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There is always something new on Eat Street. And sometimes even the places that have been around for a while offer something new to try. I hadn't set foot in the Java Restaurant in maybe a decade, mostly because I was a regular at the old Sinbad's Market and Deli, (now closed). But I ordered some trays of appetizers from the misnamed Middle Eastern eatery (Java is actually in Indonesia)  for a party recenty, and came away genuinely impressed - first-rate baba ghanouj, tabbouli, hummus and spinach pie, served in generous quantities, and at a very reasonable price. I liked it so much that I went back for dinner the other night to try some other dishes.

The perfect ending for this familiar restaurant reviewing trope would be to report that we had a terrific meal - but in fact, it was just okay - good enough to be enjoyable, and a great value for the money. The meats in the combination dinner of kibbeh, shish kabob and kofta ($10.95) were a bit dry, but the tabbouli was again excellent, and the side dish of stewed vegetables was hearty and tasty. Carol's fried vegetarian plate, with felafel, fried eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower and potatoes ($9.50) was a bit on the greasy side. Still, I would gladly return for a felafel sandwich, or the appetizer sampler ($9.50 / $11.50) - the larger version is big enough to make a meal for two all by itself.

Marissa's Bakery, 2750 Nicollet, 612-822-7292, has been around for a while, but the market and deli are more recent additions. The deli now offers a pretty good selection of Mexican street food, from tacos and tortas to huaraches and caldos - meal-sized soups. When I stopped in the other day,  tacos de carnitas (roast pork) or cueritos (fried pork rinds) were on sale for a buck a piece (regularly $1.50) so I ordered three with carnitas. They meat was slow-cooked, tender and juicy, and served topped with fresh cilantro and chopped onion. There's a small seating area with bottles of hot sauce and jars of pickled veggies at the tables, and a small television perpetually tuned to telenovelas.

Across the parking lot from Marissa's, I spotted a brand-new restaurant, Alex's Ristorante Italiano, nestled between two abandoned storefronts in a forlorn strip mall. (The one other functioning business on this side of the parking lot is Hoang Thien Y, a terrific little Vietnamese deli.) I haven't had a chance to sample the cuisine yet, but a quick glance at the menu revealed a nice selection of pastas at very reasonable prices - everything under $10, as I recall. For what it's worth, this is the first Italian restaurant to grace Eat Street in decades. Without a wine and beer license, and with minimal décor, they are likely to have a tough go of it, but I am going to go back soon and give it a try. One intriguing detail: the chef formerly worked at Stefano's in Burnsville, one of the few decent independent restaurants in the southern suburbs.

I've also had a couple of meals recently at the Noodle Bowl, 2674 Nicollet, which opened a few months ago with a very limited selection of soups, but now offers a full Vietnamese menu. The spring rolls, egg rolls and pho (beef noodle soup) are all recommended.