For some good ethnic food and culture see these places:
Russian - Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
Moroccan - Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn Hts, Brooklyn
Chinese - Chinatown, Manhattan
Dominican - Washington Hts, Manhattan
Colombian - Roosevelt Ave, Queens
Korean - 32nd, 33rd Streets in Manhattan; Elmhurst, Queens
Vietnamese - some excellent places in Chinatown
Arabic - Queens, Brooklyn
Greek - Astoria, Queens
Japanese - Sushi is the #1 food in Manhattan
Brazilian - 46th Street, Manhattan - Theater District
Puerto Rican - Spanish Harlem, Manhattan
Soul Food - Harlem, Manhattan
Indian - EVERYWHERE in NY
I'll add more as I think of them!
Also, right accross the river in West New York (that's the name of the city), New Jersey, there's a very Latin area around Bergenline Avenue, where there's excellent Peruvian (very good ceviche), Ecuadorian, Mexican (real mexican, not gringo), Colombian, Cuban, Dominican, etc... food.
The photo is from a Russian restaurant in Brighton Beach (where we celebrated my mom's birthday) - lots of food, lots of alcohol, and lots of music.


