Eating In Translation

Grandaisy Bakery

Artichoke: It's not only for Artichoke.

Nobu

Black gold.

Mai House

I did like the crispy skate.

Bazzini

"Old-fashioned cashew butter" (16 oz.; $9.95), made by Bazzini in the Bronx, is called that only to distinguish it from the (presumably newfangled) chunky version, the lady at the checkout told me. Spongy texture; no so nutty for so much cash. The store itself, though, is worth further exploration.

Bazzini
339 Greenwich St. (at Jay St.)
212-334-1280

Landmarc

Bone marrow packs gobs of meat flavor into every bite, especially with the aid of a fat pinch of salt. Landmarc's roast marrow bones ($12) are accompanied by sweet onion marmalade (I prefer parsley, as at London's celebrated St. John) and grilled country bread (here it's a little too thick-cut), but they still make for a fine, finger-licking starter.

If you must have meat, this clean-cut bistro offers many more options, such as this simple burger ($13) dressed with ketchup, mustard, and bread-and-butter pickles, on a firm, juice-absorbent roll. Comes with excellent twice-fried fries that I'd happily order all by themselves.

On a later visit, to the newer, more expansive Landmarc at the Time Warner Center, a strip steak with béarnaise sauce ($28) was good, no better, even when accompanied by those excellent fries. The original, relatively cozy Tribeca location may be less taxing on the kitchen.

Landmarc
179 West Broadway (Leonard-Worth Sts.)
(one of two locations)
212-343-3883

Kitchenette

I want to eat...a "lumberjack breakfast"! Two scrambled, bacon, and pancakes are standard ($8.50), and an extra dollar secured "fruited" pancakes — in this instance, a rare confluence of "lumberjack" and "peach."

On an earlier occasion, at the tiled counter of the uptown branch, two scrambled seemed closer to three, a wad of bacon slices was pleasantly soggy, and two coarse, whole-grain pancakes each sported a large, moist blueberry bullseye.

Kitchenette
156 Chambers St. (Greenwich St.-West Broadway)
212-267-6740
1272 Amsterdam Ave. (121st-122nd Sts.)
212-531-7600

Ceci-Cela Patisserie

Nice, tart currant gelato (one scoop; $3; from the now-closed Chambers St. location).

Ceci-Cela Patisserie
55 Spring St. (near Mulberry St.)
212-274-9179

Darlene Restaurant

The house-style mofongo (garlic-flavored fried plaintain; $9) was liberally studded with pork, pork skin, and hardboiled egg, and sided by a small bowl of gravy that smacked of seafood. The batido de mamey ($4) was a thoroughly thirst-quenching milkshake.

Darlene Restaurant
251 Church St. (Leonard-Franklin Sts.)
212-219-8431

Edward's

Once a month, this American bistro brings a "Taste of Cincinnati" to Tribeca, including LaRosa's pizza, Montgomery Inn ribs, and Graeter's ice cream. The headliner is Skyline chili, offered as a three-way (spaghetti topped with chili and shredded cheddar), four-way (with diced onions or red beans), or five-way (for the lot, shown here; $11.50), as well as on the heavily loaded hot dogs called coneys. As a topper, black raspberry chip Graeter's ($6), though a minimalist two scoops, won points for fine flavor and thumbnail-sized shards of chocolate.

Edward's
136 West Broadway (Duane-Thomas Sts.)
212-233-6436

DiPalo's Fine Foods

"Pecorino" ("little sheep") describes a vast range of Italian sheep's milk cheeses; DiPalo's carries more than a hundred, including this variety ($12.99 per pound) that borrows from the beehive, then wraps itself in paper impressed with hay. The yellowed interior is hard and granular; the aroma, mildly lactic, with hints of honey as well as hay. On the tongue, exceptionally even-tempered lactic flavors step forward, and the other notes recede, provided you peel it.

DiPalo's Fine Foods
206 Grand St. (at Mott St.)
212-226-1033

Divalicious Chocolate!

"Monte's gift" (large; $3.75), a frothy hot chocolate "spiked with Aztec flavors," delivered its entire spice load at the back of my throat; not sure I'd like it much even if the heat was more fairly distributed. Plenty of straightforward sweets await another visit.

Divalicious Chocolate!
365 Broome St. (Mott-Elizabeth Sts.)
212-343-1243

Falaj Falafel and Shawarma

(This venue is closed.) Pretty good falafel on pita ($3) that you'll never try; this venue closed three weeks after my visit.

Falaj Falafel and Shawarma
165 Church St.
212-571-0668

Ear Inn

This Irish pub takes its name from an old neon "Bar" sign that no longer get lit like it used to; service, though amiable, loses focus when not simply refilling your pint. An appetizer of smoked trout ($6.50), which arrived with the entrees, offered more fixings than fish; Irish beef stew ($10) and herb-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and a half-cob of corn ($11.50) were workmanlike belly-fillers; for that matter, so was a slice of apple-pear pie ($4.50).

Ear Inn
326 Spring St., (Greenwich-Washington Sts.)
212-226-9060

Sunrise Mart

Interesting place for perusing Japanese package design — to a reggae soundtrack, on a recent visit — while pondering such curiousities as Meiji brand Chelsea yogurt scotch (50 g.; $1.29). Think of lemon yogurt in hard-candy form.

A previous visit to the East Village location offered up Calpico brand lychee drink (200 ml.; 59 cents) from a drippy sippy pack. I like lychee, even (or because?) it brings pineapple Live Savers to mind, but this uncarbonated drink tasted especially unnatural. Okazaki brand coffee jelly (three 100 g. containers; $1.99) conjured up my first taste of coffee soda at Rocky's, in my undergrad days. It was paired with those little containers of non-dairy creamer, but like my coffee, I take my jelly black.

Sunrise Mart
494 Broome St. (near West Broadway)
(One of two locations)
212-219-0033

Lombardi's

It's a landmark, sure, though sometimes the seafood tends to toughen up on their pies (large; $21.95). These clams were plentiful, but chewy.

Lombardi's
32 Spring St. (at Mott St.)
212-941-7994

Joe's Dairy

Eaten out of hand, fresh salted mozzarella ($3.73, at about $5.50 per pound) is very tasty and not nearly as messy as you might think, provided your server gives it a good couple of shakes before wrapping it. One napkin should do.

Joe's Dairy
156 Sullivan St. (Houston-Prince Sts.)
212-677-8780

L'Ecole

The five-course dinner prix fixe ($35.50), prepared as always by students of the French Culinary Institute, was competently prepared but somehow lacked confidence; other diners at the table also expressed the thought that many items were "good." For my part, I started with a gaily caparisoned leek-pepper-tomato tartlet, chased by sautéed red snapper with citrus fruits and basil — two pretty faces that had little to say. The comparatively drab Basque-style sautéed chicken (shown) had enough body that given the chance I'd order it again. Following a palate-cleansing salad, a dessert of iced port wine parfait with summer melon and shaved chocolate simply tried too hard, though I appreciated the effort, all the way to the bottom of the glass.

L'Ecole
462 Broadway (at Grand St.)
212-219-3300

Despaña

Today I couldn't manage more than a taste of several succulent Spanish sausages, but I'm determined to return for Despaña's pescador sandwich: tuna and marinated anchovies on Sullivan St. Bakery ciabatta. Though pricey for a can, a stand-up pairing might be Kas lemon soda (330 ml.; $1.75), a concentrated and minimally carbonated beverage from Basque country. via Pepsico.

Despaña
408 Broome St. (Lafayette-Cleveland Sts.)
212-219-5050

Bouley Bakery Market

After a few minutes spent lingering before a case filled with exquisite, classically prepared, but difficult-to-transport desserts, I was relieved to choose from an ample selection of top-notch handheld favorites. Though the only fruit in this apricot danish ($3.25) was cantilevered from each end, it was a more than ample counterpoint to the fresh, supple, multilayered pastry.

Bouley Bakery Market
130 West Broadway
212-219-1011

The Soda Shop

Irish oatmeal with apples, raisins, and cherries ($5) was pretty but didn't quite come together, even after applications of cream, syrup, and brown sugar. Old-time trappings, with a candy display to match, don't quite add up to an old-time soda shop, either, but the staff seem well-meaning; on another day I'll give the egg cream a try.

Doscher's Famous French Chew Taffy, strawberry (1.62 oz.; 75 cents) suggests that à la the long-lamented Bonomo Turkish Taffy, you thwack it against a hard surface, unwrap it, then scarf up the fragments. Thwack away; it's far too soft and resilient.

The Soda Shop
125 Chambers St. (near West Broadway)
212-571-1100

Parisi Bakery

Sinatra may have patronized it once, but there was little on offer today. A prosciutto roll ($1) was very salty; if I hadn't known better, I would've guessed pepperoni.

Parisi Bakery
198 Mott St. (Kenmare-Spring Sts.)
212-226-6378

Palačinka

(This venue is closed.) Despite its utilitarian Soho looks, Palačinka (Pal-uh-CHINK-uh) turns out namesake crepes that are extremely thin and light; this one, flavored with fresh lime ($5), displayed a wonderful balance between sweet and tart.

Palačinka
28 Grand St. (Sixth Ave.-Thompson St.)
212-625-0362

Franklin Station Café

Hard to believe that the best laksa I've had in New York was served to the sounds of accordion music. The seafood laksa ($8.95) at this French and Malaysian bistro is in the lemak style; it's coconutty as well as spicy, compared with the spicy and tamarind-sour asam version. If I had a quibble, it was the bouillabaisse-themed overabundance of salmon, shrimp, mussels, eggplant, tofu, and assorted flavorings and a comparative lack of the thick, square-cut rice noodles.

Franklin Station Café
222 West Broadway (at Franklin St.)
212-274-8525

Angelika Theater

An espresso cheese bar ($3.95) came across like a square, flavored cheesecake; OK. Like many other interesting-looking pastries I couldn't sample tonight, it's prepared by "Mother Fortune," who my server assured me was not only real, but an "awesome" woman. Worth another try.

Angelika Theater
18 West Houston St. (at Mercer St.)

Lahore

Almost literally a hole-in-the-wall where cabbies (and their fares) can pick up a quick bite, like this trio of okra, eggplant, and chickpeas over rice ($5). Nothing special, but it left a satisfying warmth at the back of my throat. Though I passed on it this time, a basil-seed drink is among the beverages.

Lahore
132 Crosby St. (Houston-Prince Sts.)