FIKA

Take a break from the mad 5th Avenue Christmas rush, turn right on 58th Street and stop into FIKA, a contemporary Swedish coffee/sweets/sandwich shop. You'll be able to enjoy juniper-marinated gravlax, a sandwich with roast beef and Vasterbotten cheese, Swedish meatballs on baguette, and a daily soup (the other day, a delectable potato leek topped with homemade croutons). Make sure to try the excellent coffee, and accompany it with delightful sweets like kanelbulle, little cinnamon crullers coated with crystallized sugar, kladdkaka, a very sweet, dense chocolate cake with a dollop of whipped cream, or chocolate-lingonberry truffles. Soon you'll be recharged and ready for your holiday shopping! (I haven't even started...)

FIKA: 41 West 58th St., (212) 832-0028.

Smorgas Chef

If you're starving for Swedish but don't have time for Aquavit, you'll be delighted at the recent opening of Smorgas Chef. This charming newcomer to Stone Street features the typical open-faced sandwiches of Sweden. A thick slice of sourdough can be topped with lobster, meatballs, shrimp, a codfish patty, or my choice: smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. You can also opt for a soup or salad, but whatever you do, leave room for a sweet vanilla waffle smeared with cloudberry jam!

Smorgas Chef: 53 Stone St., (212) 422-3503. Grand opening on Saturday!

Ulrika's (Closed, But Still Catering)

I am still warmed by the mug of glögg I imbibed this evening. The mulled red wine, redolent of cardamom and cinnamon, was served with the traditional raisins and almonds. I will try to rouse myself from my reverie in order to describe the rest of the meal.

A friend once opined that people come to New York in order to feel as though they were somewhere else. Ulrika's, a restaurant featuring Swedish and Swedish-influenced cuisine, definitely transported me to another world. It was a friend's birthday, so we decided to begin our celebration with a round of orange peach ginger aquavit. A basket of crispbreads then arrived, as well as a couple of flowerpots stuffed with fresh soft loaves of bread. Afterwards, we inhaled complementary cups of foamy shrimp bisque with sun-dried tomato.

Plates of gravlax were appearing at every table, and we were soon to find out why. The gravlax appetizer was an absolute delight; thick slices of salmon were highlighted with dill, black peppercorns and sweet mustard. For me, this appetizer was the star of the evening. Although I enjoyed my poached cod in clarified butter with chopped egg, I would have preferred more tasty grated horseradish. My companions cleared their plates of roasted duck with truffled mashed potatoes (warning: truffled potatoes are extremely addictive), and an entrée of beef tenderloin with munk (fried donuts of onion stuffing), slabs of grilled bacon, and foie gras. (The latter dish is not for the faint of stomach!)

Then it was time for light soufflés with cloudberry jam, and plättar, thin eggy crepes with blueberries and cream. I don't know whose idea it was to order the glögg, but I am now becoming very sleepy and must retire to bed.

Ulrika's: 115 East 60th St. (212) 355-7069.