Village Cafe

You reach Village Cafe across a small parking lot off Coney Island Avenue, which is part of its legend: a full Azerbaijani dining room that most passersby never notice. Azerbaijani food sits on the Caspian between Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus, and it shows on the table — saffron-scented plov, kebabs of lamb and lyulya, soups thick with herbs.

Order kutaby, the thin griddled flatbreads folded around lamb or a fistful of greens, and dushbara, a clear broth crowded with tiny meat dumplings. Then add lamb lyulya kebab or lamb ribs and a pot of tea. The New York Times has ranked it among the city's best restaurants in recent years; it is BYOB, unhurried, and generous to the point of excess.