The painters had arrived with their ladders, buckets and loud radio music. Escaping the chaos, I needed a place where I could sit and have a simple dish that would set my skewed day to rights.

I found it at Spices and Tease, a new purveyor of loose teas, blends and spice mixes with a small case of quiches and pastries. A few egg-yolk yellow chairs front a counter—there I waited a while for my tomato, spinach and ricotta quiche ($5) to heat up in a tiny oven. Still, it was pleasant to sit in a fragrant spice shop, hearing the lilting voices of the French staff. Cousins Bruno Benzacken and François Athea hail from a European spice dynasty and began selling spices and teas eight years ago at street fairs, but whether they can make a go of it with a shop so specialized remains to be seen.

Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein

I was happy that my quiche had only the faintest traces of pepper and sel de Guérande and no “omelet mix” of the sort being sold in the shop! Each forkful of creamy cheese, spinach, butter-laden crust and chewy sun-dried tomatoes said, “You will find comfort in this simple sustenance.” Other quiches on offer are goat cheese, mushroom and truffle oil and French blue cheese, caramelized onion and walnut.

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This column is, alas, my last “Snack Attack” for West Side Spirit and Our Town. In the past four years, I’ve enjoyed searching for the perfect satisfying savory snacks—all under $5 and eventually $6. From Swedish smørrebrød sandwiches in the café of a pristine church to empanadas from a hidden drawer in a Parks Dept. cart, snacks have more than filled an appetite—they have often given a welcome fillip to an otherwise mundane day and taken me to ever new corners of my beloved New York City.

You can be sure I will continue snacking and telling. Please keep up with my writings—on food and other topics—at http://www.nancyjbrandwein.com. Thanks to my loyal, hungry readers and to photographer Daniel S. Burnstein for making all the snacks look so scrumptious!

Spices and Tease
2580 Broadway
(betw. 98th & 97th Sts.)
347-470-8327
www.spicesandtease.com

Only in the cuisines of Southern India and Gujarat in the west have I seen the sometimes leaden lentil transformed into something light and ethereal. Often used as the meat substitute in unpalatable veggie burgers, lentils at Indian vegetarian restaurant Bhojan form the floury foundation for delicate dumplings and fluffy teacakes.

Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein

While many people come to Bhojan for the thalis, the signature Gujarat meal served in a mind-boggling array of tiny silver dishes, you can find inexpensive, interesting sustenance on the small plate menu. My dahi balle ($6) consisted of two lentil-flour dumplings surrounded by a swirl of yogurt, coriander and two chutneys flecked with cumin seeds. The crumbly dumplings were a medium for the refreshing cold sauce. My warm steamed lentil cakes, dhokla ($5), were more firm but still delicate, the color of cornbread and topped by a split, slender green pepper. I cut small pieces of each diamond-shaped cake—traditional at festivities in Gujarat—and dipped them first in sweet red tamarind sauce and then in a green mint/coriander chutney. On the back wall of this attractive space, with its green wine bottle lighting fixtures and upturned copper bowls lining the ceiling, the words of Swami Sivananda Saraswati stand out in gold lettering: Serve Love Give Purify Meditate Realise. You’ll feel the love…in the lentils.

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Bhojan
102 Lexington Ave.
(near E. 27th St.)
www.fineindiandining.com

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“Fonda” means “inn,” which is funny since you can barely wiggle your way in to this tiny taqueria with its bright green walls and thumping Mexican music. Yet it displays a largesse befitting a real fonda. When I order my $3.75 taco al pastor, a metal bowl of chips arrives along with three fresh salsas—tomatillo, dried chile and, best of all, a bright green cilantro mixture enlivened with chopped avocado. I dare you to refrain from eating not only one bowl of chips but also from asking for another. These deep-fried tortilla triangles are head and shoulders above the usual Tostitos clones.

But save room. Portions are generous, even for small items like my taco. The grilled pork, bright pineapple chunks, onions and tomatoes spilled out of two steamed corn tortillas. You know the food is fresh because it’s cooked on a grill that commandeers the room.

daniel s. burnstein

Crowded with neighborhood regulars, workers and Columbia students, this taqueria anchored its strip of Amsterdam long before it became dotted with bars and ethnic restaurants. Native Californians I know vouch for its authentic Southwestern Mexican cuisine, like the pipian—pumpkin seed sauce with your choice of beef, chicken or pork ($8.95/lunch)—and one, now a Bostonian, comes whenever he’s in town. This fonda has a following!

Taqueria y Fonda
968 Amsterdam Ave.
(betw. 107th and 108th Sts.)
212-531-0325
www.taqueriayfonda.com

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When in Rome, my friend says pizza is THE thing to eat. When in Rome, you crowd the counter, using your fingers to show how large a slice. When in Rome, you fold the pizza and the olive oil drips down your hand—and that’s a good thing.

She doesn’t think the Roman-style pizza at Farinella quite matches up. Yes, it’s pre-sliced and not as oily. Yet, in New York we tweak the foods from other lands to create something wholly new.

Daniel S. Burnstein

In this case I’d say “holy,” because my rectangular prosciutto slice ($4.75) inspired something like religious ecstasy. Generous layers of quality prosciutto lay dappled with mozzarella and I’d say just enough oil, salt and pepper. I had my piece cut into thirds to prolong the experience and share with my friend, who ordered that nod to summer, the Caprese ($4.75), with mozzarella, basil and tomato. It turns out the bakery was awaiting a shipment of buffalo mozzarella that would have turned the Caprese into Farinella’s “DOC”—drug of choice. Superb ingredients, chewy, thin crusts and an array of quintessential Italian toppings make Farinella worth trying. I also appreciated the mini calzoni, puffy packets of ricotta, mozzarella and tomato ($2.50).

And speaking of tweaking: the smiling-faced Farinella logo looks like Coney Island’s “Tillie Face.” When in New York…

Farinella Italian Pizza Bakery
1132 Lexington Ave.
(betw. 78th & 79th Sts.)
212-327-2702
www.farinellabakery.com

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In a stretch of Ninth Avenue that could should be called Banghok Kitchen instead of Hell’s Kitchen, Pure Thai Shophouse has developed a devoted following for its canteen atmosphere, authentic value-priced noodle dishes and, reportedly, its interesting snacks. I’m puzzled about the latter; the lunch menu offered the usual satays, curry puffs and spring rolls.

Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

I ordered my favorites—crispy tofu ($2.50) and chicken curry puffs ($3/2)—and the most unique: steamed fresh roll ($3). The roll casing has the lovely texture of a flabby homemade noodle and pleases the eyes and taste buds. Cross sections revealed a rainbow of sausage, smoked tofu, sprouts and cucumber, and each rested in a sweet tamarind reduction. “But,” I motioned the waitress over, “What about the crab?” (Whenever I get a chance to order pork and crab together, I do.) The waitress pointed to tiny shreds of what looked like coconut on top of each section. As my daughter would say, “Fail!” Also disappointing were the bland fried tofu steak fries with a ho-hum “gastrique,” i.e. sauce. Yet the chicken curry puffs were flaky, earthy and redolent of lemongrass, and bouncy Thai pop music, comfy stools and a long wooden bar for single diners all give Pure Thai a fun feel.

Pure Thai Shophouse
766 9th Ave.
(betw. W. 51st & W. 52nd Sts.)
212-581-0999

At the Union Square farmers market, only one of the several hundred vendors and farmers is listed as being from “New York County.” Among the stands from Suffolk, Dutchess and Kings County, Hot Bread Kitchen stands out. A bakery with a mission based in East Harlem, this 4-year-old business not only produces outstanding artisanal breads, it also serves as a job training program for foreign-born and low-income women. And while they are the only truly “local” vendor, their recipes are from world’s away.

Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

A Moroccan woman named Bouchra is responsible for adding her country’s irresistible flatbread, m’smen, to Hot Bread Kitchen’s offerings. Now one of their most popular items, these buttery, dense flat squares most resemble French crepes in flavor, but they are layered and chewier. Don’t eat them cold; you need to heat them up and flip them on an iron skillet to truly know the ecstasy they can produce. For a savory snack, sprinkle with spiced ground lamb or with goat cheese, honey and harissa (North African hot sauce). For a sweet treat, spread them with apricot jam or, as my son does, Nutella. While pricey at $2.50 each, they are filling and fulfilling—hopes and dreams, that is. Bouchra dreams of running a small Moroccan cafe. I’ll be there.
Hot Bread Kitchen
Union Square Greenmarket
(8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays)
To see where else they sell their bread, go to www.hotbreadkitchen.org.

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Over 20 years ago, my friend Lorraine and I went to the Yucatán peninsula. While I remember the impressive Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum, I mostly remember riding on rickety buses as children sold “cacahuates” (peanuts) and eating surprisingly good food at markets and fly-ridden bus stations. Oh to be young, carefree and in Mexico again! I thought of those days as my dear friend and I sat on stools at the new outpost of Cascabel Taqueria, the counter nicely open to the cool autumnal air and a view of passersby on Broadway.

Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

Cascabel is an upscale take on the authentic Mexican taqueria, now ubiquitous in the city. I wasn’t about to pay what Lorraine did for three tacos ($11.75!), but I found great value in the costilla de carne ($6), an enormous rib with succulent fatty beef slathered in cumin and pasilla chile puree. Served on a small aluminum tray, it rested on radish discs and a refreshing yogurt-like lime crème sauce. An ear of elote asado—grilled corn—was also more meal than snack: sweet yellow corn dressed up with Mexican aioli, hot cascabel chile and queso cotija ($5). Clinking “pequeño” glasses of beer ($4/9 oz.), we talked about the realities of middle-aged life—elderly parents, errant children and home renovation.

Cascabel Taqueria
2799 Broadway
(near 108th St.)
212-665-1500
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With my kids home from camp for an endless summer, I’ve spent lunchtimes over a hot griddle assembling grilled cheese sandwiches to share between us. I have become expert in my technique—just enough Vermont cheddar, with a squirt of mustard or daub of chutney. I stack six sandwiches, cut them neatly in half, pop them into a warm oven and yell “Luuuuunch.”

Piccolo Café. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

Can’t someone make a grilled cheese sandwich for me? I set off for Piccolo Café, a warm, small space with high wooden chairs and wood plank tables. This tiny café is many things to many people—from morning espresso and breakfast bar, with green olive omelets ($8) and truffle egg sandwiches ($9), to panini and pasta shop. My Italian style toast ham and cheese panini ($6) was simple but elegant, on excellent Gian Piero bread with ample thin slices of ham and a slice of mozzarella. The cheese melting over the crust made it shine like a glazed donut, and I liked that my side salad was not an afterthought but perky mesclun with a sweet balsamic dressing. Piccolo reminded me of restaurants in Milan, where Milanese office workers ordered items like gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce ($8) after a hard day and where tired Moms, like myself, could find respite and civility.

*Piccolo Café has three locations but prices differ at each, so check out their menus online.

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Piccolo Café
157 3rd Ave. (near 15th St.)*
212-260-1175
www.piccolocafe.us

Tapas have come to seem like a dining cliché—our love affair with them has brought on a small plate revolution (and a well hidden uptick in the cost of entrées). But when done right, they are a revelation.

Buceo 95 does tapas right, and, amazingly, it’s in the middle of the Upper West Side, an area that usually doesn’t boast venues this hip, lively and inventive. Yet Buceo also has a relaxed, super-friendly vibe, embodied in manager/sommelier John Davidson, who stops by to chat about Spanish wines. My friend and I drank peachy white Sangria made with Spanish wine while noshing on addictive Marcona almonds ($6) and trio of pinxtos—Basque for “toothpicks,” with which they are usually skewered.

Buceo 95. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

Pinxto sounds like “pinch,” and these inspired combinations will goose your taste buds. My favorite was toast layered with smoked salmon, lemon aioli and a quail egg, almost raw and tiny enough not to overwhelm ($5). The heat in a skewer of Basque peppers, olives and anchovies ($4) creeps up on you slowly.

The menu references the Basque city of San Sebastian, which, according to Davidson, is known for bars that compete to turn out the most adventurous pinxtos. With pinxtos like soft chorizo with pepper mousse and saffron honey ($5), Buceo 95 is saying, “Bring it on!”

Buceo 95
201 W. 95th St.
(near Amsterdam Ave.)
212-662-7010
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Bi Lokma means “one bite” in Turkish, and it is the newest venue of restaurant owner/cook Orhan Yegen. A strange hybrid of self-serve cafeteria and restaurant, the combo works in Midtown East, where office goers often spend their lunchtimes in nondescript food courts. A few steps above the street and many steps up in quality, Bi Lokma is another product of Yegen’s passion for Turkish food; he’s so passionate, he claims not to care that he makes no money selling it (but don’t get him started on the evils of sharing plates!).

Bi Lokma. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

Patrons seemed happy at this eight-table spot at which almost no entrée is over $10. A wizened, frail-looking Yegen came out to kvell over his creations as patrons tucked into ample plates of lamb döner ($9.50) or baked meatballs ($8.50) with fluffy pilaf, eggplant and tomatoes on the side. Speaking of the latter, my içli köfte ($3.50), often known as kibbeh, rested on an interesting take on the tomato. Ezme is finely chopped tomato with shallots in olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Its sweetness was the perfect accompaniment to the torpedo-shaped köfte, a cracked-wheat shell enclosing juicy chopped lamb and walnuts. Sprinkle lemon juice on top to heighten the piquancy of this little fried wonder, but don’t let it disappear in “one bite.”
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Bi Lokma
212 East 45th St. (between 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
212-687-3842

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