Eating In Translation

Warung Kario

Indonesian, out of Java, by way of Suriname.

Spice World

Pot, it's not, not with those leaves.

Hawtree Creek Road

"Linden" is a common toponym, applied around the world to many localities where linden trees grow. "Hawtree" is rather rare; surely it refers to the hawthorn, a populous genus of trees and shrubs found in the northern hemisphere.

I didn't attempt to follow the road as far south as Howard Beach, where Hawtree Basin accepts the ebb and flow from Jamaica Bay, and I don't know what flora survives there. But I'd like to imagine that in times past, hawthorns stood along the creek, and their small fruits were harvested and preserved as they still are in the South.

Hawtree Creek Road
Sign at the corner of Linden Blvd., Ozone Park, Queens

Sofia Pizza

Thin and crispy, for a grandma slice ($3.50).

My Mother's Place

Also serving up Sabrett's hot dogs, Gabila's knishes, and another New York street-food standard stealthily introduced here.

Lefferts J&L Deli

"Come in...we like you," beckons the clown, but by all other indications he packed it in years ago. The current tenant, Cho-Cho Deli Grocery, has all the charm appropriate to a business whose headline offering is "lotto"; the "Thai food" also mentioned on the awning was not to be seen.

Need a cold soda on a hot day? Cho-Cho has you covered. As for Lefferts J&L Deli, can any Eating In Translation reader supply the back story?

Surviving sign for Lefferts J&L Deli
Today the site of Cho-Cho Grocery Deli
111-41 Lefferts Blvd. (Linden Blvd.-111th St.), Ozone Park, Queens
718-322-7167

Jahn's

(This location is closed.) This shopworn "ice cream parlor and restaurant" stirred up a fine vanilla egg cream ($2.10).

Anil's Roti

Note to self: When ordering crab roti, try to remember that nobody but you is going to pick that crabment. (The first of many lessons that didn't take was my encounter with "crab cooked with beer" at the old Saigon restaurant on Mulberry St.) Anil's rendition ($6.50), I'm glad to say, featured an unusually plump crustacean, so this finger-lickin' mess had a meatier-than-average payoff.

Anil's Roti
125-01 Liberty Ave., Richmond Hill, Queens
718-845-2800

Banana Country

Karela ($2.49 per pound) is one of a number of vegetables that also answer to "bitter melon" or "bitter gourd." The ampalaya you'll find at Filipino restaurants, and the "bitter" vegetables in Chinese and Okinawan cuisine, are varieties with a similar shape but a less gnarly rind. When it's cored — choose a thinner one for less pith and fewer seeds — the karela can actually be the basis for a fresh salad, but frying or even blanching it will tame the bitterness considerably.

Banana Country
120-01 Liberty Ave., Richmond Hill, Queens
718-641-5253

J&B West Indian & American Grocery

(This venue is closed.) "Sourie" seemed like just the right name, but only at first bite.

Ozone Pizza

Sicilian pizza takes top billing.

Singh's Roti Shop & Bar

The colors of Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, and the United States hang above the small bar, but whatever flag you fly, there's room enough for a crowd in the sprawling dining area.

Mae's Kitchen

(This venue is closed.) Javanese-style Surinamese, to be exact. At Mae's Kitchen, East Indies meets West Indies, thanks to their shared Dutch colonial heritage.

Windies

(This venue is closed.) Pa-CHOW.

R&L Golden Apple Restaurant

This informal restaurant serves "Oriental American and West Indian dishes" but also keeps a few cheap eats at the ready.

Trini Delite

This personable roti shop and restaurant occupies the ground floor of a wood-framed building, and it packs quite a lot into one lively little room. Their house-baked hops are like firm burger buns, though many of the fillings (I had my eye on corned mutton) are available only at breakfasttime. That's salt fish ($3.50); you'll want some sauce to wet it down.

Trini Delite
110-02 Liberty Ave., Richmond Hill, Queens
718-322-1203

Little Guyana Bake Shop

Routine, almost commercial atmosphere, albeit with a good-sized selection.

Greenwood Quality Bakery

You'd want to discard a fresh clam that couldn't keep its shell shut.

Oxford Bake Shop

Every time I visit, something always distracts me from those fine-looking crumb-cake squares.

Singh's Roti Shop

Those curried chick peas are perilously perched within an order of "doubles" ($1), two layers of the fluffy golden fried dough called bara. Using two hands helps deliver your dollar's worth; so does a willingness to lick your fingers. This bustling takeout shop has many enticing choices and room enough to sit, too.

Singh's Roti Shop
118-06 Liberty Ave., Richmond Hill, Queens
718-835-7255