Wallse

There are nights that call for a slightly upscale dining experience, but you've had your fill lately of French cuisine, Italian indulgences, and all shades of Asian infusions. You're thinking European elegance is the right move, but how many times can you go for a bistro, a tapas restaurant, a cafe? Well kids, this is the night you opt for Austrian fare and make a reservation at Wallse. Tell you more? Why, I'd be delighted.

Wallse is one of three restaurants from Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner - Cafe Sabarsky on the Upper East Side and Blaue Gans in Tribeca are the other two. (Sidenote: his wine bar, The Upholstery Store, is two doors down from Wallse, and Cafe Kristall should be coming to SoHo this winter). After having worked in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and New York (with David Bouley and then as executive chef at Monkey Bar), Chef Gutenbrunner opened Wallse as his first New York restaurant. This venture earned him two stars from the New York Times in 2004 and one star from Michelin each year since New York restaurants have been eligible for such an honor. Located on a quiet West Village corner near neighborhood hot spots like The Spotted Pig, Perry St, Barbuto, and myriad wine bars, Wallse both fits in (regarding ambiance and quality) and stands out (thanks to its unique cuisine).

The restaurant is comprised of two rooms, the first of which is equipped with a bar. The floors and seats are black, the walls and tablecloths are white, fresh flowers and plants fill the large windows, and the standout design element is the collection of paintings adorning the walls. Over-sized canvases loom over diners, demonstrating Gutenbrunner's desire to marry art and food; an integration which was the impetus to situate his Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie along Museum Mile.

So how's the food? Not too shabby. You'll find words like spatzle, goulash, wiener schnitzel, and kavalierspitz on the menu. You'll find ingredients like sour cream, cucumbers, lingonberries, and celery root throughout the dishes. Most importantly, you'll find balanced, tasty options like an appetizer of marinated pork loin with smoked eel and prunes, an entree of olive oil poached wild striped bass with sweet pepper marinade, or a roasted veal chop with spinach and chanterelles. Vegetarians won't go hungry either thanks to selections like potato ravioli with chanterelles and potato-chive broth, artichokes and spring root vegetables in a light basil sauce, and side dishes of creamed spinach and potato-cucumber salad.

Of course, to partake in this distinctive experience, it's going to cost a bit more than your average potato salad and apple strudel. At last check, appetizers ranged from $12-$19, entrees were $22-$42, and desserts were $9-$12. Side dishes were available for $9, and Austrian and German cheeses ran about the same. You may also opt to create your own tasting menu by selecting four courses for $75 or six courses for $98, as long as the whole table is on board.

So make a reservation when you're itching for something new, you finally got that promotion at work, and your handsome Viennese boyfriend is longing for a taste of home...assuming anyone at home went to culinary school at the age of 15 like Chef Gutenbrunner and can make a meal just as delicious.

Wallse - 344 West 11th Street, at the corner of Washington Street

No. 7 Sub

The most basic of meals might be a sandwich and soda - unless you're picking it up from No. 7 Sub, in which case your lunch just got straight up cray cray. Broccoli with fresh mozzarella, thai basil pesto, and fried lemon? Roast beef with chimichurri, hummus, and potato chips? Speck with brussel sprouts, pickled blueberries, and mayo? What's happening? I'm scared!

Shhh, lamb. It's ok. Have a sip of the hibiscus ginger ale and relax.

Located in the somewhat recently opened Ace Hotel, the even recentlierer opened sandwich shop is from the same team that brought you Brooklyn's No. 7. Since they are alums of the French Culinary Institute and the respected kitchens of Jean Georges, The Modern, and Perry St, you might trust that these chefs and pastry chefs know what they're doing. Then again, you might not, but that's on you and your trust issues.

The bread is baked off-site in a bakery in Crown Heights, which was opened solely for the purpose of making No. 7 Sub's bread and the syrups for their homemade sodas. Soda flavors include berry-lime rickey, maple cream, and the aforementioned hibiscus ginger ale. They are subject to change, however, just as the sandwich options (some available for breakfast too) come and go on the chef's whim.

Also available are half moon cookies, which are similar in concept to New York's black-and-white cookies though with a chocolate cake-like base and frosting instead of icing (psst, Colgate students of the past, present, and future - they're just like those found at The Barge). No. 7 Sub also offers special half moon flavors on occasion such as brown sugar.

So, it must be stated there is no place to sit in No. 7 Sub. Given all the patrons standing in the small area, reading the menu options posted over the counter, and ordering from the cashier, it's not the worst thing to have to enjoy your meal elsewhere. Thankfully, the lobby of the Ace Hotel is right around the corner, or the tables by Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building are a few blocks south. Come winter, outdoor seating will not be my first choice, but lamb, perhaps you're made of heartier stock than I.

No. 7 Sub - 1188 Broadway, between West 28th & West 29th Streets (in Ace Hotel)

Myers of Keswick

Hey, so you know how you're a British ex-pat? Not a lot of you? Oh. Ok, remember how you followed that punk band around England for two years in the 90s while working on-and-off in a Dr. Martens store and making jewelry out of safety pins? None of you? Right. Well, you've had tea before, yes? Phew. Then you are familiar with goods and food enjoyed in merry old England. Several posts ago, I mentioned I had quite a bit to say about a few more-special-than-your-average-deli delis, so this next one should appeal to anyone seeking York in New York - Manchester in Manhattan - the West End in the West Village - and other plays on words. This is Myers of Keswick - a place that offers British food, bold claims, violent yet charming advice, and Molly the cat. Read on.

Opened in 1985, Myers of Keswick is a shop that sells homemade as well as boxed, canned, bagged, and wrapped food to be eaten elsewhere, as there is no seating inside. The deli case displays the likes of pork pies, Cornish pasties (pronounced "pass-tees"...says the American), scotch eggs, sausage rolls, and curry lamb pies. It is also where they keep their bangers, pork/leek/ginger sausage, black pudding, Irish bacon, and Cumberland sausage. According to the store's website, "These are the only authentic Cumberland sausages made in the USA." That is a statement I cannot verify, but I applaud the immodesty.

The floor to ceiling shelves contain beans, peas, biscuits, teas, crisps, juices, condiments, sodas, baking products, soups, jams, candies, cereals, and basically anything else you might desire. Brands include Heinz, Branston, Weetabix, McVitie's, Sarson's, Baxters, HP, Vimto, Cadbury, and on and on. If you have trouble finding what you want, just ask the staff. On one occasion, when I inquired after toffee and digestive cookies, the man behind the counter correctly inferred I would be making banoffee pie. With his delightful English accent, he suggested which cookies to use, quelled my fears of boiling cans of condensed milk, and advised that when it comes to making the crust, I should, "Kill it with buh-uh." Of course, "buh-uh" meant "butter," and of course, I repeated that phrase to anyone who would listen for the next four days.

Upon entering Myers of Keswick, you will find a black and white tiled floor, that deli case to your left, those stocked shelves to your right, refrigerated items behind glass and wood cabinet-style doors at the back of the room, items like mugs, t-shirts, baby onesies, and flags behind the counter, and Molly the cat lounging around. You may have already heard of Molly, seen her on tv, or read about her in such publications as the New York Times. In the Spring of 2006, she managed to trap herself in the wall for two weeks, drawing crowds of concerned cat-lovers, pet psychics, members of the media, and ultimately, rescuers. I don't even want to know what she ate in the walls to survive, but I am sure it was less appetizing than the shop's chicken and mushroom pie.

So head over to Myers of Keswick when you are hungry for a scone (available in plain or raisin, with or without clotted cream and jam), when you want homemade mince pie at the holidays, or when you are feeling nostalgic for those days of punk in pub basements. Still no on that last one? Fine.

Myers of Keswick - 634 Hudson Street, between Horatio & Jane Streets

Don Peppe

I have been going to Don Peppe since before I was born. My parents enjoyed substantial Italian meals there while my sister sat in a high chair, and I was in the womb. We have returned over the years for many huge lobsters, numerous stuffed artichokes, myriad baked little neck clams, and countless pounds of pasta. Decades later, a meal at Don Peppe is still delicious.

Located near Acqueduct Racetrack and the long-term parking of JFK International Airport, Don Peppe is a no frills Italian restaurant in the South Ozone Park section of Queens. A glass door leads to the long, glass-enclosed waiting room facing the street at the front of the building, and a second glass door opens into the one brightly lit dining room. The tables have linens, the floor is carpeted, the metal-backed chairs have plastic-cushioned seats, and the menu is posted on the back wall. The ambiance is not exactly sultry, but you do not go to Don Peppe for romance unless you are having an affair with garlic.

Don Peppe is a family style restaurant in every sense of the term. The portions are enormous and intended to be shared, while most of the tables are filled with laughing, bickering, celebrating, criticizing relatives. Additionally, over the years, fathers and sons have worked side by side in the kitchen as well as within the waitstaff.

So what's drawing the crowds? The food. It is just red sauce, southern Italian fare, but it is good. And by "good" I mean "GOOD." And by "GOOD" I mean "It is so consistently amazing, I want some right now and don't know what to do with myself." What I can do for now is tell you about it and revel in the memories - which is unsurprisingly not as satisfying as going and eating, but I'm tough and will get through this.

There is the string bean salad with tomatoes and red onion, stuffed peppers, and seafood salad comprised of fresh mussels, clams, and scungilli. There's the linguine with white clam sauce loaded with garlic, plump clams, and more garlic. There's fillet of sole oreganata. Chicken scarpariello with sausage, peppers, and onions. Shrimp marinara. Lobster fra diavolo with mussels and clams over pasta. Broccoli rabe. Veal piccata. Beef brasciola. Even the simple capellini with marinara sauce has flavor for days.

The waiters will not rattle off specials, but if you ask what is in that day or peek in the glass case separating the dining room from the kitchen, you may discover some items that are not listed on the menu. If you see baby eggplants stuffed with bread, olives, and tomatoes, order it - they are tangy and tasty. If you hear they have salmon or red snapper in addition to the usual fillet of sole, order it - Don Peppe does fish better than most seafood restaurants. If you are debating between two entrees, order them both - you will want to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Beverages include water (bottled or tap), soda (by the glass or pitcher), wine (house red and white are available in unlabeled bottles), and beer. Note, no liquor. Come dessert time, there is cappuccino and espresso to accompany your Italian style cheesecake (ricotta, not cream cheese), tartufo, fruit sorbet, or cannoli. "But I'm stuffed," you protest. No, there's always room for a cannoli.

So here's the scoop - Don Peppe is cash only. They do not accept reservations except for parties of about ten or more, but even then, they will break down the table if you are not on time. They are open every day except Monday for both lunch and dinner, but the earlier you arrive, the better, as tables fill up quickly. You know what else goes quickly? That cheesecake I mentioned, which is not even available every day. As for parking, there is no lot, but street parking is available. Also, though the dress code is casual, hats are not to be worn in the dining room, and this policy is surprisingly enforced.

So round up the troops and show up hungry, as there's much eating to be done. Go with your extended family for your niece's graduation, with those family friends whose lawn you used to run around in your bathing suit, or for your own birthday with forty six of your closest friends. Small parties are easily accommodated, but the more people you have at your table, the more dishes you can justify ordering. Just sayin'.

Don Peppe - 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard, Queens, at the corner of 149th Avenue