Eating In Translation

El Globo Restaurante

When the point-of-purchase display reads "chapulines $5," it's a good bet that the kitchen takes a homey approach, too. I don't know that Mexican grasshoppers make their way onto the menu of this rustic, virtually undecorated eatery (I was just passing through, on my way to dinner in Flushing), but I could see returning for a plate of albóndigas en chipotle (Monday and Friday only) and something sweet from the baked-goods bins.

El Globo Restaurante
42-13 102nd St., Corona, Queens
718-779-7898

Amazonas Deli Grocery

"Productos Ecuatorianos y Mexicanos" are sold at the fruit and juice stand jutting from the corner; behind the shades is a takeout counter for tacos and tortas; and inside, there's a small steam table as well as a few seats along the window. My D'Dioses brand mango chile ice pop ($1.50) had picked up a slight case of freezer burn since it was popped together in Paterson, New Jersey. Despite a few hair-thin mango fibers (evidence of once-fresh fruit, not concentrate), the flavor was less electric than the color.

Amazonas Deli Grocery
41-01 National St., Corona, Queens
718-505-9104

Cinco de Mayo Festival

I was disappointed by the variety of the Mexican food at Sunday's Cinco de Mayo Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Casa América

"La depensa Ecuatoriana" stocks all the staples, from a half-dozen bins of assorted grains to a freezer-shelf of the infamous guinea pig called cuy.

Café con Leche

This soon-to-expand Ecuadorian eatery bills itself as a panaderia, or bakery, and a picanteria, too.

Rincon Criollo

This old-timer has the "ambiente familiar" of one of my favorite restaurants in South Beach, so even if my Cuban sandwich ($4) didn't come together — the counterman had to retrieve it from hiding, and unwrap it, before applying the press, and the flavors didn't marry — I'd like to visit it again on some warmer sunny afternoon.

Rincon Criollo
40-09 Junction Blvd. (near Roosevelt Ave.), Corona, Queens
718-458-0236

Silver Bell Bakers

"Renaissance Bakery" is the current name, according to their website and to numerous posts by others, but as long as the wrappers themselves also read "Silver Bell," I'll stick with that.

It's also unclear who's at the ovens. On the day I bought a package of pleasantly sour farmer's rye (about 1 lb.; $2.10), the only employee on the premises was conducting a extended phone call in Spanish, and many of the fresh items in the display case had the not-quite-neon hues I've seen in many in Mexican bakeries.

Does anyone know more?

Silver Bell Bakers
43-04 Junction Blvd., Corona, Queens
800-806-9245
http://www.bake4u.com/
Closed Sunday

La Esquina Criolla

Mmm, mmm, morcilla.

La Esquina Argentina

This sunny corner had a drowsy feel in midafternoon — even a goal, during the televised Argentine league football match, barely drew a response from the clientele — and I departed soon after with a beef empanada enriched with hardboiled egg ($1.25). But one evening, when La Esquina Argentina fires up the pizza oven, I hope to return for slices of their fugazza and faina.

La Esquina Argentina
96-01 Corona Ave. (at Junction Blvd.), Corona, Queens
718-592-9825

La Favorita Deli Grocery

Walk this way to the hidden lunch counter.

Chusok: The Korean Harvest Festival

The Korean Harvest Festival — called Chusok, Chuseok, or Hangawi — is similar in spirit to Thanksgiving, but with less football and much more garlic.

Leo's Latticini

Very friendly servers at this shrine for Mets fans, also known as Mama's (there's a stand with readymade sandwiches inside Shea itself). The slicer sits right up front on the low counter, under the gaze of signed photos from athletes and actors; on an early visit, when business was quiet, I got a taste of the ham, salami, and mozzarella as my hero was assembled.

Lemon Ice King of Corona

"Is it good?" asked the family next to me when I asked for a blueberry ice (medium; $1.50). Never tried it before, I told them; I ordered blueberry because the Mets were home that evening.

Cream-cone Vendor

Isn't it too cold, I asked from underneath my parka, as the proprietress served a customer nearly as bundled up as I was. It's not ice cream, she replied, it's "crema": airy, seemingly warmer than the surroundings, and in my case, a pairing of plain and strawberry ($1).

Cream-cone Vendor
Northwest corner of Roosevelt Ave. and Junction Blvd.

Shea Stadium

For game 7 of the Mets-Cards NLCS, I would have loved a sandwich from Leo's Latticini, but that nearby Corona landmark generally closes at 5:00, and the stadium outlet, on the field level, wasn't open to a ticketholder from the upper deck. Dinner instead was a corn dog (overfried, too sweet, and as lightweight as the Mets bats), a couple of Nathan's hot dogs (their usual selves), and beer in a plastic cup (nothing like it). As for Leo's, wait till next year.

Shea Stadium
Flushing, Queens

Fruit Juice Stand

More fruit than punch: This cup ($2) was filled with chunks of fresh mango, papaya, cantaloupe, and banana, plus a few grapes and maybe some mamey.

Fruit Juice Stand
Roosevelt Ave. near 105th St., Corona, Queens

La Ambateñita Bakery

Between this Ecuadorian "comida rapida" joint and Shea Stadium, there's little to choose from but auto-repair shops. A chunk-filled disk of banana verde ($2) might have been better with cheese.

La Ambateñita Bakery
111-26 Roosevelt Ave., Corona, Queens
718-803-3456

Corona Pizza

Disappointed that the Corona Heights Pork Store was closed (for repairs, said the sign, though sadly it never reopened), I consoled myself with a sausage slice ($2.50) at this friendly pizzeria. Perhaps the mozzarella was aged rather than fresh, the tomato flavor came in a sauce, the pellets of meat were too herby, and the crust was doughy, but this was the pizza taste I grew up with, and it was just what I needed on a cold, drizzly day.

Corona Pizza
51-23 108th St. (at Corona Ave.), Queens
718-271-3736

Roma's Ice Cream Store

The "ice cream" sign that beckoned from across Roosevelt suggested nothing more than what you'd expect from dozens of other neighborhood joints; frankly, I didn't take that good a look after I saw the freezer case of paletas ($1.25 each). In addition to the standard frozen-pop flavors, I had to choose from a half-dozen others including arroz (rice), nuez (walnut), grosella (currant), and nance ("yellow cherry," said the counterman). I settled on chamoy, a not-too-spicy blend of chili and an apricot-like fruit.

Roma's Ice Cream Store
103-04 Roosevelt Ave., Queens
718-899-9900

De Paisita a Paisano

A butter-flavored roll ($1.25) also contained a little melted cheese plus a stick of ham that rattled around inside the hollow. Cute, for a snack; nothing else tempted me here.

De Paisita a Paisano
39-24 108th St., Queens
718-651-4084