SWEET MELISSA BAKERY

Adorable bakery in Central Cobble Hill, Delish passionfruit cheesecake and hand rolled chocolate croissants. Just a note, the next door creamery which Time Out alluded made their own ice-cream so does it's name does not make their own ice-cream it is Hershey's from Pennsylvania I was dissapointed to learn. Skip the ice-cream store and choose a sweet treat at the bakery instead.
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BRIGHTON BAZAAR

Say "da" to this enormus smorgasboard of Russian food and many kinds of borscht including borscht with meat, white borscht, cold and hot borscht, all housemade. My lunch here last week included cold borscht with a small selection from the buffet including veal meatballs and boiled new potatoes with dill. My lunch cost $5 with soup and buffet. Other dishes include stroganoff, Russian postato salad, blini galore. Selections of specialty cheeses, herrings, salamis etc. as well as fruit are available at this local mainstay.
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ALI BABA TURKISH RESTAURANT

Ali Baba on East 34th Street is my favorite Manhattan Turkish spot. Located near the very elegant Turkish Kitchen on 3rd Ave this place has one very important food item the other doesn't- Turkish bread. Arriving warm and nicely baked in a bread basket, turkish bread is one of those perfect companions to the meal. If you come for lunch there is a $9.95 lunch special that rocks. You get a choice of appetizer and an entree and the appetizers include bread with little almonds and noodles. The appetizers include lentil soup, a wonderful shepards salad of tomato, cucumber, onions, parsley, lemon, vinegar and spices. My favorite lunchtime entree is the shish kebab which are cubes of roasted and seasoned lamb over the yummy rice. A bite of bread and lamb is a classic Turkish combo. For dinner a more extensive menu of poultry, meat, fish and vegetarian items can be found on the menu. I have eaten here at dinner and there is a salmon casserole with cream, vegetables and kastar cheese that is super duper. They bake their own baklava(the recommeded dessert) with pistachios and honey. This restaurant attracts a very international crowd and it is not unusual to hear several languages spoken in this pretty, little spot. Another outpost in East Midtown is coming soon.
MUST GO!

B BAR AND GRILL

Formerly called the Bowery Bar and Grill, I realized that I have never eaten in this 80's iconic restaurant. The restaurant is very large and located on the corner of East 4th. Street and Cooper Square. It was fairly empty at lunch and I was seated immediately at a plush booth with a garden view- bingo! The dining room is decorated with black and beige banguettes, a wood beamed ceiling and a palm tree in the center of the room with lots of light making for an uber cool space. I started with mint lemonade which even though it was not homemade, it was minty and refreshing. I ordered the quesadilla with shrimp and also asked for wild mushroom which I was not charged extra for and cost $9. The tortilla was on the thick side with a strange tasting red sauce and crema squirted on the top and served with a small side salad. There is a vast lunch menu with sandwiches and paninis all under $15 like yellowfin tuna, or bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato for $10 which are served with a side salad. Overall, the food was fine, but the view and and chill vibe was exceptional.
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THE ODEON

Oh, the Odeon, debaucherous late night 80's hotspot for the NY artworld and local celebrities. Now an art deco landmark with wood wainscotting, mirrors, maroon colored banguettes and deco lighting. The food is secondary with the deco decor being the star of the show and of course you! Myself and a Tribecca friend were there for lunch on Friday, where we were seated at a larger table with a slightly obstructed view. First comes the warm rolls with the Odeon labeled butter, lovely. My beet salad with shaved fennel, mandarin slices and aged goat cheese for $12 was tiny. The balance of the lovely red and yellow beets with the fennel was tasty though standard goat cheese would have been the preferred option. My lunch companion's eggs benedict was slightly runny with a slight smattering of hollandaise and the small bits of the end of the french fry batch as an accompaniment. The bus boy informed us that pictures are a no-no, oh well too late. Other than the dining room, the bathroom is one of my all time NY favorites, it is downstairs with a large outer area with two wooden phone booths(remember those) and an antique scale. In the jane with more deco tile and black doors on the stalls and a separate powder room with make-up mirrors and stools, and a pic of Jean-Michel Basquait no doubt an early patron.
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