errr that's a tough one. Near embarcadero you are talking about mostly business spots where people have expense accounts, so cheap AND good is hard to come by.
The best place I know of in that area that's pretty cheap is Yokohama Japanese Restaurant on Columbus which is near union square.
As for thai, in berkeley there are many excellent thai restuarants. Plearn is fanstastic. Thai House is pretty good and right next to campus. Both are very cheap. I'm sure there are many in downtown SF, but none come to mind. Chez Panisse (where california cusine started) in berkeley is also fanstastic and pretty resonable for that type of food ($20-25 an entree) if you go the cafe.
Where you are you are right next to chinatown, so good chinese and dim sum is pretty easy to find. I also love the Crow Bar on the border of north beach and chinatown. edit: i used to eat at broadway dimsum for like $5 total, it's basically a counter and a bunch of plastic tables but it is REALLY good.
If you like Vietnamese you can't beat Tu Lan on sixth street. It's extremely cheap, but in a not so good neighborhood. edit: and slanted door in the mission is world renowned, but pretty expensive.
Check out the chronicles top-100 restuarants:
SFGate: Top 100 Restaurants 2007
Sonoma is definetly better. Free tastings, laid back people, and cheaper wine (and not of lesser quality). Napa has a markup for being Napa, most charge for tastings, and they tend to be snotty. In Sonoma they will sit and talk to you, you aren't just a number. Napa is prettier though. As for actual wineries, better leave that to someone who knows their stuff.
