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For those times when nothing will satisfy but a high-fat, high-cholesterol meal loaded with meat and cream, Romanian Garden is a mecca of nutritional recklessness. Cater-corner to the charmingly low-rise suburban enclave of Sunnyside Gardens, this foodie magnet is housed in a long, narrow room appointed with every kind of faux greenery possible—roses trailing from a gazebo above the tables up front, and ivy-festooned trellises lining the walls in back. The meals, however, are anything but ersatz, and considering the calorie count are surprisingly elegant, too. Best starters are the fluffy, grainy polenta with cheese and sour cream, and the exotic Russian beef salad—think potato salad with chunks of shredded beef in place of potatoes. The large side dishes, such as fried zucchini and flavorful cabbage cooked in beef broth, are equally notable as are the papanasi—moist, grease-free doughnuts smothered in sweet sour cream and jam. — Mark Holcomb

Mamaliga cu brinza si smintina (polenta with cheese and sour cream), $5; dovlecei pane (fried zucchini), $5; papanasi (donuts with sour cream and jam), $3.50