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A food lover's guide to Bleecker Street

Linda Perney | amNY.com

Start at the corner of MacDougal, with a good, strong espresso at Cafe Figaro, a reincarnation of one of the Village's old-time hangouts. For a while it had disappeared, replaced by -- of all things -- a Blimpie's, but it's back, a remnant of high bohemia, when '50s beats hung at the tables, and '60s flower children sipped coffee on the sidewalk.

Before all that, though, Bleecker Street was the main drag of the South Village immigrants from Calabria and Sicily who brought their Old World food traditions with them to the New. In the short blocks between MacDougal and Seventh Avenue, the street was crammed with pushcarts spilling vegetables and fruit; more street vendors sold home-made cheeses, fish -- fresh and dried -- and breads; along both sides of the street, specialty stores opened up.

The pushcarts are long gone, of course, but this is stil a prime food neighborhood. Tradition rules shopping here, and some of the stores here have been around for generations. Murray's Cheese opened in the 1940s, and Ottomanelli, the butcher on the corner of Seventh Avenue, goes back to the Depression.

Just across MacDougal, though, on the south side of Bleecker, is a newcomer, Caffe del Mare, which has takeout, if you don't want to cook. A few doors down, at 194 Bleecker, is the Indian Bread Company, which sells naan and paratha, which would have seemed impossibly exotic to old-timers more familiar with macaroni and "gravy." They would have appreciated the sandwiches, though -- naaninis -- an Indian version of pannini.

On the north side of the street, at 201 Bleecker, is Porto Rico Coffee and Tea, which first opened its doors a century or so ago. Still run by the same family, the store carries a huge selection of beans in color-coded bags; choose one of the house blends or mix up your own brew.

Back in the day, when Trattoria Spaghetto, at the corner of Bleecker and Carmine, was still called the Bleecker Luncheonette, it was a favorite place for cheap, soul-satisfying pastas and soups. Those days are gone, but they still have pretty good spaghetti and meatballs ($10.25); you can call ahead, and they'll pack up your order to take out.

Across the street, at 241 Bleecker and 245, are two fabled pastry shops: Bruno and Rocco's stand side-by-side, each with its own following. The capuccino at Rocco's gets raves; Cannolis go for $2.25 each (www.roccospastryshop.com). At Bruno, spring for the Lobster Tail -- flaky pastry filled with hazelnut cream, $3.75 apiece (www.brunobakery.com).

A few doors down at no. 249, there are artisanal olive oils from France, Greece, Spain and Italy (tastings, too) at O & Co..There are flavored pastas -- truffle, saffron, chili pepper -- and appetizers like tapenade. There's a good selection of non-food stuff, too: organic cosmetics made with olive oil and citrus. Olive-oil soap, anyone? (www.oliviersandco.com)

Across the street, at 250 Bleecker, is Amy's Bread, a relative newcomer to the neighborhood. The sandwiches are just fine -- for an idea of what childhood should have tasted like, snack on a PB&J, on whole wheat with strawberry preserves, or take home a red velvet cupcake. There's a good selection of breads (the black-olive ones are delish). Although the place hasn't been here long enough to displace the beloved Zito's, which closed in 2004, give it time. (www.amysbread.com)

Just next door to Amy's, at no. 252, The Lobster Place,is allegedly the city's biggest purveyor of live lobsters (they claim to sell 1,000,000 pounds of them every year). But it's not just lobster: the shop deals in high-quality fish of all kinds. (www.lobsterplace.com)

At no. 254 Bleecker is Murray's Cheese, which migrated a few years ago from its old spot across the street. The shop is a true Village institution, with 250 or so cheeses, some prepared foods, breads, imported butters, books, cheese boards, and more for the cheese-lover. In addition to the cheese, there are classes, lectures, and tours. Go to www.murrayscheese.com to sign up.

Another survivor from the old neighborhood, Faicco's, Pork Store at 260, deals in meats and imported groceries. Brasiole, sausage, spare ribs -- all the makings of a Sunday sauce -- are for sale, plus pig skin, should you want it, and beef tripe, in case you're in the market for that. This is another family business, with roots in the neighborhood that go back 100 years.

We're not really talking here about restaurants, but it's hard to pass up Trattoria Pesce Pasta, at 262, an old-fashioned Italian restaurant whose main draw is its fish dishes, but whose lasagna also gets raves in the neighborhood. If you're not quite ready for a break, ask them to wrap up your choice for takeout.

Aphrodisia, which stocks all kinds of medicinal herbs as well as bath products and face creams, may seem an odd place to mention on a food tour. But the shop also trades in dried mushrooms, spices, herbs, as well as some packaged foods: tasty jams and jellies, cookies and other treats.

On the corner of Morton Street is Risotteria, which cooks up -- what else?-- made-to-order risotto. There's also pizza (but if yiou're on Bleecker Street, there's only one place to go for pizza: John's, just down the street), salads, and panini. The gluten-free bakery also turns out cookies, cakes and pies. But the main event is the rice, which, surprisingly, travels well enough to take home and reheat. (www.risotteria.com)

And here you are at John's,. You can't seriously think about not going in. We know, we know, people say it's not what it used to be. But people always say that. It may not be the best pizza in the city, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Just remember: no slices.

All right, all right, they're not exactly on Bleecker Street; they're on Jones, at no.5 to be exact, which actually puts them closer to West 4th Street. But it's hard to talk about food in this neighborhood without mentioning Florence Prime Meats, which many Villagers call the best butcher in the city. Expect prime cuts of beef, lamb and veal, plus some organic poultry, and expect to pay dearly for it.

At no. 280, Fish restaurant sells the catch of the day direct to the consumer; there's an oyster bar, for takeout, and they'll do the shucking.

A few doors in from the corner of Seventh Avenue South is Ottomanelli's, another long-time butcher, and one of the neighborhood's favorites. They deal, of course, in the usual steaks, roasts, and chops. But if you're looking, say, for alligator, or kangaroo, you've come to the right place.

Just on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue is a hive of controversy: There are some who say the upstart Bleecker Street Pizza beats out the venerable John's. We're not taking sides in that fight, so make up your own mind.

Cross Seventh Avenue, and you've left behind most of the food shops and are heading into heavy designer-clothes territory: Armani, Ralph Lauren, Lulu Guinness, who've colonized this stretch of the street. Still, there are some places worth mentioning. Burritoville, at no. 298, is part of a chain, but for all that, the tacos are passable, and they deliver.

On the corner of Bleecker and Grove, Grove restaurant is gone, with AOC taking its place. If the weather is nice, the garden here is a perfect place to take a break with a glass of wine. Just across the street, Cafe Angelique is also a good place for a coffee in the afternoon, but if you're actually feeling hungry, try the Village Delight, up the street, at no. 325, for home-made soups, and very good gelato.

Like we said, from here on up to Hudson Street, you're talking clothing, jewelry, and antiques, not provolone, lobster, and gorgonzola. However, the Magnolia Bakery, at no. 401, has become something of a legend, spawning cupcake wars all over town. Cupcakes, at $1.75 a pop, are the main thing, and on weekends the lines snake all the way up 11th Street. Go figure.