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A mini–restaurant row has sprouted on Sunnyside’s Skillman Avenue, where Bliss and, now, Quaint have joined pizzerias, saloons, and Romanian cafés. Starting with its phone number (it has a 917 prefix), Quaint pitches itself as a comfort station for Manhattan expats. The place is busy and welcoming, but quaint it ain’t. It’s more like a sleekly updated bar and grill, with a handsome wood bar and occasional $3 beer specials that lure neighborhood dwellers. An open kitchen faces a row of church pew–like booths along a vermilion wall; the narrow dining room leads to a stark but airy rear patio, where blasé toddlers amuse themselves among grazing and chatting adults. Diners arriving after 9:30 risk facing eighty-sixed dishes. Nevertheless, you’re likely to fare well with whatever remains of the enlightened country menu, whether it’s pan-seared catfish or roasted chicken breast. Perhaps most satisfying of all are the skin-on fries. Locals forking over a few bucks for these sensational spuds and a bargain brew are likely to become Quaint regulars. — Karen Tina Harrison

Herb-braised mussels, $8; French fries, $3.50