Eating In Translation

Gotham Food

Wandered in this evening to the sounds of Kurtis Blow; circled this little deli grocery for the entire length of "The Breaks" (short version) but picked up nothing more interesting than a Jones Soda Co. root beer (12 fl. oz.; $1.50). Too syrupy for me. Gotham does deliver, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if they serve a lot of neighborhood families; a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a pint of chocolate milk are both on the takeout menu.

Gotham Food
273 Columbus Ave. (72nd-73rd Sts.)
212-595-0010

D.J. Reynolds

Construction workers were taking their lunch all along the length of the bar; my waitress led me to a table in the back of this sturdy Irish saloon. Good soda bread with raisins in the bread basket; a little sour, a little sweet. My Gaelic burger, medium rare ($8.95) loaded its bun with a half-pound of sirloin, plus cheddar, Irish bacon, and sautéed onions; big but not juicy enough, and I could've done without the gloppy orange cheese. Crisp steak fries smelled great, but large as they were, some had a mealy texture inside. D.J. Reynolds does have those little jelly-filled white mints, though.

D.J. Reynolds
351 West 57th St. (Eighth-Ninth Aves.)
212-245-2912

World of Nuts and Ice Cream

Dozens of varieties of chocolates, jellies, nuts, wrapped candies, and more, though it's hard to know how many have malingered in those little bins. If you have a choice of chocolate on your pretzels ($2.25 per quarter-pound), dark is the way to go; saltiness comes through, while staleness is largely disguised.

World of Nuts and Ice Cream
1363 Sixth Ave. (55th-56th Sts.)
(one of many locations)
212-956-8322

Pret a Manger

"Pioneering natural food," Pret asserts on shopping bags and handbills, though they do seem to continually turn out fresh, additive-free food and distribute leftovers through City Harvest. My carrot, orange, and banana juice (16 fl. oz.; $3) specified that they'd tested many combinations before settling on a blend of seven carrots, two oranges, and a third of a banana. Seems to add up; tasty.

Pret a Manger
1350 Sixth Ave. (at 55th St.)
(one of many locations)
212-307-6100

Plaza España

At lunchtime, most of the customers in this stucco-lined walkdown sat at the tiny bar up front and chatted about the news on CNN; Spanish easy-listening music played in the slightly larger back rooms. A bowl of caldo gallego ($5.50), a soup with kale, pork, chicken, potatoes, and white beans, was small but warming.

Plaza España
130 West 58th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
212-757-6434

Metro Diner

For a hearty breakfast, it's hard to beat the likes of a Metro Frittata ($8.50): Chunks of plum tomato, generous slices of sausage, and basil peek out between the mozzarella and that eggy base. Finely diced home fries, plus toast (rye for me) seal the deal. A strong, bottomless cup of coffee ($1) will help you out of your booth or off your stool.

On another visit, a trio blueberry pancakes ($7.50) were heavily studded with fruit.

Metro Diner
2641 Broadway (at 100th St.)
212-866-0800

Scharffen Berger

Small storefront for a Berkeley-based artisanal chocolate maker. This afternoon, since I hadn't had a proper meal, I fought off the temptation of several different samples, but I gave in just enough to try a pair of bilberry-flavored "pate de fruit" (60 cents each). They're a shade larger and about twice as high as a Scrabble tile, speckled with granulated sugar, and more yielding to the bite than those half-circle jelly slices. Bilberries (according to my server's impromptu Googling) are related to blueberries and huckleberries, and in fact "tart blueberries" was my pleasant thought.

On another occasion, raspberry and especially lemon (shown) were very tart, too.

Scharffen Berger
473 Amsterdam Ave. (82nd-83rd. Sts.)
212-362-9734

Bear Farm

(This venue is closed.) Small selection but very amiable service at this greengrocer that seems to manage fine, despite the appearance of a Garden of Eden two blocks away. Some cheese would go nicely with those fresh black figs ($2.49 per pint), said the fellow on duty, but for any sort of selection, I had to venture elsewhere.

Bear Farm
2742 Broadway (105th-106th Sts.)
212-932-8677

Market Café

Going by its looks, this turquoise-toned diner has had a makeover, but I can't be sure what work it had done. It was buzzing at lunch today, although at the counter a few solo diners lingered over their newspapers; that's probably a tough proposition once the Garment District lets out for the day, and the draft beer and mixed drinks start flowing.

A pair of seared sea scallops over potato puree, with brown butter and mache (pictured; $6) might have been a little chewy, but the greens were lightly anointed with vinaigrette, there was just enough potato to mop up the butter, and the dish was clearly assembled with some care. The garlic in my fettucini with cockles (special; $9) arrived moments before my pasta, and it stayed with me; the noodles were a little overdone, too. Still, I'd give this place another go.

 

Market Café
496 Ninth Ave. (37th-38th Sts.)
212-967-3892

De Lillo Pastry Shop

Our cannolis ($2.50 each) weren't filled on the spot. They'd been in the case just "40 minutes," said the counterman; "you're not gonna get a bad one." True, they weren't bad, but 40 minutes was long enough to give fresh ricotta the feel of the fridge.

De Lillo Pastry Shop
606 East 187th St., Bronx
718-367-8198