Just a brief mention in this week’s New York Magazine restaurant openings roundup, but it looks like Baoguette, a Lexington Avenue shop serving up hearty $5 bahn mi, is opening a second location on St. Mark’s Place (in what was once Bamn Automat). I had a few quibbles with my sandwich from the Lex Ave location, but Baogette is sure to be a boon to the food-court fare on this stretch of St. Mark’s (possibly the only place in nyc where with a Red Mango sits across the street from a Pinkberry, locked in a fro-yo staredown).

French toast is one if my favorite foods, but I get to indulge so rarely. On weekend mornings I’m usually too unsociable to eat out, and cooking is the last thing I want to do. If someone made a tasty take-out version, I’d probably eat it every day.

Abraco Espresso’s version of pain perdu (or “lost bread,” since in France the traditional recipe calls for stale bread) is the french toast sandwich I’ve been missing. A slice of moist, eggy challah is folded over ricotta filling, dusted with powdered sugar, and wrapped in wax paper for no-fuss nibbling. The ricotta is like no other I’ve tasted, creamy and spiked with orange blossom, which adds just a hint of fruity, floral flavor. The pain perdu is pre-made–perfect when you’re on the go, costs $3, and is just the right mount of food to quell morning munchies. At first I was a little hesitant about eating room temperature french toast without syrup and other accoutrements, but now I’m a complete convert.

I’ve written about Abraco Espresso before. This closet-size cafe has great service with great attitude, top espresso and coffee, and delicious edibles like salads, sandwiches, and daydream-worthy frittata. The buttery-salty-sweet olive oil cookies flecked with raisiny dried olives are also not to be missed–mind you, this comes from someone who doesn’t even like olives.

Abraco Espresso, 86 E. 7th St.
Mon-Fri 7:30am-8pm, Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-8pm

Sometimes all you need is a relaxed, candlelit bistro and a giant hunk of garnished meat to get your night back on the right track. Something about Belcourt–whose full length windows overlook the bustling downtown theater action at Fourth Street and Second Avenue–feels particularly welcoming; maybe because it’s a new place trying to be like an old place and arriving somewhere comfortably in between. Or maybe because there’s never a wait to be seated. Patience is not one of my virtues.

The menu will be familiar to any fan of european gastropub fare–selections of meats, cheeses, salads, and entrees ranging from hanger steak to fish. High-quality ingredients, often homemade, and a few twists and turns to the flavors elevate this beyond standard pub grub. Highlights include the spiced pear and mixed greens salad with beets, walnuts, blue cheese and pickled onions ($8) which delightfully mixes sweet with savory, and the thickest-cut pork chop I have ever seen, served on a bed of swiss chard with shitake mushrooms and gorgonzola sauce ($24). It was tender, perfectly cooked, and redeemed itself from the fact that someone left out the advertised and much-anticipated side of maple bacon.

(Photo by gothambill)

On a more disappointing note, the beer list could use a little more variety. I am not a huge fan of La Chouffe, although having a Belgian on draft at all is a plus. The coffee bbq-rubbed braised brisket suffered from way too much salt, although the side of polenta it came with was perfectly nice ($23). Probably the best value here is the beef or lamb burger, served on a squishy bun, layered with slivers of spicy pickled zucchini ($12). It comes with a side of fresh, crispy frites; the garlic aoli dipping sauce and spiced homemade ketchup alone are worth the price of admission. Update 4/2/09: The housemade ketchup has been discontinued! (Doesn’t prevent you from demanding they bring it back).

I hear the brunch is worth checking out, as well.

Belcourt, 84 East 4th Street at Second Ave.
Open daily, 11am-12am

You know every Irish pub in this town will be packed to the gills with guys in green plastic tophats bellowing obscenities so it’s probably a good night to toast your forebears in a low-key setting. Scratcher, located just below street-level and lacking a sign denoting Irishness (look for an X scrawled between a pair of eyes), is as good a spot as any. Candlelight, brick walls, hard, mismatched chairs, $6 pints and Jameson, ($4 during happy hour from 4-8pm), and maaaybe a U2 marathon swirling on the ipod all make for a fine St. Paddy’s day in my book. Scratcher, which is Dublinese for “bed,” can get a bit boisterous later in the evening, but remains relatively goon-free.

209 E. 5th St., between Bowery and Second Avenue

Macarons are not macaroons. Those dense, coconut-cluster snacks have nothing on these French confections. One bite reveals the layers–a light whipped cream, sandwiched between two puffed pastries, whose sugary shells cracks and melts merengue-like on your tongue, while inside remains moist and chewy. Macarons come in an endless variety of pastel shades and flavors, from always-popular fruit like strawberry and key lime, to hazelnut, caramel, and chocolate.

A fail-safe spot to procure my favorite treats is Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warener Center. Bouchon feel something like a secret, as its situated up two escalators in the middle of an upscale mall. But neither the takeout window, nor the sit-down dining section deals in your standard food court fare. Lunch-friendly prepared sandwiches, like ham and emmenthaler on fresh-baked bread, as well as buttery spinach quiche and watercress salads are available, and priced lower than you might from the chef/owner of the French Laundry and Per Se. However, the baked goods–eclairs, tarts, croissants, brioche, and homemade-oreo “TKO cookies” are where it’s at. As for the macarons, try the raspberries and champagne, nutella, and caramel flavors ($2.75/each). But beware of the passionfruit variety, unless you like your cream filling eye-wateringly tart. Lest your pooch feel left out, foie gras-enriched dog treats are available.

Bouchon Bakery
Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle 3rd Floor
Mon-Sat 11:30am-9pm, Sun 11:30am-7pm