How to restart Aqua

[boast]

In linux, when X11 freezes, I can just press ctrl+alt+backspace, and xserver restarts.

Well, I'm sitting here with a stuck dock, and the menu bar is not responding. How can I reset aqua without having to reboot the whole system?

 

[heatmiser]

You can restart the finder via Apple+Alt+Escape. Force Quit, then Restart.