Little Odessa on Gridskipper

The kids over at Gridskipper put up a useful map and guide to Brighton Beach - New York's Little Odessa - this week. Most of the sea-side neighborhood's 350,000 residents are from the former Soviet Union, and virtually all of the local shops and restaurants cater to the community.

Among the sites featured are the grocery store M&I International Foods (249 Brighton Beach Avenue), supper clubs National (273 Brighton Beach Avenue) and Rasputin (2670 Coney Island Avenue), the massive St. Petersburg Book Store (230 Brighton Beach Avenue) and a few restaurants.

The major find, however, is Gambrinus Bar (3100 Ocean Parkway). Though all of Brighton Beach carries the tag "Little Odessa," this is the real deal: it is modelled after an actual bar in Odessa with the same name. Among its other draws, it features a German-style beer hall just off the boardwalk, with the requisite array of beers.