Modern dining is all about flexibility. Sometimes you want to sit for hours over six courses paired with wine. And sometimes you want to go out to eat but don't have the time or money for a lengthy sit-down.

Just because you'd like your food quickly doesn't mean you have to sacrifice taste. These casual eateries provide a break from the kitchen without breaking the bank. They're open late for dinner at least a few nights a week, and they offer full meals from scratch. Minimal service and standardized options keep prices low, but the atmosphere is still pleasant enough to make eating there worthwhile.

Squint a bit and it's easy to mistake the cobblestoned side streets of Sewickley for a hidden corner of Paris. Cafe Des Amis keeps up the illusion, with its chalkboard menus, shelves full of confitures and oils and neat rows of dark wooden tables.

Food is served on real plates with silverware; help yourself to water and feel free to bring your own wine. Order and pay at the register, but at least some of the time your food will be brought to the table.

The menu consists mostly of French classics, such as salade nicoise ($9.75) and le lyonnais ($6.90), salami and butter on a baguette. All the dishes have that special je ne sais quoi that marks them as clearly, undeniably French. Some are terrifically simple, such as the onion soup ($5.45), a classic version made with beef stock and lots of onions and covered with toasted croutons and gruyere cheese. Though commonly found at Pittsburgh restaurants, this version was uncommonly delicious.

The cafe now has extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights, and a few additional dinner specials. On one evening, a mix of duck confit and rice, flavored with fresh ginger, was wrapped in a thin layer of crispy spring roll wrappers ($12.99).

The second special, mixed seafood in cream sauce wrapped in cabbage ($14.99), was even more typically French. The cream sauce was rich and light with lovely anise notes, but it slightly overwhelmed the taste of the seafood, which was cut into such small bits it was hard to discern anything besides the calamari. The best part of the dish was the wrapping of savoy cabbage leaves that had gotten just a bit crispy on top, and added a hint of crunchy bitterness that balanced the other flavors and textures of the dish.

Other dinner options included gorgeously rosy roast beef, Shepherd's pie and a variety of quiches. But whatever you start with, don't skip dessert. Owner and chef Eric Assandri prepares a rotation of spectacular tarts, mousses and other desserts, including a heavenly apple tart in puff pastry ($4.50) and a decadent chocolate and banana tart ($5).

Cafe Des Amis, 443 Division St., Sewickley; www.cafedesamispa.com, 412-741-2388

Though you can take your food to go, there are plenty of reasons to sit and enjoy this charming, spacious cafe setting. Once the temperature warms up a bit, you can even enjoy your meal outdoors in thebrick courtyard.

Order and pay at the counter, but they'll bring your food to your table. Mismatched wooden tables and chairs, breakfronts and an old-fashioned stove give the indoor dining room a cozy, homey feel, which helps counter the slightly cafeteria-like food presentation -- food is served on disposable plates with plastic cutlery and arrives on a plastic tray. Fortunately, the food itself is far from institutional.

The seasonal menu includes salads and sandwiches such as Thai pasta salad ($3.75-8.50) and roast turkey ($6.75), but the rotating daily dish menu has some of the most appealing options. A Creole (tomato-based) jambalaya was a hearty mix of chicken, sausage and the holy trinity of onions, green bell peppers and celery. Rather than cooking the rice in the dish, an almost soupy mix of tomato, meat and vegetables was ladled over rice ($12.50, including two sides) -- a smart move which helped keep the meat from drying out or the rice from becoming mushy. Lemon grilled chicken ($8.50 with one side) was impressively moist for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and full of bright lemon flavor.

Side dishes are far from afterthoughts. In fact, on some days I would be tempted to skip the entrees and feast on items like mac 'n' cheese, green bean almondine and sweet potato casserole (especially on days when three side dishes are $5.50). Braised greens and ham was a classic Southern version, but the winning side dish was definitely the potato cake. Thicker than a traditional potato pancake, the large disk had an incredibly crunchy shell which yielded to a soft, almost creamy interior. Sour cream and applesauce are available for the potato cakes upon request.

Dessert continues the American comfort food theme. While many sounded delectable, I was won over by the brown sugar and pecan bread pudding ($3.50), which was pretty good, and a chocolate cheesecake, which was better. The intense sweetness of milk chocolate was balanced by a good dose of tartness from the cream cheese.

Bistro To Go, 415 E. Ohio St., North Side; www.bistro-togo.com, 412-231-0218

This small storefront on Forbes Avenue isn't as impressive on the inside as the Iroquois Building that houses it, but the lack of decoration (apart from the mural) is probably what allows them to use plenty of high-quality, sometime even organic ingredients and still charge fair prices.

Many certainly agree with me, as this place tends to get crowded during peak mealtimes, and while it's still open only Monday through Friday, the owners recently extended their hours to 9 p.m.

The mix of food is eclectic with an emphasis on healthful choices as well as on classic comfort food. Breakfast dishes are made from eggs laid by cage-free, organic-fed, Pennsylvania-raised chickens. Sandwiches include corned beef reuben ($6.75) and a mushroom swiss veggie burger ($7.25). Along with a fruit and nut salad ($6.75), there's also a Southern chicken salad ($7.25) that includes fried chicken breast, bacon, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing.

The Asian chicken salad is substantial and healthful. A giant pile of thinly sliced Napa cabbage was mixed with chopped cilantro, watercress, carrots, radish, and water chestnuts, as well as long, thin won ton crisps. This is more of a salad garnished with some chicken than a chicken salad, but the small strips of grilled meat were moist and well seasoned. For a vegetarian version, substitute tofu. I liked the soy wasabi vinaigrette, but with so many wet ingredients, a little more dressing would have given the dish more flavor.

The blue plate specials are a fantastic deal, especially if they're all as delicious as Monday's pot-roasted beef brisket with gravy, red-skinned mashed potatoes and honey orange carrots ($7.75). I was immediately impressed with the generous serving, even after I noted that the tender, juicy braised brisket is served over a slice of toast (sourdough, I think). Though the extra carbohydrate made me blink a little, there was still an ample amount of meat, and the gravy-soaked toast was delicious. My only fault with this dish was that the carrots were significantly undercooked.

There's not much in the way of dessert, just some slightly sad looking, plastic-wrapped cookies and muffins (and fruit smoothies, of course).Conveniently, Dave & Andy's is right around the corner.

Red Oak Cafe, 3610 Forbes Ave., Oakland; www.redoakusa.com, 412-621-2221