Shore leave comes but once a month. Don't call out the M.P.s — the transplanted and visiting Norwegians you'll meet around the koldtbord and at the communal tables are an amiable lot, with perhaps not a single sailor among them. And there's no need to rush the door; the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet (as of 2013, $30) is exceptionally well supported by fresh platters arriving from the kitchen. Just sail on in, and enjoy.
Norwegian Seaman's Church
317 East 52nd St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
www.SjomannsKirken.no/kirke/new-york/kalender
212-319-0370
Lunch buffet, 12:00-2:00, on one Wednesday in most months; call to confirm schedule and for reservations
