From an afternoon when I photographed (and consumed) a Sicilian seafood bruschetta, an Uruguayan-Basque sausage sandwich, and a spicy Togolese stew, the photo that won the most favor from my friends was of a doughnut ($2.50). Point taken: There's something to be said for the exotic, and there's something to be said for caramel (salted caramel) and pecans.
Dun-Well Doughnuts
222 Montrose Ave. (Bushwick Ave.-Humboldt St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.DunWellDoughnuts.com
Closed Monday
Unlike Mexican alfeñiques, brittle sculpted confections that typically show their faces for the Day of the Dead, Ecuadorian alfeñiques resemble sticks of soft turrón or stiff taffy, made with sugarcane. They're anything but brittle: To separate my purchase ($1.50) into portions for sharing with a friend, he and I needed to grab on from opposite ends, with both hands, before we could pull it in two. Biting off a piece might have been easier (if messier); buying two alfeñiques, easier still.
The market's proprietor also withdrew several other enticing items from beneath the front counter: bars of white chocolate Nestle Galak; concha negra (not shown), his home country's famous black cockles, waiting to be shucked and served on the half-shell with a few drops of lemon juice; and a massive egg, one of several in stock. Obviously it's from a bird, mate, but who can say what bloody flavour it is? Not me; I've never tried huevo de avestrus.
Placita Ecuatoriana
205 Wyckoff Ave. (Harman St.-Greene Ave.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-381-3680
Some versions of this Puerto Rican snack contain meat, but at Doña Raquel's cart the sorullos ($1.50 each) are simply cornmeal dough wrapped around mild cheese, and deep-fried. Imagine a mozzarepa in the form of a fat cigar.
Empanadas Doña Raquel
Knickerbocker Ave. near the southeast corner with Harman St., Bushwick, Brooklyn
646-633-2869
www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006182438181
The forebear of this small chain of Italian markets opened in 1919; most current locations are on Long Island, in service of a newer generation of Italian-Americans.
Iavarone Brothers
Surviving signage above Eva Deli Grocery, 165 Wilson Ave. (Hart St.-Dekalb Ave.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
Deep-fried appetizers took the honors at a small group dinner.
True, "alcapurrias dos veces frito" doesn't have the ring of "twice-fried fries." But you get the idea: First they're deep-fried at a relatively low temperature to cook them through, then on higher heat to create that crisp shell. (French fries, whose preparation is often the subject of exhaustive analysis, may be a slightly different story, since they're all-potato and much thinner.)
As at the yearly Festival Cultural de la Calle 152, the two operations are performed simultaneously, side by side, to satisfy a continual demand for the ground-beef-filled frituras. The bright color of this alcapurria (ahl-cah-Poor-ree-ah, $1.50 each) comes from an unusually generous ration of annatto.
Also shown: a sandwich de pernil ($6); the cut edges of the loaf seemed to have been wiped with garlic. Ensalada de pulpo, pinchos de pollo, bacalaitos, pastellitos, pasteles en hoja, and morcilla were also on offer; a rotisserie was not in action this day.
Las Alcapurrias
Outdoor stall in the used-car and auto-repair lot at the corner of Cooper and Wyckoff Aves., Ridgewood, Queens
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00-8:00
(Via a tip from an EIT reader and devoted bicycle rider; thanks, Mark!)
Fat, rich, and with plenty of juice: This grass-fed burger ($14) is stacked with mushroom duxelles, Vermont cheddar, and tobacco onions.
Northeast Kingdom
18 Wyckoff Ave. (at Troutman St.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-386-3864
www.North-EastKingdom.com
(This post reflects meals served at a previous Tchoup Shop location, on the back patio of d.b.a. Brooklyn). Most everywhere else, "chop shop" suggests shady goings-on.
The Hittleman name was added to the facade only after other figures had made their mark.
The only b.s. was in shorthand, on the order slip.
(This venue is closed.) None of that Cheez Whiz on the roast beef.
As at Big George's Soulfood Plus, a sign that promises food, perhaps drink, has lingered past the sell-by date. As long ago as 2004, "the lunch counter and booths [had] been torn out to make room for dancing." The door now bears the name of a tile and countertop contractor.
Wilson Candy Store
Surviving signage at 602 Wilson Ave. (Decatur-Schaefer Sts.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
In my experience, concon (cone-Cone), the burned rice that adds crunchy texture to many Dominican dishes, had always seemed to be a byproduct, thriftily collected from the sides and bottom of the cookpot after fluffier rice had been scooped free.
This paper-and-adhesive-gum-based frequent-shopper program was founded in 1938 and, like its major competitors S&H Green Stamps and (A&P) Plaid Stamps, hit the heights of its popularity in the 1960s.
It's not only this sign, for "executive offices and kitchens," that's been nearly obliterated in the decades since the confectioner's doors were shuttered. An online search for "Flora Mir Candy" revealed a series of legal proceedings and commentary thereon, but no details about any candy that Flora Mir may have made, or directed others to make, or caused to be made...
Flora Mir Candy
Surviving sign for "executive offices and kitchens"
Near the Chauncey St. station, Bushwick, Brooklyn
Looks like the donut peach of the pumpkin family.
This Sicilian bakery's sign still rises high.
The name above the entrance still says "El Salvador," but hand-lettered signs for cerveza, queso, and Zambos — beer, cheese, and a brand of snack chips — suggest a growing customer base of Catrachos, as natives of Honduras are sometimes known. As at a nearby pupuseria, the menu remains primarily Salvadoran, but the cooked-food menu includes baleadas, too.
El Salvador Restaurant
276 Knickerbocker Ave. (Willoughby Ave.-Suydam St.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
718-821-7269
It's not often that you see a fellow wrangle a baby with one arm while working the register with the other.
Thank you!
