Eating In Translation

Astor Place Hair

Used to be, two bits got you a shave and a haircut.

Grand Sichuan St. Marks

This sincere Sichuan restaurant supplies its own great pumpkin.

St. Nicholas Albanian Church

Afternoon double feature.

Gascogne

The orange half-tomato sat on top like a warning light: Flavors playing safely.

Old Poland Bakery & Restaurant

Genial, blue-collar setting for filling chow at working-class prices. This fried pork cutlet with mashed potatoes, plus a side of cucumbers in sweet dill sauce, ran me just $5.

Old Poland Bakery & Restaurant
190 Nassau Ave. (at Humboldt St.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718-349-7775

Syrena Bakery

Massive establishment that must do a great deal of wholesale business; retail customers seem to prefer takeout to the fair-sized but rather functional seating area. My cheesecake ($6 per pound) had a crumbly, grainy top, and though ostensibly "plain," it had orange overtones, too.

Syrena Bakery
207 Norman Ave. (at Humboldt St.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718-349-0560
Closed Sunday

Oneg Heimishe Bakery

Ritzy, after a fashion: crispy flatbread with onion and poppyseeds ($6 per pound).

Oneg Heimishe Bakery
188 Lee Ave. (Rutledge-Heyward Sts.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-797-0971
Closed Saturday

Sander's Kosher Bakery

Firm-bodied apple strudel ($1.50).

Sander's Kosher Bakery
159 Lee Ave. (at Penn St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-387-7411
Closed Saturday

Yemen Café

Fateh ($15), bread bits cooked in gravy and topped with minced lamb, was our large group's clear favorite on a cool, drizzly evening.

Keur N'Deye

The red paper covering the windows may add a cheery glow, but that's still paper covering the windows. Long before there was a Little Senegal in West Harlem — 17 years ago, in fact — Keur N'Deye began serving the food of that West African nation in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. It's closing for good, said co-owner Salif Cisse on Wednesday evening, noting matter-of-factly that a number of high-end residential developments will open soon within sight of the restaurant. Salif and his wife, Marie, have no plans to move Keur N'Deye or, for the time being, to open another restaurant; after a long run, they plan to take a break from the business.

Keur N'Deye
737 Fulton St. (South Elliot Pl.-South Portland Ave.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
718-875-4937