Eating In Translation

Lechonera La Piraña

It's cozy, and they've got tunes.

The first time I set foot inside the trailer of La Piraña (the nickname of the proprietor, though he appears as even-tempered as you would hope of anyone whose principal tool, used in the normal course of chopping lechon, is a machete), I was only up for snacks. An exceptional golden crab pastelillo (also shown in biteaway view) was not long out of the deep fryer; I chased it with a darker ground-beef-and-green-plantain alcapurria.

A platter of the roast pork called lechon ($8) is exceptional, too, provided you give the nod to several ladles of gravy on top. Cheek by jowl with rice and pigeon peas are tomato, onion, celery, and mysterious additional tidbits of flavorful protein — perhaps smoked meat, perhaps bacon, one dining buddy conjectured.

Note that the trailer itself is not labeled Lechonera La Piraña. Look for the Puerto Rican-themed mural on one side (Aguadilla is the proprietor's previous home) and the "Pan, Tierra, Libertad" logo on the other. Note, too, that quarters are very close inside. If the weather is brutal, consider waiting to pay a call during the annual, amiable Festival de la Calle 152.

Lechonera La Piraña
East 152nd St. near Wales Ave., Longwood, Bronx
Saturday and Sunday only

Brooklyn Kolache

A chiaroscuro of poppy seeds and sweet streusel adorns the dough of this generously decorated kolache ($2.75).

Brooklyn Kolache
520 Dekalb Ave. (Bedford Ave.-Skillman St.), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
718-398-1111
www.BrooklynKolacheCo.com

Avraham Kosher Bakery

Halva is the name of a "hugely varied range of confections," states the The Oxford Companion to Food, "derived from the Arabic root 'hulw', sweet." In the United States, halvas made from sesame seeds, especially by Brooklyn-based Joyva, are the best-known.

Much rarer is this style of semolina-based halva (about 65 cents per piece, at $12 per pound), made here by Bukharian Jews of Uzbek descent. (The photo with the edge-on view shows a halva of similar make, in an unlabeled container at a Rego Park grocery, provenance unknown.) Bits of almond and walnut, but not pistachio, are embedded within; I imagine that cardamom takes credit for the greenish-gold coloration. It's sweeter than the sesame-based stuff (how could it not be?) and to my taste more tempting. It's also much less messy to divvy up, should you be so inclined.

Avraham Kosher Bakery
7315 Main St. (73rd-75th Aves.), Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
718-969-1074

Dig Inn

Though its business end has been lopped off in abrupt if not alarming fashion, even an old shovel, repurposed as a door handle, signals this mini-chain's waste not, want not philosophy. Basic meals at Dig Inn consist of a "meat and two" over salad or brown rice, but rather than sprawling over broad plates they're cradled in compostable containers, and not by the pound but in one of two sensibly portioned sizes. A squeeze of lemon did coax out more flavor from roasted chicken, sauteed kale, and roasted brussels sprouts (small, $6.89), but other serving counters will be more enticing when only "extra gravy" will do.

Also shown: the sign, for the time being still in place, of the card-and-gift store that occupied this storefront for 20 years. That name, in turn, gave a nod to the laundromat that did business here before.

Dig Inn
2884 Broadway (112th-113th Sts.), Manhattan
212-776-4047
(One of many locations)
www.DigInn.com

EIM Khao Man Kai

This weeks-old storefront, a few doors down from Sugar Club, specializes in Thai-style steamed chicken, a much-loved street food in the owner's previous home, Bangkok. The accompanying sauce is not as subtle as at Khao Man Gai NY; here it has a red-pepper directness. But in EIM's favor, one can choose dark meat instead of white, and, since whole birds are on hand, even a basic set like this ($9) might also sport chicken liver and stomach, shown to the left and right of my rice. I didn't think to ask — is coxcomb an option?

EIM Khao Man Kai
81-32 Broadway (81st-82nd Sts.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-424-7156
www.Facebook.com/pages/EIM-Khao-Mun-Kai-Elmhurst/708980312469993

Long-gone greengrocer

Peeking up from the sidewalk concrete, this is one of a score or so of metal loops on one Morningside Heights corner. Most are along the side street. Today the ground floor of the adjoining property, one of the neighborhood's ubiquitous five-floor walkups, is occupied by a branch of a nationally known bank, but years ago (perhaps decades ago is closer to the truth) it was home to a family-run greengrocer. A Korean family, I think. Loops like this helped anchor awnings, which extended out and down to cover the stoopline display and shielded produce and flowers from the afternoon sun.

Long-gone greengrocer
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Kashmir 9

In truth, most of the caddies were better kitted out, but the condiments at my table were perfectly suited to a combo of cauliflower and lamb splashed with black-peppery sauce (Wednesday special, $9): No seasoning was needed. I'd only wish for more cauliflower, less potato.

Kashmir 9 (also known as Cuisine of Pakistan)
478 Ninth Ave. (36th-37th Sts.), Manhattan
212-736-7745

Marani

Not everything at Marani mixes so freely.

Brooklyn Brine

The origin of hop-pickles, so the story goes, was a chance encounter of Brooklyn Brine's cukes with the 60 Minute IPA of craft brewer Dogfish Head. Today they are wedded under one lid (16 oz., $8), in the company of apple cider vinegar, habaneros, spices, caramelized onions, and oil of the namesake Cascade hops. The medium-spicy, earthy flavor is better nibbled than gobbled.

Brooklyn Brine
574 President St. (Third-Fourth Aves.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
347-223-4345
www.BrooklynBrine.com
Closed Sunday

Lincoln Station

Braised kale on ciabatta ($8.95) brought to mind a great vegetarian option at Shorty's (nee Tony Luke's). Once known as the "green sandwich," essentially this was the shop's celebrated "roast pork Italian" without the pork. The current name, "broccoli rabe sandwich," preempts what must have been a common question with a blunt answer (and eliminates the option of spinach, which to my taste doesn't have enough bite). But the newer name surrenders something, too. There's satisfaction in visiting a favorite feeding ground and knowing what's what without having to ask, in being one of the guys and not a johnny-come-lately.

This evening the only mystery was for my dining buddy — from our table, she couldn't quite see the menu board behind the counter — who guessed that the ciabatta was spread with a particularly nice hummus, when in truth it was a luscious fava bean puree. In short, nice sandwich.

Lincoln Station
409 Lincoln Pl. (Washington-Classon Aves.), Crown Heights, Brooklyn
718-399-2211
www.StationFoods.com