Eating In Translation

Havana Central

An appetizer assortment ($14), chicken and rice ($9), and picadillo (ground beef with olives, onions, and raisins; $9) were serviceable; shrimp in garlic sauce ($14) and a guava shake ($5) were fine.

Havana Central
2909 Broadway (113th-114th Sts.)
(one of several locations)
212-662-8830
www.havanacentral.com

New Pasteur

Muc chien don ("crispy squid in little salt and pepper"; at left; $9) is one of my all-time favorite Vietnamese dishes, especially when the squid is as tender as at New Pasteur. Other solid renditions include bo luc lac ($7.50), buttery sautéed beef tidbits, though served here with salad rather than taro chips; ca kho to ($8.50), a casserole of steamed snapper in a "country style" sauce; and rau muong xao toi ($7), the cryptic "hollow vegetable with garlic" that reveals itself as water spinach in a traditional (and fresh-tasting) presentation.

New Pasteur
85 Baxter St. (Canal-Bayard Sts.)
212-608-3656

Amir's Falafel

A falafel pita ($3.95) wasn't bad, once I worked my way down to the substantial chickpea level. On a previous occasion, a kibbe pita ($5.25) was heavy with enough ground beef for a burger, plus onion, tomato, and bulgur, but it was dry, even a tad overbaked.

Amir's Falafel
2911 Broadway (113th-114th Sts.)
212-749-7500

Cupcake Café

A sweet potato doughnut ($1.50) was nearly the size of a Big Mac, with a clear glaze. Much larger and with a breadier texture than the Doughnut Plant version, so no surprise it's also less of a sugar hit; that said, I couldn't detect any sweet potato.

Cupcake Cafe
522 Ninth Ave. (at 39th St.)
212-465-1530

Mama Jean's

During a sunny lunchtime, this little Trinidad and Tobago restaurant seemed dimmer than it should have, despite the pastels and the flower prints; upbeat pop music covered for the sparse crowd.

My entrée, a lunch special "mini-lau" ($8) wasn't very large; perhaps a full size pelau ($12) would have been more of a meal. A wad of creamy, spicy potato salad with carrots, peas, and corn was nice while it lasted; a slice of tomato over iceberg lettuce passed for a salad. The pelau itself offered nuggets of caramelized chicken that lent its color to the rice; mingling in were tidbits of green olive, carrot, and more meat, but not the typical pigeon peas. Less filling than it sounds like — and I had to pick out little bits of bone, too.

To drink, a mauby ($3) — "an extraction of the mauby bark infused with spices" — was a dusty pink color with a faint fruity aroma, mildly spicy, and too astringent to be refreshing.

Mama Jean's
536 Ninth Ave. (39th-40th Sts.)
212-268-8924

Ma*ya Hurapan Kitchen

(This venue is closed.) This pan-Asian restaurant and sake bar has the layout of a small East Village duplex, and about as much elbow room. The food was presentable but unexceptional. If I found myself here again I might start with som tam (spicy green papaya salad; $4). Bla tod sam rod (crispy whole fish with long beans and basil; $19) and neur yang nam tok (grilled skirt steak; $16) were pretty good. Some folks at the table enjoyed "saketinis" in flavors including lychee, ginger, and mojito; I stuck with Singha.

Ma*ya Hurapan Kitchen
234 East 4th St. (Aves. A-B)
646-313-1987

Tai Thai

(This venue is closed.) Stopped in for a quick bite at the former Kai Kai Kai Kai; my seat faced out the front window, toward Russ and Daughters. The ma-ta-ba ($6) — a pan-fried egg pastry filled with marinated minced chicken, plus onions and carrots — has always been my favorite app here, but this time it was too eggy, and the pastry stayed flaky only until the marinade soaked through.

Tai Thai
78 East 1st St. (1st Ave.-Ave. A)
212-777-2552

Loreley

For a group outing from the office — sadly, to say farewell our co-worker Frances as she heads off to another job — a downtown "restaurant and biergarten" seemed just the thing for a gal who's always liked Hallo Berlin. Quite a variety of drafts were hoisted around the table; for my part, the Gaffel Kolsch (0.3 liters; $4) was a little too light for still-cold weather; Jever Pilsener (0.5 liters; $6) was golden and adequately hoppy; the Schwelmer Bernstein (0.5 liters; $6) was a dark amber lager with toasted malt and other flavors that deserve less-divided attention.

Though the sharable platters of cheese, cold cuts, and sausages with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($12 to $15 each) were perfectly fine, the multiple orders of "bretzels with mustard served ovenfresh" (three for $5) really hit the spot. Spicy mustard, or no spicy mustard? I switched back and forth as long as the bretzels lasted.

Another time I'll give a go to baked camembert with lingonberry sauce ($9), or on an empty stomach, the "schlachtplatte" with a smoked pork chop, rib bacon, and smoked sausage, on a bed of sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($18).

Loreley
7 Rivington St.
212-253-7077

Dom's

This Italian butcher and grocery has a well-stocked deli selection, too, and on another day I'll try one of their many (reputedly large) house sandwiches. Today I was shopping only for one item to set up side by side with the Thai "coffee beverage" I picked up the day before at Bangkok Center Grocery.

Manhattan Special espresso coffee soda (10 fl. oz.; $1.99), Brooklyn, New York. "Hand brewed from freshly roasted coffee beans," the first listed ingredient, followed by carbonated water and sugar. Very dark brown; fresh, dark-coffee aroma; very little carbonation; slight syrupy aftertaste.

When I returned one evening, a half-hour before closing, the grill was already shut down, so an "Italian hamburger," seasoned with fresh garlic and parsley, was not to be. Tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil on ciabatta ($5) seemed desultory at first, and it wasn't too large, but before the counterman called it a night, he did me right by the basil, and a little vinaigrette, too.

Dom's
202 Lafayette St. (Kenmare-Broome Sts.)
212-226-1963

Chinese cake vendor

On the way out of the festival, I picked up a bag of these airy little griddled doughballs (15 for $1). Light, and sweet in their own way.

Chinese cake vendor
Street cart, Canal St. near Mulberry St.