"Jíbaro" is an affectionate name for the mountain people who lived in the once-inaccessible forested highlands in the heart of Puerto Rico. The epithet shows pride in the straightforwardness, humility, and hard work of folks who live off the land, and it has attached itself to one particular product of their labors: the plantain.
"Jibarito" (hee-bah-Ree-toe, $7.95), the diminuative form, denotes a sandwich akin to the Venezuelan patacon pisao, which employs discs of flattened, twice-fried green plantain rather than slices of bread. By comparison, typically the jibarito is oblong (in the photo, only half is unwrapped), and the pressed plantains are thinner and less stiff. Though some versions use chicken or pork, this shop's jibarito features the traditional skirt steak; "con todo" ("all the way," in Yonkers parlance) adds mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, and garlic-rich mayo. You can't have too much of that garlic; my order included extra on the side.
Most of the shop's sandwiches, by the way, are offered as a "roll" or a "hero." True, "wedge" is a common local name for sandwiches, both here in lower Westchester County and in nearby parts of Connecticut. "The Wedge," however, in this case refers to a long-gone parcel of land, "the location of many industries in Yonkers since the days of the old grist mill."
The Wedge Sandwich Shop
28 Warburton Ave. (at Manor House Sq.), Yonkers, New York
914-327-4222
www.Facebook.com/TheWedgeSandwichShop
