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We caught Leff in the middle of his travels and asked him to tell us which restaurants he was craving right then. Here's what he told us.
I'm typing away on my laptop at the airport, and announcements of flights to far-flung destinations are spurring me to crave globally. These are the eateries most tempting me to stow away on adjacent planes. I haven't visited most of them recently (absence makes the hound grow fonder), so I can't affirm current quality. Caveat eater!
TOKYO Volga, an unsung labyrinthian dive, is the Platonic form of its genre. I'm tormented by memories of plump, rivetingly delicious broiled chicken wings; moist, tender tsukune (chicken meatballs) brimming with the profound poultry essence of a thousand free-range birds; meaty, nutty shrimp expertly sautéed fast and hot; and succulent boiled potatoes strewn with creamy sautéed onions and bits of meaty bacon as sweet as ham. 1-4-18 West Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 81-3/3342-4996
RIO DE JANEIRO The name of this ice cream store, Mil Frutas, means One Thousand Fruits, and while all thousand aren't available at once, the staff is generous with tastes of the 20 rotating daily flavors, and one grows giddy sampling so many rare, untranslateable fruits—many of them found only in the Amazon rain forest. Acerola with tapioca, for example, is a concoction unlikely to be picked up by Breyer's anytime soon. Rua J. J. Seabra, Jardim Botânico; 55-21/2511-2550
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS Speaking of Brazilian, I once enjoyed a single on-the-run bite of pão de queijo (cheese bread) at Magic Oven bakery, one of many chowy points of light crowding what Bostonians wrongly deem unmitigated suburban sprawl. It was better than any I've had in Brazil, and I've yearned for more ever since. One day I'll spend a delirious weekend feasting there and at the many other enticing choices in the supposedly dowdy Framingham area. 470 Waverly St.; 508/370-8008
WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS Stream of chowousness pulls my cravings a couple of towns west to Worcester's One Love Cafe, a charming parlor where Jamaican entries are both precise and deep. Touches count: peas 'n' rice is a marvel of moist subtlety, and a single decorative morsel of fried plantain contains realms of luxurious flavor. Even the bottled hot sauce is selected with great care. This is the rarest of rarities: loving soul food crafted with the deft touch of a disciplined chef. 800 Main St.; 508/753-8663
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