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I haven't eaten here and can't testify for the food, but I admire the compact message of the logo. Chicken is the protein of choice, and the chullo — the Andean knit cap whose earflaps can be fastened under the chin, or left hanging — signals that it's cooked a la brasa, on a Peruvian rotisserie.
Chullo-wearing chicken
On the awning of La Brasa Peruana
4618 Fifth Ave. (46th-47th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-765-4088
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Perhaps the upward-angled lines on the dormers were meant to evoke branches; the only trees on this block, at least nowadays, are rather spindly. Or perhaps they were intended to echo the beamwork that decorates the private dining room upstairs. Can you name this restaurant? (Please post your answer in the comments.)
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(This venue is closed.) It's probably too much to hope that any of the Guatemalan stews (guisados Chapines) will be laden with coconut milk, in the style favored on the Caribbean coast. Pupusas aside, the sign suggests Guatemalan chow from clear across the country, nearer the Mexican border. ("The boss," I was told, was not around to clarify matters.)
That still leaves plenty of room for invention, tamale-wise; by many accounts, Guatemala is home to hundreds of varieties. True, the kitchen is small, but I'll be happy with two or three interesting options. More to follow after a visit some weekend — the only time that comida Chapina is on offer.
Deli-grocery selling comida Chapina
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
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(This venue is closed.) Ambala name-checks a city in northern India, and the awning references Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tibet. The banner promoting "halal Thai food," however, is the biggest draw.
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Home turf for the morning's Serie A match wasn't far south of the mark.
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(This venue is closed.) Good stir-fried noodles and a good grilled burger have a lot in common. Each owes its aroma to an attentive chef cooking over high heat. In the case of the Indian-inspired Malaysian egg noodles called mee goreng, the fragrance, flavor, and overall impression are characteristics of "wok hei," often colorfully translated as the "breath of the wok." Without peeking into Cafe Asean's kitchen, I couldn't compare the cook's stir-fry technique to the exertions I'd seen in Malaysia itself, but a few lightly charred tidbits were tokens of his effort. Overall, a nicely balanced ensemble of ingredients.
Cafe Asean
117 West 10th St. (Sixth-Greenwich Aves.), New York
212-633-0348
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As ever, "some settling of contents" has occurred. Introduced in 1979 and since discontinued, this scented bath soap was meant to be paired with the most watery of "marinara sauces." So the "pasta" would readily dissolve, Soapaghetti was actually extruded angel-hair thin and even cut for you into short pieces, perhaps at the direction of some maternalistic product designer.
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Thank you!
