wow! NOW I'm a happy camper! Floetrol made all the difference.

here's my procedure:
primer: Zinssar's 123 (water based)
BM wood and metal enamel - high gloss (also water based)
1/3 bottle of floetrol pr gallon

I rolled on the paint and very lightly went over to create faint brush marks.

I sanded w 220 grit between coats (and wiped them w a damp cloth)
Sanding takes off the high gloss, but definitely smooths out sufficiently the brushmarks.

Since the high gloss is gone, and to protect the surface, I sprayed with minwax clear polyurethane very lightly.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am! The result is way beyond my expectations of what I thought I could do! The original cabinets BTW are 80's melamine.

Glad to hear you are happy with your cabinets as I too am painting wainscotings with BM wood and metal enamel high gloss. I don't know what color you are using but I am using white. Are you not concerned that the polyurethane will yellow over time?

Glad your project is going smoother. Painting cabinets is a bear of a job ;)
Is it Ok to wrap the brush airtight between coats or do I need to wash my brush in between?

Personally, I would not recommend this. It's not possible to get a completely airtight seal, and just little bits of dried paint on the bristles will cause the bristles to clump. And leave stroke marks. I clean my brushes after every use, just like I do my artist's brushes. They have rewarded me in return with a long life. Wash in warm water, gentle soap. If badly caked (shouldn't occur but sometimes I've set a brush down, gotten distracted, paint has begun to dry), I've used a baby's fingernail brush or metal brush comb (from paint stores) to 'comb' bristles to the end and remove any goobers. Rinse, rinse and rinse again. Place the base of the bristles between your index and middle fingers, squeeze fingers together and run down the bristles to the tip, squeezing out excess water and reshaping the brush. Letting it dry on it's side is best, so handle rests on sink but bristles are hanging over the edge, with no solid surface under them. (Never allow a brush to dry bristle end down.)

A couple more tips: never let paint get into the ferell (the metal band that secures bristles to handle). Once that occurs, you can never fully get paint out of that area and bristles will dry in a spread out manner. If you keep the ferell clean, but bristles begin to lose shape, once you've washed/rinsed/squeezed out excess water, apply a light hair conditioner (or brush conditioner from art supply store), gently run through, then squeeze again from ferell to tips and when you get to the ends of the bristles pinch fingers together tightly so bristle tips are tight together. Set and let dry. This will help reset the bristles shape. (Be sure to rinse the conditioner out well and squeeze out excess water before next use.)

If you wrap your brush (casually even) in plastic, but then put it in the fridge (not freezer) it'll 'keep' for ages!

Be sure to wet the 'well' down between the bristles at the handle with water before using the brush.
Saturate the brush in the solvent for the paint you are using, then flick it till end is dry.
The solvent trapped up in the heel of the brush (near the ferrule) will prevent the paint that invariably works up there from hardening.
You are also not limited to water for latex brushes.
Xylene breaks down latex paint very nicely, and a dip in Xylene followed by final washing with soap and rinsing in water will provide a much longer life.
Many of my brushes are past 20 years old, and the china bristle brushes are going on 40 and 50 years.
I inherited some of them from my grandfather who died in 1967, after he used them for many years.

Wow, those tricks... never heard of most of those. I'll try them all out - I have a lot of cabinets to paint over the next few weeks. Thanks!