Barney Greengrass Restaurant   

Hungry (and sometimes rabid-looking) Upper West Siders have long been satisfying their every Jewish-food craving at the self-proclaimed "Sturgeon King." The red-printed sign, reminiscent of a simpler time, beckons patrons into its dated narrow dining room with faux wood-grain wall paneling and Formica tables packed in tightly together. Offerings include cheese blintzes, the PLT (grilled pastrami, lettuce, and tomato on rye toast), corned beef and tongue (pickled on the premises), gefelte fish with Gold's horseradish, and fried kreplach with sauteed onions -- to name only a few. But what really draws eager diners in are the lox and smoked fish-based items, such as smoked sturgeon scrambled with eggs and onion, Nova Scotia lox served with two bagels or bialys, cream cheese, tomato, onion and potato salad or coleslaw, and the whitefish salad sandwich. With a take-out counter smartly located near the front door, it's a cinch to get your order to go and throw it all back with some fresh-squeezed OJ and babka in front of the tube or on a grassy patch in the park. -- Amanda Dorato