If it is the looks that you do not like with the Rugers and Brownings, try to find a Firestorm .22, this is a .22 version of the Bersa/Firestorm .380 that everyone seems to love. They are hard to find, but everyone that has one seems to like them. I would get one if I could find it for plinking myself I think.
Review link I found quickly:
Firestorm .22 Auto Pistol
Wonder if anyone around here can order them. I have never seen one locally. Otherwise the S&W would be a good one also. The Phoenix seem pretty cheap, and this is coming from someone poor, so I usually like cheap! Friend had one years ago, and it was not very reliable then, but they may be better now. It has been 10-11 years since I handled one.