Polskie Delikatesy

Polskie Delikatesy - 4703 8th Avenue, Brooklyn (off 47th Street) (Polish)
A cute little bakery, located in the heart of Brooklyn Chinatown. There's not alot to be found here, but the small selection of cakes and pastries are really tempting. Worth a look if you're in the area...and looking for a new cuisine to sink your teeth into.

Kabir's Bakery

Kabir's Bakery - 1425 Foster Avenue, Brooklyn and 29-05 36th Avenue, LIC (Indian/Pakistani)
Haven't been to a physical location, but have had their products at my local Bronx deli. They seem to have a good variety, so they deserve at least preliminary mention.

Primorski

Primorski - 282 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn (Between Brighton 2nd and 3rd Street) (Russian)
Primosky's has been around for 23 years. Nestled in the heart of Coney Island's Little Odessa, the restaurant has distinguished itself as one of the few Russian establishments to offer its patrons a taste of Russian and Georgian cuisine. Serving as both disco-nightclub and restaurant, the dining area for Primorsky is surprisingly classy and the menu impressively large, with options ranging from very cheap ($5.49 lunch specials featuring soup, salad and entree) to dinner banquets (priced around $40 per person.) For those who know what they want, a la carte is also available - featuring everything from the ubiquitous staples of borscht, dumplings and crepes to the less familiar Georgian specialities (which for me were the culinary draw.)

For those into exotic cuisine, there's alot here to try...offering unfamiliar names, and novel Georgian flavors. There's Satsivi -- featuring chunks of chicken bathed in a creamy walnut sauce. (A bit bony, reports my husband...though the sauce was rich and tasty.) Equally rich was the Kachapuri, a decadent stuffed pastry about the size and shape of a frisbee - the outer coating similar to a croissant, filled with thick, smooth Georgian cheese. (Oh God, if only they made one with soy cheese!) And there's stuff for vegans too - with large servings of Lavash Georgian bread, surprisingly tasty pickles (my actual highlight of the evening), rolled eggplant in walnut sauce and jonjoli salad - made from marinated acacia flowers. Not bad for a first trip...and there was definitely more to try - if only our stomachs had been a little bit bigger. The service? Pleasant. The bill? Not bad - with the tab running approximately $40 for four dishes and two Russian beers.

In Brooklyn, two other restaurants also offer Georgian food - well praised establishments known as Tbilisi and Piromansi. So will Primorski be my favorite of the three? Only time -- and experimentation -- will tell. But in the meantime, Primorski made for a pleasant introduction to a new culinary frontier. Uncle Vanya's, eat your heart out.

Barcade

Barcade - 388 Union Avenue, Brooklyn NY (Bar Only)

Large as a warehouse--and about as decorative--the idea behind Barcade is intriguing. Good beer, combined with old fashioned video games - playable for the original $.25. For those who grew up in the 80s, Barcade seems the perfect synergy of adult and post-adolescent fun...the chance to tie one on, while playing blast-from-the-past classics such as Ms. Pacman, Centipede, and Gauntlet .

Though great in concept, reality proves somewhat less than satisfying (at least for this old-timer.) During our trip, many of the games were broken (including old favorites such as Spyhunter, Galaga and Tetris.) And for those still operative, the thrill fades pretty fast. Compared to current standards, the graphics and play of the old arcades is pretty clunky...and there's only so many times you can play Berzerker before it gets old. (Okay, one time at best.)

There are a few neat ideas here - including little tables besides each game, providing places to put your drink. But--for me at least--the trip out to Brooklyn just wasn't worth it.

Want to play Ms. Pacman while buzzed? Buy a version for your PC, X-Box or Playstation - and pour yourself a comfortable drink at home. You'll never have to wait for a game...and it's less likely to be busted.

A Difference in Taste - Foodswings vs. Bliss

During a recent trip to Brooklyn, I was fortunate enough to be able to sample not one--but two--well known vegetarian restaurants, both located in the heart of Williamsburg. (Being a Bronx resident, I don't get out to Brooklyn too often...so you gotta scarf it down when the opportunity presents itself.)

The result? An interesting contrast in culinary philosophies - ranging from austere to the ultimate in fast food indulgence...with proof that vegan/vegetarian fare need not be bland, one-note...or even healthy.

Bliss - 191 Bedford Avenue (between 6th and 7th street)
Specializing in organic vegetarian, Bliss Cafe has a healthy, hipster vibe. Known for its brunches, the cafe serves up a number of veggie staples such as fresh squeezed juice, tofu scramble and homemade granola with yogurt (available in both soy and regular non-vegan varieties.) When I arrived, I'd actually hoped to score a breakfast burrito with a side of cornbread (said by some to be quite addictive.) But breakfast was over - resulting in an order for the titular Bliss Bowl...a mix of brown rice, tofu, salad dressing and steamed vegetables. The result? A lot of food, but very little flavor. Even with the ginger dressing, the bowl proved bland...and no tastier than straight steamed vegetables from Shop Rite (something that even I--with my limited culinary skills--could have topped.) To be fair, it was only one dish--which did admittedly leave my stomach with a nice, light airy feeling. And the breakfast food might have been better. The service was great, and the atmosphere pleasant. So perhaps Bliss deserves another chance. But given the long trip to Brooklyn, that's unlikely to happen.

Foodswings - 295 Grand Street (between Roebling and Havemeyer)
Then there's Foodswings - conceptualized by its owners as a punk, unapologetic ode to fast food (done all-vegan style)

There ain't a thing about Foodswings that's stylish. Decorated with all the flair of a school cafeteria, FS features loud music, no bathrooms, and disposable plates. Though not unpleasant, the counter staff's hardly attentive, and has a tendency to socialize on the job. (At least they did when I was there. Hey, who wants to pay attention to customers, anyway?)

You know what? I really like this place.

In stark contrast to vegan fare's reputation as healthy and bland, Foodswings serves up classic comfort food. The menu at FS reads like a Junk Food Hall of Fame, with items such as hotdogs, hamburgers, mac n' cheese, tuna salad sandwiches, pu-pu platters, chicken nuggets and even milkshakes (which are said to be awesome - with or without alcohol added.) Sure, the quesadillas have drippy vegan cheese - but they're warm and satisfying nonetheless! There's tofu jerky available at the counter, and various dessert options, depending on the day. (Though the cheesecake I had proved less than amazing...kind o' dry and heavy, and just not quite right.) The only drawback - certain items are only available late nights...so don't expect to satisfy your grilled ham and cheese craving during daylight hours. Okay, and the prices could be somewhat cheaper. Still - Foodswings is fun. Call me a proletariat, but given a choice between a Bliss Bowl and Vegan Fish n' Chips...? Well, there's just no contest.

Brooklyn Chinatown

Brooklyn Chinatown's been on my to-do list for quite some time. An obvious area of exploration, it just seemed so far away.... at least from the northern end of the Bronx. After all, Canal Street was so much closer - as were other neighborhoods such as Koreatown, Curry Hill and Little Toyko, all within a reasonable distance from work. But the trip was inevitable - awaiting the perfect day and the right amount of leisure time to hop a train towards Coney Island. Yesterday proved to be that day - warm but not stifling, with just enough hours of sunlight remaining to justify the ride on the N train...all the way out to 8th Avenue, and the area they call Brooklyn Chinatown.

Unlike it's brethren in Manhattan and Flushing, Brooklyn Chinatown is a strip. Surrounded on either side by residential buildings, the businesses and restaurants stick to 8th Avenue, clustered between 62nd Street (where the subway lets off) and 40th (resulting in a dead end and a bolster of trees.) And that makes exploration a snap - considerably easier than the maze of roads leading from Canal, resulting in twists, turns...and sometimes missed opportunities if you fail to wander down a particular street. With Brooklyn, you simply choose a street side, walk to 40th - then turn around and head on back. Perhaps the best thing about Brooklyn Chinatown is the layout. Simple. Easy. Accessible. Though somewhat lacking in adventure.

As for the food? Well, there are few surprises in Brooklyn Chinatown. For anyone already familiar with Canal or Flushing, the offerings are standard...food carts, some bubble tea shops and bakeries, some Vietnamese/Malaysian joints along the way - and even a few Turkish and Polish places thrown in for good measure (diversity reigns in NYC!) Good basic fare...though nothing truly novel or startling (at least during my maiden voyage.) (Actually, the highlight of my trip proved to be a quick look into a Polish bakery near 47th street...but that's just the start of a new obsession...)

So - is Brooklyn Chinatown worth the trip? Definitely - at least if you live in the borough. For those of us out towards Yonkers? ...well, it was still a day well spent!