Eating In Translation

Samia's

The pumpkin is all surface, a fine place for it.

SomethinGreek

I've had more than my share of parched, leathery stuffed vegetables. These were anything but.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop

Your road may not be strewn with the same rocks as mine, but any confection called "rocky road" almost invariably contains a few key ingredients: milk chocolate (and here, white, too); nuts, in this case chopped walnuts; and — how is this rocky? — marshmallow. This square ($2.50) held them firm, despite the shallow roadbed.

Another time I'd like to road-test the pistachio icebox pie, though in truth I'd probably park myself at a sidewalk table.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop
9102 Third Ave. (at 91st St.), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
718-680-4127
www.LittleCupcakeBakeshop.com

Sweet Arayssi

Incredibly cheap sweets: mishmishya (three for a dollar), dried-apricot paste rolled over and around pistachio.

Sweet Arayssi
7216 Fifth Ave. (72nd-73rd Sts.), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
718-745-2115

Piattini Ristorante

Soft opening.

East Harbor

By 2:00 p.m., the dim sum cart traffic had thinned out.

Plaka Restaurant

Gyro-seeking commuters come and go, but this informal little restaurant named for the "old town" of Athens also allows time for reminiscing over a carafe of retsina.

Norwegian Refreshment Tent

Why fill your belly with a bun when you can lay your hot dog on a lefse ($3)? Once rolled into shape, the potato-based flatbread did a fine job of corralling condiments, even if the refreshment tent offered nothing more exotic than Heinz relish, plus just one Scandinavian soda, orange-flavored Solo (330 ml.; $2). The parade itself has an old-time, small-town feel, especially near the shade of Leif Ericson Park.

Norwegian Refreshment Tent
Leif Ericson Park
Near 67th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.)
At the Norwegian Independence Day Parade

Uncle Louie G's

I first encountered Uncle Louie G's in Midwood; a scoop of root beer sorbet (small; $2) had a slightly bitter taste of, well, roots, but the uneven, grainy texture was certainly interesting. Another time, in Bay Ridge, lemon sorbet (shown; large; $3) was much smoother and more refreshing.

Uncle Louie G's
376 86th St., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
(one of many locations)
718-724-2120

Damascus Gate

(This venue is closed.) Syrian fatteh is a thick porridge of garlicky yogurt bolstered with bits of toasted pita.