Eating In Translation

Delicioso Coco Helado

Small moment of grace: a generic ices cart distinguished by handmade cozies.

Delicioso Coco Helado
Melrose, Bronx

Chan's Dragon Inn

The modest decor of Bensonhurst's Silver Star and the Polynesian getup of Chan's Dragon Inn could hardly be more different. Even the purplish flame that flickered in our faces (and over the countenance of the totemlike figure on the war shield hanging close by) had a more exotic glow. Our mission, however, was unchanged: to hunt down the Americanized Chinese food of our youth.

Though the pu pu platter was adequate to set the scene, the tiki drinks (said my dining buddies) were less than potent. Fried rice and shrimp in lobster sauce were good; portions of roast pork Hawaii, however, went unclaimed. War shu opp was oversauced and skimpy; this pressed-duck dish had been the hit of the evening at Silver Star. But butterfly shrimp, which fell flat in Brooklyn, soared at Chan's. For these two precious dishes, war shu opp and butterfly shrimp, if only we could choose one from restaurant A and one from restaurant B...

See more photos on the EIT page on Facebook.

Chan's Dragon Inn
630 Broad St. (Edgewater Ave.-Banta Pl.), Ridgefield, New Jersey
201-943-1276

White Manna Hamburgers

A burger (one of several, $1.35 each), the burger joint, and a view of the Hackensack River out back.

White Manna Hamburgers
358 River St. (Ward-Passaic Sts.), Hackensack, New Jersey
201-342-0914
www.Facebook.com/pages/White-Manna/103797772991960

P&S Bakery & Restaurant

Bread pudding "GT style" ($1.50) — in the fashion of Guyana's capital and largest city, Georgetown. Though paler and less potent than the Caribbean nation's celebrated black cake, this corner slice was every bit as moist.

P&S Bakery & Restaurant
917 Utica Ave. (Church-Snyder Aves.), East Flatbush, Brooklyn
718-485-2020

Taste of Samarkand

Cow feet are common to many cuisines. In New York, they can be found in Jamaican soups, Nigerian stews, and the occasional West Indian souse. Often you must contend with bones and unyielding connective tissue; the edible portions can be rubbery.

Veal feet are rarer. The glistening oblong inside this Uzbek osh-potche ($17.95) was tender and rich, end to end, almost beyond belief. Though the price may seem dear for the portion, know that a small gobbet goes a long way, especially when your fellow diners have fattened themselves on many earlier courses. See more from this Sunday lunch on the EIT Facebook page.

Taste of Samarkand
62-16 Woodhaven Blvd. (Dry Harbor Rd.-62nd Dr.), Rego Park, Queens
718-672-2121
www.TasteOfSamarkand.com
Closed from Friday afternoon through Saturday dinner

Biang!

(This venue is closed.) In many of New York's cultural enclaves, a sign like this wouldn't be unusual. Where restaurant proprietors and the majority of their clientele share a language other than English, that's the language one can expect to hear spoken inside, and that's the language that often dominates the menu. Outside, the signage that greets prospective customers is sometimes accompanied by an English translation, sometimes not.

At its original home, in Flushing's Chinatown, Biang! took the latter course. The sign that faced the street incorporated English as well as Chinese, and it name-checked the owner's counter-service mini-chain, Xi'an Famous Foods. At its current home, in the East Village — which is no longer an enclave even for hipsters — the Chinese-only principal signage has an insider appeal, like a nightclub's secret entrance to a private room. The entrance, however, is marked by a large character, deeply incised, and painted gold; the secret is an open one, served with a wink.

Shown below, from meals at the shuttered Flushing location: qiao mian jiao tuan, a thick, warm buckwheat pudding (now absent from the menu), accompanied by a soy-sauce dip spiced with mustard oil; liang tiao shan ye cai, a cold salad of fiddlehead ferns with pepper oil and black vinegar.

Biang!
157 Second Ave. (9th-10th Sts.), Manhattan
718-888-7713
www.Biang-NYC.com

Maca Peruvian Restaurant

Some say "cerdo," some say "puerco." Of all the Spanish words for pork, "chancho" seems to be particular to South America; I've never heard it at a Mexican or Central American restaurant. By any name, Maca's tamal de chancho set ($12) starts the day off right. Also included: well-camouflaged slices of sweet potato, salsa criolla, aji verde, and (not shown) a French loaf, the toasted corn called cancha, and that essential component of many breakfasts around the world, a bottomless cup of coffee.

Maca Peruvian Restaurant
62-12 Woodhaven Blvd. (Dry Harbor Rd.-62nd Dr.), Rego Park, Queens
718-651-2441
www.Facebook.com/MacaFood

Eddie's Sweet Shop

Cheery windows (shown here from a number of years ago) merely hint at the delights inside: shakes, sundaes, and splits, filled to overflowing, each more colorful than the next. Plain and simple, however, also have a place at this century-old sweet shop. From a recent visit: a root beer egg cream (large, $3).

Eddie's Sweet Shop
105-29 Metropolitan Ave. (at 72nd Rd.), Forest Hills, Queens
718-520-8514
www.Facebook.com/EddiesSweetShop
Closed Monday

Indonesian bazaar at the First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills

Like its Western Javanese cousin gado-gado, the Central Javanese salad called pecel (Pet-Chel) is often dressed with a peanut-based sauce. No peanuts here, however: Black sesame sauce marked the spot where I found pecel ndeso (n-Day-so). This "rustic" or "village" salad was accompanied by bongko, grated coconut worked into steamed mashed beans; tempeh; a rice cracker stippled with tiny anchovies; and, of course, rice. Without rice, it's not a meal.

Labor-intensive dishes like pecel ndeso rarely make public appearances in New York, but this annual benefit — which this year raised funds for needy children in Borneo — invariably offers a few pleasant surprises. For many more photos of sweet and savory items from multiple bazaars, see the slideshow.

Indonesian bazaar at the First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills
70-35 112th St. (70th Ave.-70th Rd.), Forest Hills, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events /1698676630406754
(The 2016 event was held on April 30)

Emmy Squared

Greek-style pies like those at my hometown standby, Hope Pizza, are baked in an oiled pan rather than directly on the oven floor. Perhaps that explains why I took so readily to Emmy Squared, where the pies are also pan-baked, but Detroit style. The pan is deeper; the cornicione, or lip, is taller and crisper; the crust as a whole is a little oilier and chewier; the toppings are terrific.

Shown below ($17 for each six-piece rectangular pie): the Hatchback, which sports Hatch chile peppers, chorizo, and crema; the sausage-pepper-mushroom Deluxe; and the Roni Supreme, good ol' pepperoni amped up with Calabrian chiles.

Emmy Squared
364 Grand St. (at Marcy Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-360-4535
www.EmmySquared.com