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Ham, baby swiss, and pickles pressed on sourdough. At this butcher and sandwich counter, it's called a Balboa ($10), though it lacks one defining ingredient, roast beef. To me, it evoked a Cubano, though the roast pork essential to that sandwich is absent, too. Perhaps I was swayed by the bacon remoulade.
Hudson & Charles
555 Amsterdam Ave (at West 87th St.), Manhattan
212-799-1269
Also at 524 Hudson St. (Charles-West 10th Sts.)
212-675-7075
www.HudsonAndCharles.com
On many Dominican menus, you'll find a belly-filling combo called tres golpes, or "three strikes," namely salami, cheese, and eggs, all of them fried. Mangú, boiled and mashed green plantain, is the default accompaniment. This tre golpe sushi roll ($14) — since it does not incorporate "sushi," Japanese for "vinegared rice" — is not quite true to its name. Given the mangú, however, it is, literally, a culinary mashup.
And it is belly-filling, especially when you account for the added chunks of avocado, for the light tempura treatment of the nori wrapper, and the dips. Flanking the soy sauce are a spicy mayo (to the right) and, better still, a thick, slightly sweet plantain-based sauce.
Note also MamaSushi's rendition of "tres golpes," which replicates the usual Dominican pronunciation by omitting the final letters S, as "tre golpe." Here's a similar example, from the same neighborhood, that shows the effect of colloquial speech on spelling.
MamaSushi
3569 Broadway (West 146th-West 147th Sts.), Manhattan
646-682-7879
Also at 237 Dyckman St. (Seaman Ave.-Broadway)
212-567-2450
www.MamaSushi.com
The thinly documented sandwich called the steak-n-take is apparently a variation on the cheese steak. I've spotted it in Philadelphia, Newark, Jersey City, and, rarely, in New York. Never, however, in the company of a roast pork sandwich — many steak-n-take vendors explicitly keep halal. Number Seven Sandwich Hub, for its part, is affiliated with the Muhammad Mosque No. 7, around the corner.
While some cheese steaks include "Whiz," my steak-n-take ($7) featured actual cheese, as well as an abundance of bell pepper. Most notably, it swapped out the cheese steak's typical hoagie roll, which is bulky and slightly salty, for slimmer and sweeter slices of soft, lightly toasted potato bread. Also on the menu, awaiting a return visit: a fish-n-take, featuring fried whiting.
Number Seven Sandwich Hub
Tented table on Lenox Ave. near the southwest corner with 127th St., Manhattan
646-665-7482
www.Facebook.com/pg/No7SandwichHub
Saturday and Sunday, 11:30-5:30
Sometimes the very contours of a restaurant sign tell a story about an earlier business. Shalimar, in San Francisco, serves no alcohol, but it's clear that for at least one previous tenant, cocktails were a specialty. Punjabi Kitchen's pole-mounted sign, though repainted, retains the leaflike shape once favored by a national chain and complements the barnlike double pitch of the roof. If only the restaurant served kulfi with a cherry dip!
Punjabi Kitchen (with Mama's Pan Center)
On the site of a former Dairy Queen, 1691 Oak Tree Rd. (at Minebrook Rd.), Edison, New Jersey
732-596-7907
www.Facebook.com/pg/PunjabiKitchenRestaurant
Cabs parked outside speak well of the food served inside; you might almost look past the lamb to get at the raisin-plumped palaw. For photos, see the EIT page on Facebook.
Sami's Kabab House
35-57 Crescent St. (35th-36th Aves.), Astoria, Queens
917-832-7165
www.SamisKababHouse.com
(This venue is closed.) Hold the burek (at least till my next visit): Albanian-style personal pizza with smoked meat.
Tradita Brick Oven Pizza
292 East 204th St. (Bainbridge-Perry Aves.), Norwood, Bronx
718-231-0675
www.TraditaPizza.com
(This venue is closed.) Partial eclipse of vanilla shake by chocolate malted.
Libby's Lunch
98 McBride Ave. (near Wayne Ave.), Paterson, New Jersey
973-278-8718
www.Facebook.com/pg/OfficialLibbysLunch
Thanksgiving candied yams are almost savory by comparison: camotes en almíbar, sweet potatoes preserved in syrup.
Produce vendor (one of several)
Tianguis (open-air market), vicinity of Calle Campeche and Av. Nuevo Leon, Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
Friday, reportedly 7:00-5:00
(From a March 2017 visit)
The shell-like casing of the granadilla (gran-ah-Dee-yah), also known as granada China and sweet passion fruit, is its own best serving container. Unless you're angling for a clearer photo of the insides (as I was), don't tear the casing asunder. Instead, slice off the stem end, much as you'd crack the top of a soft-boiled egg. Margret Hefner, author of Frutas y Verduras: A Fresh Food Lover's Guide to Mexico, observes that the "light, perfumed flavor" can be enjoyed by spooning or slurping "directly from its shell."
Fruteria Rafael
+52 55 5564-3191
Mercado de Medellín, stalls 162, 179, 187, 202
Calle Campeche 101 (Medellín-Monterrey), Roma Sur, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
(From a March 2017 visit)
Here's a good test for tender squid: Squeeze one end between two chopsticks, and nip off the other end with your teeth.
Thank you!
