This fellow keeps long hours, so my all-starch breakfast, batata asada (roasted sweet potato, $3 per pound), might as easily have been lunch or dinner. Unlike Flushing's potato vendors, he does business during shorts weather, too, when his roasted corn, and his skewers of beef, pork, and chicken, may be bigger sellers. A chill in the air adds appeal to his potatoes, but unless you're traveling as part of a pack, get the smallest one possible — or be willing to tote around a spud-shaped hand-warmer.
The photo at bottom, taken late last winter, before scaffolding cast shadows on this vendor's usual corner, shows a pair of empty boxes off to one side of the cart. Only afterward did I recognize the brand of sweet potatoes, a well-known sight in Upper Manhattan.
Batata asada vendor
Sherman St. at Dyckman St., Manhattan
