Cube 63 (Brooklyn)

Are you one of those people who, after ordering the sushi combination, invariably sighs, "Where's the good stuff?" You are always bemoaning the lack of eel and the scarcity of yellowtail. Here's a solution for you: the Cube 63 special. At just $20, it contains only salmon, yellowtail, eel and tuna. So you won't have to order the more expensive a la carte, but neither will you have to pick through the egg and the dreaded crab stick! (I actually quite like the egg, myself.)

It seems that every day a Manhattan restaurant opens a new location in trendy Brooklyn. Cube 63 happens to be the third restaurant that I've experienced in Brooklyn before Manhattan (the other two are Blue Ribbon Sushi and Brooklyn Fish Camp). I'm so glad I did. The complimentary spicy tuna amuse-bouche won me over before I'd even ordered. (How often do you go to a sushi bar and receive 4 free pieces of sushi?)

My friend began with the vegetable gyoza. I thought they needed some ginger or white pepper, but I enjoyed my "Puerto Rico" maki (what on earth is this, you ask?): lobster salad and tempura eel in thinly sliced cucumber cups. For the more authentically-inclined, Cube 63 does have a sizable nigirizushi menu which includes delights like Spanish mackerel and sea eel.

Upon receiving her a la carte selection, my friend exclaimed, "Such tender fish!" And indeed it was, slippery and silky on the tongue. I was originally going to order the omakase, but my Puerto Rico roll had somewhat filled me up and I went with the Cube 63 special. (I'm one of those who greatly appreciates the presence of eel!) There were eight pieces of sushi and a delicious spicy tuna roll with a sweet miso coulis.

I really don't know why we ordered dessert after this, because I was about to burst, and my friend doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. But we did order some green-tea ice cream, both plain and in a chewy mochi preparation.

On a side note, I am always amazed by the constant transformation of Cobble Hill, and to a lesser extent, Park Slope. I'm starting to lose count of how many restaurants have opened on Smith Street since I moved out of the borough!

Cube 63 Brooklyn: 234 Court St., (718) 243-2208.

A Fall Afternoon In Cold Spring

The quaint town of Cold Spring is awash in freshly baked goods! Although NYC is home to several superlative bakeries, there's something about the backdrop of bright autumn leaves that lends extra flavor to a hot muffin. (That't not to say that I don't enjoy my fougasse in the concrete jungle, of course.)

Cold Spring, which boasts a spectacular view of the Hudson River, is just an hour and 15 minutes from the city. The train from Grand Central will deposit you right into the thick of things, and you may want to start your tour with a trip to Provincial Home (80 Main St., 845-265-5360). The European ceramics store offers a wide variety of jams which you'll want to spread on all the baked goods you're soon to enjoy. Sweet jams include red papaya grapefruit and savories include roasted red pepper.

Next, walk over to The Foundry Cafe (55 Main St., 845-265-4504). There, you'll find a changing assortment of cheesecakes (rated "orgasmic" by Hudson Valley Magazine), crumbles (today, it was apple peach blueberry cranberry), muffins and pies. Brownies come both with walnuts and without. (The Foundry is also wonderful in the omelette department... have one with ham and Swiss or pesto and tomato.) Sugar-dusted multi-grain pancakes are served on Saturdays and Sundays only.

The apple cake at the Pig Hill Inn (73 Main St., 845-265-9347) is for guests only, but you might consider lodging there just to be able to feast on it! The Pig Hill Inn is renowned for its excellent breakfast.

Walking further down Main Street, you will notice fresh cheesecakes and pecan pies at the Cold Spring Cafe (129 Main St., 845-265-9471). But wait, there's more! If you take a right on Chestnut Street, you'll soon find a beloved shrine for baked goods aficionados: The Main Course. This small catering company bakes raspberry muffins, biscotti, almond pound cake, chocolate-chip cookies and much more! (I also could not resist their caramelized butternut squash and spinach-watercress vichysoisse.) Pick up one of their excellent packaged salads for the trip home; you might especially enjoy the grilled chicken Caesar or the mesclun with Montrachet.

Since the weather was warm until recently, the leaves in Cold Spring are only changing just now. So there's still time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors!

Breakfast Envy at Thomas Beisl

Have you ever coveted your neighbor's plate? This morning at Thomas Beisl, I looked longingly at my friend's breakfast. Ironically, I had suggested that she order that particular selection: the brioche French toast. Three-inch-thick slices of eggy brioche were snowed under with confectioners sugar, thickly spread with homemade apricot jam and festooned with caramelized bananas. The whole glorious mess was accompanied by real maple syrup and creme fraiche.

(My friend didn't care much for the creme fraiche, but as she gleefully poured on the syrup, she regaled me with stories from her New England childhood. Apparently she used to tap maple trees and enjoy wintertime "maple snow." Her mother would heat up the maple syrup and pour it over a handful of freshly fallen backyard snow.)

I had ordered the intriguing-sounding souffled pancakes with fruit compote and raisins. But although I enjoyed the stewed plums in the compote, the pancakes were more like pieces of heavy fried dough with none of the airiness of a souffled preparation. Fortunately, my friend was generous with her French toast, and I believe I will order it the next time we meet for brunch. (I later consoled myself with a fresh-out-the-oven wild blueberry muffin at Blue Sky Bakery.)

Thomas Beisl: 25 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, (718) 222-5800.

The Heavenly Japanese Sweet Potato

The Japanese sweet potato, which is harvested in fall, always fills me with indescribable delight. Sweeter than the American version, it has red skin and delicious yellow flesh. When I was in Tokyo, I used to gorge on cubes of fresh sweet potato fudge, but I also like the potato as it was prepared this evening at Soba Ya: steamed and sliced thickly, sprinkled with crunchy black sesame seeds and drizzled with sugar syrup. Yum!

Soba-Ya: 229 East 9th St., (212) 533-6966.

Sweets News

Despite the tropical weather, cool temperatures are fast approaching. In fact, I believe that this weekend will bring our first taste of fall. That's why I was excited to learn that The Chocolate Room is once again offering its beloved bittersweet hot chocolate. I look forward to some cozy (and chocolatey) autumn afternoons!

But if the prospect of a mug of hot chocolate isn't enough incentive for you to visit this Park Slope cafe, chew on this: Fritz Knipchildt himself will be teaching a truffle-making class on Monday, October 17th from 7-8:30 p.m.! Call (718) 783-2900 for more information.

718 Restaurant

Although those hip "718" logo T-shirts refer to the borough of Brooklyn, I'd be happy to wear one as an advertisement for this French bistro in Astoria. Yesterday, my companion and I trekked over there for a delicious lunch.

I hope we don't begin make a habit of this, but we ordered the same entree: the "lovely" tuna sandwich (lovely, indeed!). The sandwiches consisted of seared medium-rare tuna steaks, which were outwardly crisp and inwardly pink, and paper-thin mango slices on lightly toasted rolls. (There was none of the advertised avocado, but the spicy mayonnaise added enough oomph to preclude its necessity.) Our inner children were delighted by the large cones of well-salted, impeccably-fried potatoes, and we sneaked in a bit of virtue by munching on the mesclun salad.

My companion and I are beginning to realize that Forest Hills has been a culinary disappointment, aside from Nick's Pizza, Cheese of the World, and Thai Pot. Therefore, we may decide to move in the direction of 718!

718: 35-01 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, (718) 204-5553.