Eating In Translation

Bastille Day Festival

I squeezed past plenty of crepe stands to get here.

Malaysia-Melaka Food Festival

The desserts were the best part.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival

You'll need a thicker straw.

Word of Mouth: Malaysian at the U.N.

Monday to Friday, the delegate's dining room at the United Nations serves a buffet lunch ($25, plus beverages, tax, and tip) that's open to the public. In addition to a lovely view across the East River and the possibility of rubbing elbows with delegates themselves, the dining room also offers perhaps a half-dozen food festivals each year that focus the buffet on a particular cuisine. On Saturday, I learned that the 2008 festival season will open with the cuisine of Malaysia — specifically, the beloved Nyonya cooking of the "Straits Chinese" who emigrated to the peninsula and flavored their traditional dishes with local herbs and spices.

The Malaysian festival at the delegate's dining room will be held on weekdays from May 12 to May 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are required, and must be made 24 hours in advance; call 212-963-7625. Men must wear a jacket, no one may wear jeans or sneakers, and everyone must present a photo I.D.

Delegate's Dining Room
United Nations building, 4th floor
212-963-7625
www.DelegatesDiningRoom.com

Szechuan Gourmet

I felt some of the excitement, if not quite the affection, that I remember from the midtown Grand Sichuan.

Katagiri

This Japanese grocery, accompanied by a small housewares business next door, also sports a snack counter operated by Chiyoda Sushi, one of their prime provisioners.

Though the Katagiri staff are pleasant, if you're planning to shop here and not merely sightsee, it's better to know your way around the cuisine. On one early visit I picked up a box of dessert mix (below; $2.15) with the hope of preparing something like Junket (a hard-to-find American dessert mix that's no longer available in orange). The best translation I could get at the store was that the flavor was some sort of "cream"; after preparing it according to the picture instructions, I still couldn't pin it down. (Do you have any idea?)

A more ambitious experiment was with a sac of tarako, or salted codfish roe (0.7 oz. at $47 per pound, or $3.29). Spooned free of the casing and into a butter-based sauce, the roe eventually found its way atop my pasta dinner, with middling results.

Katagiri
224 East 59th St. (Second-Third Aves.)
212-755-3566
www.katagiri.com

Tal Bagels

Nice crunchy crust, but this bagel ($1.20) wasn't malty or salty enough; sunflower seeds contributed most of the flavor. Those seeds brush off easily, too, and since they're larger and less plentiful than poppy or sesame seeds, each one counts.

As widely reported in stories on pizza, the price of flour has climbed dramatically, and so has the price of foods that use it; just three years ago, a sunflower seed bagel at this same Tal's location cost 75 cents.

Tal Bagels
977 First Ave. (53rd-54th Sts.)
(one of several locations)
212-753-9080

Norwegian Seamen's Church

Shore leave comes but once a week.

Tamale vendor near the Mexican consulate

"Atole" (ah-Toll-ay) describes a number of Latin American cornmeal-based drinks of various consistencies. The best-known — the Mexican atole de chocolate, or champurrado — is thin and hot, with starchy undertones. This street-vendor version, which I first read about on the industrious blog Midtown Lunch, had a more noticeable corn flavor than most, but it tastes much better than that sounds. The $2.50 I paid for a large serving (probably the "outsider" price) was about a dollar less than a venti hot chocolate around the corner.

Tamale vendor near the Mexican consulate
39th St. between Park and Madison Aves.

Norwegian Seaman's Church Christmas Fair

Catch of the day.

Koglin Royal Hams

This German-rooted provisioner's housemade ham lard ($3.47 per quarter-pound) — with onions, apples, herbs, and tiny cubes of schinken, or smoked pork loin — is absolutely decadent atop a crust of bread.

Yagura

Scruffy but cheap takeout up front, OK Japanese market in back. Suntory Gokuri "Miracle of Grapefruit" (14 fl. oz.; $1.99), from Japan, was pulpy and uncarbonated, but not the equal of grapefruit juice itself. Another time, miniature sweet doughnuts (10 one-inchers; 90 g. total; $1.59) were easy to share, and pretty good for a bargain packaged snack.

Yagura
24 East 41st St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.)

Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant

Maatjes herring ($6.25) — "maiden" fish that never spawned before being netted in the Netherlands, in season only for a few weeks each June — are firm-fleshed, and just oily enough to go down easy. Though the traditional approach involves taking the fish by the tail, turning your mouth skyward, and eating it in one gulp, at the Oyster Bar's lunch counter, knife and fork served me just fine. Preceded by bitterballen (three for $2.50), thin-crusted deep-fried meatballs paired with a heady mustard.

Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant
Grand Central Terminal
212-949-5210
Closed Sunday

OMS/B

The name of this café/takeout is buy-a-vowel shorthand for "omusubi," often simply called "rice balls" even when the presentation is much more elaborate. Seen here: eel ($2.50) with egg on soy-sauce-flavored rice; yukari plum ($2), shiso leaf (yukari) and sesame mixed with rice, wrapped in a pink soy sheet, and topped with fruit purée; and the blue-collar "chicken mix rice" ($1.75), with vegetables and soy sauce.

OMS/B
156 East 45th St. (Lexington-Third Aves.)
212-922-9788
Closed Sunday

Brother Jimmy's BBQ

Tomatoes are a defining ingredient in Brunswick stew ($4.25), corn is common, and in lieu of the traditional squirrel, you might find chicken, pork, beef, or some combination. I just found this one too tomatoey.

The food court adjoining Brother Jimmy's Grand Central outlet is relatively quiet, at least compared with the frat-boy bedlam at their other locations. They do pile on the pulled pork, but I've found it dry; collards were too vinegary one time, mushy another.

Brother Jimmy's BBQ
Lower level, Grand Central Station
(one of several locations)
212-661-4022

Grand Maghreb Halal Food

 

(This venue is closed.) Steamtable storefront that's more convenient for carry-out; I managed to secure one of the few tables for my bowl of harira ($2.50), a hearty, slightly spicy lentil soup, and this fork-tender chicken tagine ($7.99) with prunes and sliced almonds over couscous. Both were prepared Moroccan-style, the counterman told me; Tunisian variants await another visit.

Grand Maghreb Halal Food
303 East 50th St. (First-Second Aves.)
212-317-4844

Ariyoshi

The close quarters in this "traditional Japanese style pub restaurant" owe partly to its size and partly to its popularity, especially among expats. To balance the effects of the beer and sake lineup, try the likes of pork shumai with hot mustard (top photo; $6), mushrooms and spinach sautéed in (lots of) butter ($6), and kurobata pork sausages (bottom photo; $6.50) sided with mayonnaise.

Downers: Deep-fried chicken ($6.50) was ordinary; so were a smallish order of grilled eggplant with miso sauce ($6) and a pot of udon noodles in special miso soup ($10).

At an earlier, lunchtime visit, my grilled saury deluxe box ($12) was preceded by a small green salad and a cup of vegetable soup. The saury — a 10-inch-long whole, thin fish with an oily texture like mackerel, served with lemon and grated daikon — was accompanied by a small, eggy potato salad with vegetables; a warm, brothy stew of chicken, carrots, and cabbage; slices of pickled daikon; two small bites of yellowtail sashimi; a one-inch cube of plain tofu with scallions; and rice. Above the faint sounds of the radiator and the radio, I heard only Japanese voices; unfocusing my eyes, I could imagine myself in Tokyo rather than Turtle Bay.

Ariyoshi
226 East 53rd St. (Second-Third Aves.)
212-319-3940

Murray's Cheese Shop

Fiore Sardo ($14.99 per pound). Close to its dark brown rind, the "Sardinian flower" actually tastes faintly of flowers; otherwise the hard, crumbly tan body of this sheep's milk cheese is tangy and grassy, with very mild smoky notes.

Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson ($18.99 per pound). This cow's milk cheese from Galax, Virginia, has a tan washed rind; beneath, it's a creamy pale yellow, somewhat pungent, soft and yet beefy.

From the West Village location, this slice of coffee cake ($2.50) had a crunchy, walnutty, cinnamon-flavored top; inside it was moist and springy, with playful touches of dried fruit.

Murray's Cheese Shop
254 Bleecker St. (at Cornelia St.)
(one of two locations)
212-243-3289

Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine

Bustling, presentable restaurant with uninspiring food. One of my erstwhile favorite Turkish appetizers, imam bayaldi (stuffed eggplant; shown; $6.25) seemed not far removed from the fridge. Robert noted that the babaganush ($5.25) lacked all but a trace of smokiness; hummus ($4.95) and icli kofte (baked bulgar stuffed with lamb and pine nuts; $6.50) were OK.

Our entrees, kur basti (roasted lamb; special; $18.95) and grilled dorado (special; $18.95) were on the dry side; neither was terribly large, either. For dessert, kazandiki (milk custard; $4.50) and kadayif (shredded wheat with honey and pistachios; $4) were stiff.

Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine
212 East 34th St. (Second-Third Aves.)
212-683-9206

Fusia Asian Cuisine

I had low expectations for a restaurant that offers "sushi bar, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Chinese," but the description of the Malaysian curry chicken broth noodle ($7.50) — "spicy curry, creamy coconut milk" — gave me hope of a laksa lemak. No such luck: My noodle soup wasn't very spicy or coconutty; the white-meat chicken might have come straight from the salad bar.

Fusia Asian Cuisine
677 Lexington Ave. (at 56th St.)
212-308-2111

Suibi

My first encounter with bitter melon, perhaps ten years ago, was not an enjoyable one.

Pampano Taqueria

Open for (busy) weekday lunch only; likely shares a kitchen with Pampano, around the corner. An oblong alambre torta ($7), with grilled chicken, poblano rajas, and melted manchego, seemed closer kin to a panino than the more typically circular Mexican sandwich. Tasty enough; Pampano's kingfish tacos have an even better reputation.

Pampano Taqueria
805 Third Ave. (49th-50th Sts.)
In the Crystal Pavilion food court
212-751-5257

Tony Dragonas cart

Heard of the three-napkin burger? Here's a five-napkin hero (as shown or on pita; $4.50) that pack a sizable, sliced-up slab of charcoal-grilled chicken beneath veggies and lots of white sauce. Another time I might go dry rather than drown that charcoal twang.

Tony Dragonas cart
Southwest corner of 62nd St. and Madison Ave.
Till 6:00

Taksim

To discuss My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, my book discussion group met for dinner at this small Turkish restaurant. The bare walls held the sound and made conversation a little difficult, but mainly because Taksim was filled with plenty of animated conversation; they seem to do a good delivery business, too. Of the appetizers we shared, I especially liked the simply dressed white bean salad, the excellent falafel, and the cacik (Jah-jik), the yogurt with cucumber, garlic, and mint that we scooped up with Taksim's pillowy warm bread.

My lamb casserole ($10.50), with potatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and a healthy pinch of dill, was on the gamy side — Kevin, who ordered the lamb shank, suggested mutton — the rice was dry, and it wasn't a huge helping; OK, though. The tartness of my Aroma brand visne nectari (sour cherry juice; 250 ml.; $1.50) accompanied it very well. A firm baked rice pudding ($4) was good; I would've liked even more of that slightly burned crust on top.

Taksim
1030 Second Ave. (54th-55th Sts.)
212-421-3004

Café St. Bart's

For brunch, the outdoor setting was fine; the $25 prix fixe was disappointing. Mini-muffins and the like in the bread basket didn't seem fresh. If those were really fava beans in the smoked salmon salad, they were the smallest I've ever seen, though the portion of fish was healthy enough. My serving of Eggs Park Avenue, on the other hand — "scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, cream, and chives, with crispy breakfast potatoes" — seemed skimpy.

Café St. Bart's
Park Ave. at 50th St.
212-888-2664