Mini Restaurant/Bar Reviews (late March 2008)

Dressler (149 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718/384-6343)

Tournesol ( 50-12 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101, 718/472-4355)

Noodle Studio (116 North 5th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718/218-7260)

Hugs (108 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211)

Black Rabbit Bar (91 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222)

Death & Company (433 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10009, 212/388-0882)

230 Fifth (230 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10001, 212/725-4300)

Cafe Charbon (170 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002, 212/420-7520)

Sunny skies and plummeting temperatures characterized Easter 2008 in NYC, but luckily warmth and beauty was secured by Cafe Drake at South Williamsburg's only Michelin-starred restaurant, Dressler (2nd photo). Seated across from two lovely companions - Jennifer Lazzaro and Julie Bench - and with a view of the Belle Epoch building's rococo ironwork, multi-paned picture windows and, in a nod to the unseasonal Spring, enormous arrangements of forced cherry blossom branches, we tucked into solid and substantial brunch entrees. Generally excellent service and gracious surroundings made up for pricey fare. Can we talk? $11 for a Bloody Mary. Same for a Bellini. Cheapest wine by the glass: $10 (though a very , very good South African Chenin Blanc). Mains hover around $15 and well worth it: an Eggs Benedict swapping the muffin for a huge and flaky biscuit; an over-stuffed omelet bursting with bacon and shallots, and a chorizo and grits ensemble perfect for the chilly morning.

Tucked away amidst luxury high-rise condos and still-industrial side streets, Tournesol is the latest in an invasion of cafes, boutiques and bistros claiming ground in the farthest river-side reaches of The Little Neighborhood That Could (and Has), Long Island City. Serving authentic Left Bank fare (along with attitudinal French waiters), Tournesal delivered a delightful brunch to Jorge Manahan and Cafe Drake before a recent Costco run. In a tiny, packed space, with house music blaring at after-party volume and BPM intensity, these guys still deliver, beginning with superb sourdough bread and triple-cream butter. A Croque Madame ($12) set a new standard for Parisian street food; the lightly fried egg's yolk bursting over perfectly toasted bread and cheese and salty ham. The Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon ($11) were less promising, probably because the fish had been cooked too long with the eggs and released unappetizing amounts of water. Still, EPIC fries and smartly dressed greens saved the day. We'll definitely be heading back for the nightly Plat du Jour specials ($17 every night, including rabbit with prunes and steak au poivre).

Do you need a hole in the head? Does Williamsburg need yet another Thai slop kitchen? Can we get a HELLS NO??!! No matter, as the Hipster Nation has developed a nasty addiction to canned Massaman curry paste and coconut milk and despite the misleading moniker (suggesting perhaps a soba joint?) Noodle Studio delivers plenty of the same, the same as on every corner. Poor Cafe Drake was seated beneath the harsh light of a extra-wide skylight, exposing every brutal detail of the grimy dining room, and with panic rising resorted to pharmaceuticals to brace against the ensuing dross. A cheap glass of okay Sangiovese ($5) dulled the edges but overwhelmed the "house soup", a mysterious concoction of dish water and straw mushrooms. Even more vile was a sad plate of fish cakes ($5), straight from the frozen food aisles of Hong Kong supermarket and doused in rancid oil. A sickly sweet dipping sauce - along with pro-offered condiments did little to remedy a hopeless cause. We can't speak about the Chicken Peanut Curry ($7) as we're pretty sure it was the trigger for a later afternoon stomach flu scare.

You know we can get drunk - happily - anywhere, but why not inebriate in the poshest possible surroundings? 230 Fifth and Death & Co (top photo) both fit the luxury standard test, so much we never really wanted to leave. The former boasts a year-round rooftop deck, all comfy with heat blowers and a small plates menu, while the latter evokes speakeasy-era New York with none of the theme park cheesiness so typical of literal-minded bars. Death & Co offers such an astonishing selection of small-batch rye whiskies you basically have to order a Manhattan ($12) or Old Fashioned ($12). Neither are cheap so save your pennies for a particularly difficult day to fritter away the diaper money in style. But DO. By all means.

Cafe Drake is past the days of bar crawling; we rarely ever hit liquid pit stops without the promise of an eclectic DJ and thriving dance floor. Hugs is worth a trip out of exile. The bar's closest competitor, Savalas, came a bit late in our game so we never warmed to its dubious charms. And it turns out there was never a need, as Hugs spins ace tunes all night with a far hipper crowd, more attractive bar staff and smoking EVERYwhere. A great place to recapture lost, tainted youth yes, but sometimes the Adult Gene kicks in (rarely, granted) and you want drink appropriate to your age. Head on over then to the Hot Strip of Greenpoint Avenue between Manhattan and Franklin Aves for classy cocktails in the pitch dark of Black Rabbit. Yes we've sung this crimson-colored bar's praises before, but they just keep getting better and better.

Manahattan's Lower East Side is rapidly lowering its standards to the once-glorious, now hideous neighborhood to the north, the East Village. An oasis is Cafe Charbon, family friendly at lunch but yielding to the party crows after midnight. Cheap French ciggies on sale in front plus a very decent brunch special for $15 that includes fresh-squeezed OJ, strong coffee, a Bloody Mary and if you choose, a minute but tasty Croque Monsieur.