Tong Muan brand pandan-flavored biscuits (160 g.; $2.50), from Thailand, tasted more of coconut. Take one, pass it on. This grocery has cleared half its floor space for a dining room, but close as it is to Sripraphai, I haven't tried it yet.
Thailand's Center Point
63-19 39th Ave. (63rd-64th Sts.), Woodside, Queens
718-651-6888
The first New York branch of Philippines-based Jollibee also imported a curious phrasing to describe its hours of business. The brusque tone, also found in Penang, likely is intended only for customers of fast-food operations.
For its spring schedule, Jollibee adopted more-conventional language.
"Line open, line close" at Jollibee
62-29 Roosevelt Ave. (at 63rd St.), Woodside, Queens
(one of many locations)
718-426-4445
www.Jollibee.com.ph
(Closed since late 2007, Himalayan Yak reopened soon after this photo was taken, following an extensive makeover; I hope to revisit it soon. See a small sample of its former menu on the jump page.)
(This venue is closed, as you can see from this photo of the restaurant's former site. A small sample of its former menu follows.)
Enjoy some quiet dinner conversation in a homey setting.
Think of this Thai video store as an indie snack stop, too, for all the munchies you'll never see at Blockbuster. Many are $2 or less, like a packet of finger bananas, an immense flattened sheet of dried squid, or these tightly nested peanut "cookies" (250 g.; $2), from Vietnam.
For your own culinary productions, dip into the likes of Mae Pranom brand shrimp fat in oil (90 g.; $2), from Thailand. Added attraction: Payathai is across the street and just down the block from Sripraphai.
Payathai Video & Grocery
64-04 39th Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-205-0404
Phil-Am offers an amazing variety of packaged and freshly prepared Filipino food.
If this crispy catfish salad doesn't convince you to head out to Woodside, maybe you just don't like Thai.
Wholesale only, it turned out, once I tracked down a telephone number, but I'm easily amused by brightly colored signs.
Wonder Hostess Thriftshop
60-06 37th Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-446-6216
The name alludes to a tiny island near Capri and Naples, the setting is adrift in industrial Woodside; when I stopped by, the only other business that hadn't shuttered for the evening was the auto-body shop across the street. "Taste of Ischia" is a specialty market until late afternoon, when it performs a quick-change into a restaurant. Seemed clubby, and pricey for Queens, but the food is well-regarded in many quarters.
Sapori D'Ischia
55-15 37th Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-446-1500
Closed Monday
At this starkly lit but amiable Filipino restaurant, meat is at the center of the action.
The awning's promise of "sabor Manabita" refers to the flavors of Manabí province, on Ecuador's coast. Seafood, as you'd expect, is the focus of the cuisine. Years ago I visited this pubby restaurant to try the black clam ceviche; except for "black" and "clam," all I remember is that the experience would be greatly improved by a warm sea breeze.
Braulio's & Family
39-08 63rd St., Woodside, Queens
718-899-3267
Never did stop by this Indonesian BBQ and snack shack, which once greeted passengers descending from the elevated 7 train at 52nd St.; it gave up the ghost sometime in 2006 or early 2007.
Warteg Fortuna
51-24 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-898-2554
(This venue, named EGB when I visited and later Pa'Oun, under the same ownership, is closed.) The lengthy menu of burgers and chicken sandwiches seemed strangely familiar; the tip-off was the black-and-white shake.
This narrow storefront also rents Thai videos, but the featured attraction is the spread of snacks at the counter and on the facing shelves.
The lunchtime buffet — $8 or so, soda and cake included — is a fantastic value.
A delectable banana tart ($5.50), and the carrot cake and pear tart that joined it at this charmingly tiled table, were sold short by the indifferent service; for that reason, I don't know that I'd venture the hot savories on the menu. Even so, worth a drop-in for dessert and coffee.
La Flor
53-02 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-426-8023
On my one visit to this Ecuadorian grocery/eatery, I had time enough only to peruse the three short aisles and help myself to an Inca Kola (12 fl. oz.; $1). One customer was meticulously picking apart a cangrejo — a blue crab, the manager called it, but certainly not one of the "beautiful swimmers" from the Chesapeake. Then again, given a good crab-picker and an hour to use it, a thick, meaty crustacean can be beautiful, too, especially to a food-lovin' lubber like me.
El Chasqui International
50-18 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens
646-467-4574
(This venue is closed.) This had better be good, I told myself, if it's displaced a restaurant I enjoyed as much as Karihan ni Tata Bino. For a simple, late-afternoon belly-warmer, a bowl of mo hangar ($5.99) — rice noodles in sour catfish soup, with cilantro and very hot red pepper flakes on the side — was very promising.
On another visit; the duck soup with sour mustard ($6.99) was comforting, and just a little tangy; squash fritters ($4.99) were fine, but the gram fritters (made from yellow split peas; $4.99) were too dry; green tea leaf salad ($5.99) added a tannic layer to a hepped-up hodgepodge of tomato, cabbage, and peanuts. The fiery-looking pork and onion curry with mango pickle ($4.99) was a pussycat; fried butterfish curry simmered in a blend of spices ($6.99) was fine with its accompanying vegetables, too fishy without; mushroom and watercress with garlic ($7.99) was simple and satisfying.
Burmese Café
71-34 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens
718-803-1320
Zabb City and its Woodside namesake are Isaan restaurants (or Isan, or Esan), rooted near Thailand's Northeast border with Laos. Here, as back home, most dishes display a straightforward preparation and presentation, but the spice level in New York is considerably muted. From the Queens outlet, the green papaya salad called som tum (top photo; $7.50) was flavored with salted crab, plus chili and a satisfying sourness of lime. (By contrast, a similar som tum I sampled in Vientiene, Laos, gave me the hiccoughs after one mouthful; it was so hot that not only did I leave half of it behind, but it woke me urgently at 4:00 a.m.)
From the West Village location, grilled beef (bottom photo; $8.95) was a stereotypical "stick with the basics" appetizer; beef labb (or laab, or larb; $7.95) though classified as a salad, was mainly minced meat. Also at the table: a "fresh roll" ($6.95) exhibited crisp, clean herbal flavors; green curry with pork ($9.95) and chicken in ginger sauce ($9.95) were fine.
Zabb City
244 East 13th St. (Second-Third Aves.)
(one of two locations)
212-529-8770
Bready chicken turnover ($1.20) from this Korean corner joint.
First Taste Café and Bakery
75-08 Broadway, Woodside, Queens
A parsley hot dog ($1.50), wrapped in a buttery bun, might've been OK if it came fresh from the oven, but this one seemingly strayed from the refrigerator case.
Koryodang Express
72-22 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, Queens
(one of several locations)
(This venue is closed.) Everything at this Filipino restaurant is cooked from scratch, I was told, as the merits of eight or ten dishes were recited for me.
Though Apholo makes its mark by sending "balikbayan" boxes (what my mom might call a Care Package) to and from the Philippines, they also stock their sari-sari (convenience store) with a small but select offering of incoming goods. Ludy's instant salabat, with lemon (160 g.; $1.09) is a Filipino ginger punch (sometimes, "ginger tea") that doesn't pack quite the wallop of the lemon ginger cider that May May was offering during Taste of Chinatown — though I'm sure you could mix it double-strength if you needed to air out the nasal passages.
In addition to 6 oz. packets of polvoron, the shortbread-like toasted wheat cakes flavored with purple yam, pandan and coconut, or rice, Apholo also sells a variety pack (500 g.; $3.49) that includes melon and strawberry, flavors I haven't seen individually. The melon is especially nice, but like all these wheat cakes, it's very dry and crumbles easily to a powder. A glass of water makes a good chaser.
Apholo Shippers
65-21 Roosevelt Ave., Queens
718-205-4294
My pastry cone with vanilla custard ($1.50), fresh out of the oven, oozed a little from its tail, and the confectioner's sugar was laid on thick; the pastry itself was a little heavy and not flaky. Still a nice (and inexpensive) dessert, one of many interesting pastries I've enjoyed here. The ladies behind the counter are always helpful with explanations, too.
La Uruguaya y Paraguayita Bakery
68-24 Roosevelt Ave., Queens
718-672-1919
Change is Good
