Awash

Awash - 338 E. 6th Street (Ethiopian)
This is a second location for an already existing Ethiopian restaurant on the upper West side. This place is terrific! It's between 1st and 2nd avenue, at the end of a long line of Indian restaurants. It's tiny, elegant, longer than it is wide, with a neat bar in the back for Tej (honey wine). I've just been won over to Ethiopian food, and this place serves it quite tastily. Go!

Atlas Cafe

Atlas Cafe - 73 2nd Avenue (between 4th and 5th) (Vegetarian/Vegan)
A nifty east village sandwich shoppe with lots of vegan/vegetarian options. Other goodies (both veggie and omnivorous) include breakfast platters, crepes, smoothies, and a whole slew of tasty (yet animal-free) cakes and sweets. Not bad - and with the summer months a'comin', they've also got outdoor tables...!

Jacques Torres

Jacques Torres – 350 Hudson Street
Specializing in gourmet chocolates, Jacques Torres offers bonbons, truffles, and other chocolate goodies – all slightly higher in quality than Max Brenners (and not as flamboyantly creative). Though not worth a special trip across town, the staff is sweet - and the signature hot chocolate is strikingly rich. (The original shoppe is in Dumbo, at 66 Water Street)

Chocolate Bar

Chocolate Bar - 48 8th Avenue
Again, not Asian. But worth a quick note as one travels through the West Village area. A popular coffee/chocolate joint - stylish, upscale and known for celebrity sightings. A quick summary says it all: tasty chocolate (though surely not the best in town) - with prices that are too high, though fair for the image that they're trying to project.

Balducci's

Balducci's - 81 8th Avenue (near 14th Street) (Gourmet Groceries)
Another gourmet grocery store, similar in theme to Dean and Deluca. There are alot of greens here, dried fruits, and gourmet goodies, snacks and treats. (The chocolate selection is pretty nice.) Good to know its there - though I personally think I'll continue to frequent Stop and Shop...!

NY Dosa Cart

NY Dosa Cart - Washington Square Park (W. 4th and Sullivan) (Sri Lankan)
Nominated for the 2007 Vendy Awards, this street cart is famous in the west village - and much loved by the NYU crowd. Manned by Thiru Kumar, the cart specialty is dosas, accompanied by a handful of snacks/extras (such as vegetable rolls, Jaffna patties and Pakoda.) Thanks to its popularity, the lines are quasi-long, but the food is well priced (only $5.00 for a decent sized dosa). Fresh off the griddle--and pleasantly fluffy--these babies do hit the spot. And as an extra bonus, they're vegan!

Peanut Butter & Co.

Peanut Butter and Co - 240 Sullivan Street (off Bleeker)
Recently, my culinary whims have been steering me towards specialty shoppes - novelty establishments with one or two items on the menu (both Asian and American). A surprising number of such places exist in New York, fetishing comfort foods such as:

Okonomiyaki's (Otafuku)
Macaroni and Cheese (S'Mac)
Grilled Cheese Sandwichs (Say Cheese)

Located in the West Village, PB&C continues the trend - offering a million and one ways to make that American culinary staple, the peanut butter sandwich. Pricier than your mother's PB, the $6 - $7 items on the menu run from classic sandwiches, to Fluffernutters with marshmellow fluff. Other artery clogging offerings include peanut butter with chocolate, jelly or nutella - on a variety of breads from bagel to wheat (vegan options available.) The service is pleasant -and though expensive, these munchies are filling - having ordered the cookie dough sandwich, I found it tasty - but too rich to eat more than half.

Given the cost, places such as Peanut Butter & Co. are destined to remain novelty acts. Good for one evening out on the town, but unlikely to garner repeat business. Still - its a cute idea...nicely presented. Besides, any place offering a menu item called "The Elvis" wins a spot in my memory book - for creativity at least.