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From a refueling stop near the northern end of the High Line: fried cubed potatoes dressed with spicy tomato sauce and, vitally, aioli.
Bravas kiosk
Inside Mercado Little Spain, 10 Hudson Yards (Tenth Ave. at 30th St.), Manhattan
646-495-1242
www.LittleSpain.com/kiosks/bravas
"Sweet" is the typical come-on that Chinatown fruit sellers apply to their handwritten signs. A few fruits are "very sweet"; some, merely "delicious." The moniker "Thailan[d] kiwi," however, seems to have been the invention of this one particular vendor. The fruit is known as chicozapote in Mexico and subtropical Florida, and by many other names — including chikoo, sapodilla, and sapota — around the world.
Its flavor mingles brown sugar and pear, Margret Hefner observes in Frutas y Verduras, with some of a ripe pear's granularity. Too bad that this one, like the rest of the batch, was rock-hard, and not nearly ripe. Ready to eat, it's considerably softer. Like a kiwi.
Streetside produce stand
Near the southeast corner of Mulberry St. with Canal St., Manhattan
Candied date zongzi, from a new (and perhaps short-lived) entrant to the street-food scene near Columbia University.
Sidewalk zongzi vendor
This afternoon, on the east side of Broadway between 109th and 110th Sts., Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Breakfast burrito — eggs, home fries, cheddar, avocado, salsa, queso, chorizo. Stuffed. On return visit, during daybreak shift, will swap in bacon for chorizo, and inquire further about bygone Tom & Gus.
Angel Candy Store Coffee Shop (aka G's Coffee Shop)
634 West 207th St. (at Cooper St.), Manhattan
212-942-0679
(This venue is closed.) Made from a loose-knit house blend of pork and lamb, "Draculas" are "named after my country," said the Romanian counterman. (Note the Greek and Romanian national colors at the top of the hand-drawn sign). Contrary to what I imagined, Draculas are not blood sausages, just very juicy sausages.
House of Gyro & Shawarma
6901 Fresh Pond Rd. (at Cypress Hills St.), Ridgewood, Queens
347-844-9183
www.Facebook.com /House-of-GyroShawarma -1613143872333512
Breakfasttime lentil sambusa — a fried Ethiopian pastry, in this instance also seasoned with jalapeño, pepper, cilantro, and onion.
Oasia Jimma Juice Bar
3163 Broadway (La Salle St.-Tiemann Pl.), Morningside Heights, Manhattan
646-590-0685
Also at 600 W 139th St. (Broadway-Riverside Dr.), Hamilton Heights
646-918-6729
www.OasisJJB.com
On my previous visit to this annual festival, more than a decade ago, I would dearly have loved a cup of sassafras tea, but at the Iroquois Eatery tent it was 86'ed from the menu. "We didn't get out to the woods" this month, said my server.
Turkey, spinach, and quinoa combine to give the meatballs in this mini-sub a meltingly light touch, enriched by pecorino and Grana Padano cheeses. Quite apart from the housemade tomato sauce, the meatballs are very moist, too, as my empty sandwich caddy attests.
Mille Nonne
This afternoon, at the annual Essex Market Block Party
Daily, inside Essex Market, 88 Essex St. (at Delancey St.; store 47), Manhattan
646-669-8957
www.MilleNonne.com
Surviving signage, 3-5 East 28th St. (Fifth-Madison Aves.), Manhattan
H/T Walter Grutchfield for his ever-patient decipherment and research
Gohyong, minced shrimp and chicken fried in tofu skin, is a pork-free Indonesian variation on Chinese ngo hiang. The name might be native to the island of Java; the restaurant itself takes its name from a village in West Jakarta. We divvied up our gohyong with dispatch, then dealt with buncis udang pedas, spicy shrimp with green beans, just as ruthlessly.
Jembatan 5
932 South 10th St. (at Hall St.), Philadelphia
215-238-1898
www.Jembatan5Restaurant.com
Closed Monday
Thank you!
