35-62 76th St. in Jackson Heights, near the 74th St.—Roosevelt Avenue subway station

The name says it all. On Sundays there is a line to get to the deli section — an impressive feat in a shop smaller than my double bed. This eastern block food mecca boasts groaning shelves filled with everything from sour cherry cordial to fruity Russian teas.

But most difficult to resist is GFF's selection of artisanal smoked and pickled fishes. I understand many of them come from one of New York's last remaining fish smoking factories, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Some days there is thick-cut smoked sturgeon, which sounds like it should be the most luxuriant of the bunch — but in fact, it is bested by a long shot by the smoked "butterfish." (I'm not sure whether this is a euphemism for some ugly-sounding baltic equivalent of the patagonian toothfish, aka, chilean seabass.)

The butterfish, sliced thin like nova salmon, has a light, creamy texture and is the color of parchment. It is a joy with a bit of Swiss thickened yoghurt (in the refrigerated case in the back) and a crust of black bread (on a rack at the front). Ditto for the delightfully squishy salmon roe, which are also nice with a few vinegary capers mixed in, or shaved lemon zest if you're feeling fancy.

Like so many of my favorite Queens haunts, GFF allows you to step outside of New York entirely, into a warm communal space where customers chat in Russian and the beefy women behind the counter shave thin slices of smoked ham for you to taste. — January 2006