street in San Rafael.

• And congratulations to Marin Joe's, the Mountain Home, the Buckeye, La Ginestra, the Panama Hotel, the no name, Sam's Anchor Cafe, Lark Creek, the Sand Dollar, Manka's, Milano, Comforts, Rancho Nicasio, the Flatiron, the Olema Inn, the little hamburger joint on Bridgeway and a handful of other places that have survived not only the past tumultuous decade but the several before as well. Feeding people's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it, and we appreciate it.

Send 10 years of tidbits to Matt at mstafford@pacificsun.com.

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