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Perhaps it's the pelmeni, those delicate little meat dumplings that bob in deliciously salty, dill-flecked broth, that keep the crowds devoted to this cheery, airy spot. With cheap wood floors, faux-mosaic tabletops, and just enough sea-foam green trim to warrant its name, Oceanview resembles a beach café merged with an American diner with one exception: Its comprehensive menu diverges from pot roast and grilled cheese sandwiches to smoked meats and fish, pickled watermelon, and beef stroganoff. Hot tea comes with lemon and a little dish of cherry preserves, and blintzes filled with slightly sweet farmer's cheese take the place of the pancake. The comforts may not be identical, but the excesses are nearly so. — JJ Goode

Eggplant caviar, $6.50; chicken soup with pelmeni, $5.50; vareniki with potato, $5; blintzes with farmer's cheese, $6.50