Eating In Translation

Café Lily

Café Lily is a rare New York restaurant serving cuisine of the Koryo-Saram, members of the Korean diaspora who lived, or still live, in the Soviet Union or its successor states. Spiciness is tempered to the tastes of Eastern Europe or Central Asia, in this case Uzbekistan. My soup, a close cousin of the kuksu at Café at Your Mother-in-Law, seemed inflamed by chiles, but the more insistent flavor came from vinegary slices of cucumber.

This fern salad with beef filled out my meal; it just so happened that the salad was served hot, the soup, cold. Even after several hours of food hunting on foot, I dispatched them both with ease.

Café Lily
42 Ave. O (9th-10th Sts.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-872-5500
www.Facebook.com/CafeLilyBrooklyn
Closed Wednesday

Georgian Deli and Bakery

"Qada" is the name at this Georgian bakery; the seeming cognate "gata" is typical in Georgia's neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan. Back home, by reputation, it varies from region to region, even village to village, but the qada (and gata) of South Brooklyn tend toward one common style: a laminated pastry, burnished on top, enfolding more richness than sweetness. In fact this is an Armenian Georgian rendition, a counterwoman explained; the shop also prepares another, purely Georgian, version that I have yet to try.

This sparingly sweet, buttery qada is surely wonderful with tea, provided that one can wait till teatime. Best to buy several. Also shown: a quark and apple cake ("We call them 'bananas'," another counterwoman told me); and churchkhela, a confection prepared by threading nuts onto a string, dipping them repeatedly in grape must, and air-drying them. The display below includes two varieties of housemade churchkhela, with hazelnuts and with walnuts.

Georgian Deli and Bakery
2270 86th St. (Bay 32nd St.-23rd Ave.), Gravesend, Brooklyn
718-280-9119
www.GeorgianDB.com

Lioni Italian Heroes

Veal parm hero.

Lioni Italian Heroes
7803 15th Ave. (78th-79th Sts.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-232-1411
Also at 406 36th St. (Fourth Ave.), Sunset Park
718-499-2011
www.LioniHeroes.com

Rimini Pastry Shoppe

Apple strudel, from a recent non-holiday, non-snowy weekend. The wider-angle photo of the display case shows only a small fraction of the baked goods on offer.

Rimini Pastry Shoppe (aka Rimini Bakery)
6822 Bay Pkwy. (at Bay Ridge Ave.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-236-0644
www.FamousRiminiBakery.com

D'Still Liquors

"I cant believe this sign is still there," a commenter on Instagram told me, adding that the business closed "late 80s early 90s maybe." Even considering that the sign faces away from the sun — and not to conflate regional liquor lovers — that's Rip Van Winkle time, and then some!

D'Still Liquors
Surviving hand-drawn signage outside Lieutenant Spirits Wine & Liquor
7020 New Utrecht Ave. (at 71st St.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-232-8858

Tamales Doña Lidia

"Rajas," literally translated from Spanish to English, mean "slices" or "strips." But as surely as a deli man's cold cuts will be cuts of meat, a tamalera's rajas will be chile peppers, trimmed long and thin. In Mexico, often the pepper is a poblano; in my rajas con queso tamal, a flash of green revealed jalapeño.

Tamales Doña Lidia
Under a canopy (and beside the cart of La Esquina del Sabor, which shares its phone number), 18th Ave. at 85th St., Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
347-241-7216
Daily, except Monday, midafternoon through late night

Pad Thai Kitchen

(This venue is closed.) Chantaburi-style pad thai, crowned by soft-shell crab, at a sheltered outdoor table. Five more styles of pad thai to try!

H/T @Garsleat

Pad Thai Kitchen
6218 18th Ave. (62nd-63rd Sts.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-484-0156
www.PadThaiBK.com

Si n'Shpi

Qofte djegëst (Chofe-tah Yeah-guest) — as served, and as assembled into one of a series of ad hoc sliders — at a sheltered outdoor table. If you don't like your Albanian qofte so spicy, you can always order it padjegëst.

Si n'Shpi ("Like Home")
2307 65th St. (23rd-24th Aves.), Mapleton, Brooklyn
917-933-4579
www.Instagram.com /SinShpi_Restaurant

L'Algéroise

The lingua franca at L'Algéroise is Arabic, but English and, I imagine, French will also serve you well. This croissant (not quite sliced in two), various pastries (the "leafy" one is filled with apple), and my maamoul (with date) represent a fraction of the baked goods on display.

H/T Esneider Arevalo and Joe Gessert

L'Algéroise
2169 Bath Ave. (Bay Pkwy.-Bay 29th St.), Bath Beach, Brooklyn
718-872-6795
https://LAlgeroise-french-patisserie.business.site

Ipoh Kitchen

Ipoh sauteed rice cake cubes (char koay kak, or char kueh kak), a rare NYC sighting of this Malaysian street food. Bring the heat.

Ipoh Kitchen
6415 20th Ave. (64th-65th Sts.), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-256-0023
www.IpohKitchen.com