Café Pacifica... There''s an action station in the most unexpected of places--Café Pacifica''s Friday night Seafood Buffet at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Aromas of garlic, butter, and white wine waft across the massive atrium lobby as white-toqued chefs prepare New Zealand cockles and linguini and other mouthwatering dishes to order.

Start at the cold seafood bar, with peel and eat prawns, cracked crab, seafood salad, California rolls, and fresh oysters, then move on to fried calamari, roasted salmon teriyaki, grilled escolar with Spanish rice and Mahi Mahi with Pango Pango sauce. This is the largest seafood buffet on the Peninsula and one of the best deals around--$22.95 for adults and $18.95 for children 5 to 12 years of age. Children under 5 "dine" for free. The Seafood Buffet is served from 5pm to 9pm. Just beyond the café, in the Cypress Lounge, the Dennis Murphy Trio performs--fronted by the affable former bassist of Acoustic Alchemy. Check out the bargain priced drinks, including Monterra wines for $3 and Sam Adams beer at $1.75 during Happy Hour (5:30-7:30pm).

Barre Miller, Embassy''s assistant GM, says the hotel "used to have an all-day menu catering to travelers and families. Now that we have the Hilton Honors guests, Executive Chef Don Serrano and I wanted to offer an extensive dinner menu to match their more sophisticated tastes.

"Along with dishes like lamb osso buco and barbecued ribs with Bacardi rum barbecue sauce, our new vegetarian entrees, buckwheat pasta primavera and tempura style vegetables, are really popular."

Call 393-1115 for dinner reservations, or just show up Friday for the buffet.

Korbel Brandy... Feeling a little rough around the edges? Try Korbel XS Extra Smooth, the latest in a trio of new handcrafted brandies released by this long-time popularly priced California "Champagne" producer. A 750-ml. bottle of Korbel Brandy, Korbel Gold Reserve VSOP, or the Extra Smooth will set you back between $9.99 and $15.99, a refreshingly fair price for a quality product (I ranked Korbel California Champagne as one of my top value wines of last year). For drink recipes including the Korbel Rita, Korbel Creamsicle, and Korbel Day in the Shade, contact Margie Healy, Korbel Champagne Cellars, (707) 824-7715 or send an email to mhealy@korbel.com.