Patacon Pisao

It's excellent against the cool night air.

Nighttime used to be the only time to visit Patacon Pisao — "flattened plantain" — a nod to the twice-fried, golden discs that serve as the armature for a breadless Venezuelan sandwich. The truck was permanently ensconced at the edge of an Inwood parking lot, and many of its customers were also patrons of the nightclub across the street.

I must have missed the memo: Patacon Pisao now flattens plantains all day, except for a brief window between dawn and mid-morning. Nonetheless I was glad to grab hold of a patacon de pernil (roast pork, $6) in the relative warmth of a winter afternoon. Typically these sandwiches are dressed with lettuce, tomato, a slice of fried cheese, ketchup, and a runny "special sauce" flavored with parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, and celery. There's good reason for that foil wrap, which I rewrapped, imperfectly, after taking my photos. Ideally you should peel back just enough for each bite; otherwise, watch where you drip.

Also shown: the current truck, its predecessor, and the operation's small restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens.

Patacon Pisao (previously also known as El Dugout)
Truck: 431 W. 202nd St. (Ninth-Tenth Aves.), Manhattan
917-971-9828
Restaurant: 85-22 Grand Ave. (Haspel-Van Horn Sts.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-899-8922
www.PataconPisaoNYC.com

Comments

[Robotron]

They have a restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens. The kitchen is many times larger than the dining area, so they must do most of the preparations for the food truck in the restaurant.

Patacon Pisao
85-22 Grand Ave
Elmhurst, NY 11373