This week I would like to recommend two very different restaurants. The first, a new, modern Greek diner in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the second, a wonderful Japanese restaurant specializing in curry in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Baby Blues is “a casual (brunch and) lunch spot that serves nourishing food with no frills (ny.eater.com).” One of the menu choices is: “Like a Greek Bagel,” a slice of dense, grainy sourdough bread covered with a salty whipped feta and slices of smoked salmon and heirloom tomato on the side. There are also egg salad, grilled cheese, or bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches, three different Greek inspired salads, fruity bowls and toasts, including homemade banana bread covered in cashew ricotta and a crunchy baklava crumble to enjoy with their excellent coffee.

My family and I celebrated Mother’s Day with a brunch at Sazanami Curry Bar. We were very pleasantly surprised. The food was wonderful – from sushi to gyozas to the different kinds of curry (hot or mild). Everything was served with a homemade pickled cabbage, and the best dish, I thought, was pumpkin croquettes, made like the potato croquettes recipe on this blog, but using ground pork instead of beef and Japanese pumpkin. ( Kabocha or Hokkaido?) I’m trying to duplicate the recipe. Will keep you posted.