Eating In Translation

Mermaid's Garden

Kale in soup, to my mind, quickly suggests two possibilities. One is caldo gallego, named for the northwesternmost region of Spain; the pork-rich soup is also common, thanks to a Galician diaspora, in Dominican cuisine. With a change of protein, kale also figures in many recipes for Portuguese fisherman's stew; this one ($5) featured hake and smoked haddock.

Mermaid's Garden
347-766-8398
www.MermaidsGardenNYC.com
At the New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Beekman St. and Peck Slip, Manhattan
www.NewAmsterdamMarket.org

Hot Bread Kitchen

Hot Bread's deeply pocketed onion-and-poppy bialy (top, $2) was chewy, a little sour, and — compared with the Kossar's classic — hefty. I can only imagine that the cheddar bialy (bottom, $3) is even more substantial.

Hot Bread Kitchen
At the New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Peck Slip and Beekman St., Manhattan
www.HotBreadKitchen.org

Mighty Quinn's

Would have peered into the smoker when the pitmaster lifted the lid, but didn't want to risk my place in line. Gazed instead under the propped-up hood of my sandwich; everything sliced in the first photo also figures in the second. Brisket on brioche, with pickled onions ($9).

Mighty Quinn's
Stockton, New Jersey
At the New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Peck Slip and Beekman St., Manhattan
www.Twitter.com/#!/mightyquinns

I8NY

The sweet and savory flavors of five-spice squash, quince, and candied pepitas (sandwich, $6) are set off beautifully by bland, creamy ricotta. Yes, there's the matter of oozing, especially with that first bite, but surplus ricotta and loose pepitas go great together, too.

I8NY
At the New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Peck Slip and Beekman St., Manhattan
www.I8NYFood.com

Early Bird Cookery

Hay ice cream (scoop, $3). No thrill of the grass: This was less aromatic and thinner-flavored than I'd hoped. One of Early Bird's other summer options — say, birch — may be more of a heavy hitter.

Early Bird Cookery
Cochecton, New York
845-932-7994
www.EarlyBirdCookery.com
At the New Amsterdam Market, South Street Seaport, Manhattan

Wooly's Ice

Snow ice, the proprietors call it, is a hybrid of Hawaiian shave ice and the toppings-heavy Taiwanese version. The ice itself is a hybrid, too. It begins with frozen blocks of water (Wooly's "original" version) that may be flavored (say, by green tea) but are invariably enriched by a small amount of milk. This milky ice is shaved, by machine, into a serving cup.

Toloache Taqueria

Pressed, yet moist.

Figures of a farmer and a fisherman

The artist Oscar Bach — whose metalwork adorns Radio City Music Hall, Riverside Church, and the Brooklyn Flea's winter abode, the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank, among many other projects — created these figurative medallions for New York City's Department of Health Building. The Art Deco cube, designed by Charles B. Meyers, was completed in 1935; today it's also named for the departments of Hospitals and Sanitation.

Bach's medallions, which illustrate various themes associated with nutrition and health, still befit the building's tenants. But in light of DoH regulations governing personal hygiene of food-service workers, the attire is clearly not up to code.

Figures of a farmer and a fisherman
Health, Hospitals, and Sanitation Departments Building, 125 Worth St. (Lafayette-Centre Sts.)

Painted Goat Farm

Didn't meet the cheesemaker, did meet the ashmaker.

Table Tales Cafe

I'd have called it sauce, but among Italian-Americans with roots in the old country's tomato-rich south, gravy is the name.

Association of Indians in America Deepavali Festival

Pink is the new black.

Mosefund Farm

My favorite new-found indulgence.

Brewla Bars

Two of Brewla's four tea-infused flavors had already vanished in the summer heat, but on an undercaffeinated afternoon, "The Buzz" (honey vanilla black tea, $3) did me a solid. The Brewla name, do note, also leaves open the door to coffee-infused pops down the road.

Brewla Bars
At the Fulton Stall Market, South Street (between Fulton and Beekman streets), New York
Sundays during warmer weather
www.BrewlaBars.com

Meatopia

Old-timey music was readily available all afternoon.

20 Exchange Place

Originally this was the City Bank Farmers Trust Building, designed by architects Cross and Cross and constructed in 1931. Given the agricultural connection, you might imagine (as I did) that these wheat stalks signify the bounty of the harvest, or the prudence of saving in fat years in anticipation of lean years.

Perhaps they do — but since this granite carving is one of eleven replicas of coins from countries where the bank had offices, the more pertinent message is "render unto Caesar." Now that the upper floors of the skyscraper have been converted to luxury rental apartments, the building is home to many tenants who hand over lots of coin, once a month.

20 Exchange Place
(also 69 Beaver St. and 22 William St.)
Originally, the City Bank Farmers Trust Building
www.20XNYC.com/the-building.aspx

Sho Shaun Hergatt

The flavors are as notable as the colors.

Ashley's European Bakery

(This venue is closed.) It's the tiniest member of the Chambers St. eatery row.

Veronica's Kitchen

The stew chicken is very, very moist.

No. 1 Street Banh Mi Cart

Number one: six bucks is not out of bounds for banh mi.

New Amsterdam Market

Frutti di bosco?