If it's morning, these must be breakfast pastries: the previous day's Polish bow tie cookies, made from cream cheese dough with raspberry, apricot, or prune filling.
Pieklo Bakery
60-41 Fresh Pond Rd. (60th Dr.-60th Rd.), Maspeth, Queens
718-386-4547
Also at 800 River Dr. (at Market St.), Garfield, New Jersey
973-546-3409
www.Facebook.com/Pieklo-Bakery-Sons-176480265890261
(This venue is closed.) The front window also touted burgers and wings, but a more modest, hand-drawn sign suggested the sizzling East African specialty of the house.
(This post is based on a visit to San Martin's former Anderson Ave. location, now closed.) If you recall the Carrillo stand, at the Red Hook Ball Fields, with the same fondness as I do, it's probably for those super-fluffy tamales. Compared with their Mexican counterparts, wrote Siobhan Wallace and Alexandra Penfold in New York a la Cart, "Guatemalan tamales are larger ... and the masa, or cornmeal filling, has a wetter, creamier texture." In fact, the counterman offered me a spoon; I managed fine with a fork.
The tamales are particularly creamy when freshly steamed. I was lucky to arrive at San Martin, one of a dozen or so Guatemalan restaurants and bakeries on or near a mile-long stretch of Anderson Ave. in Fairview, New Jersey, just as the latest batch was being set out on display. The fragrance of banana-leaf wrappers, which are more commonly used than corn husks in lower Mexico and points south and that impart a sweeter flavor to their fillings, was unmistakable; also note the ties, made from the stiff midribs of the leaves. Atop a tamal de cerdo (with pork; weekends only), I squeezed a little lime and, at the proprietor's urging, applied a "picante" slaw (not shown) of lettuce that had been stealthily interlaced with slices of green chile. (Picante indeed; the usual phalanx of hot-sauce bottles went largely undisturbed.) My photo of the leavings, from a few minutes later, documents the Guatemalan preference for meat on the bone, even in tamales.
Restaurante San Martin
385 Fairview Ave. (Lincoln-Grant Sts.), Fairview, New Jersey
201-941-0840
Conch provided chewiness, cabbage offered a contrasting crunch, and "spicy sauce" delivered stinging slaps to the tastebuds with each bite of larb hoi ($15.95). From the familiar 1-to-5 spiciness scale, 3 is the preferred level for my waitress, she confided. This was merely a 2; my aim was to eat adventurously, not heroically.
Also shown: A detail from the facade of a nearby dry cleaner, taken during an unplanned hour's walk around the neighborhood. The schedule posted on the restaurant's website may not be absolutely up-to-date; call ahead to confirm.
H/T David Druce (by private communication)
Pho Thai-Lao Kitchen
219 Maywood Ave. (at West Hunter Ave.), Maywood, New Jersey
201-712-0700
www.PhoThaiLao.com
Closed Monday
Last year a buddy and I walked the mile-and-a-half parade route from Paterson, New Jersey, to the festival grounds in neighboring Clifton, eating all along the way. When we finally arrived, we couldn't do justice to all the festival food. I recall one missed opportunity in particular, a fine-looking sausage that had been appropriated as a paperweight. We left it as we found it.
This year, by touching down at the festival first, we turned our itinerary on its head — which brings to mind the kazandibi (kah-Zahn-di-bee) prepared by ladies from a local mosque. This burnt-milk pudding, rather than being put to the flame like crème brûlée, is caramelized against the bottom (dibi) of the cooking vessel (kazan), then served dark side up. Our toasty kazandibi ($3), especially in contrast with the creaminess of the pudding, was sublime.
For more photos — of lamb-offal kokorec, buttery gozleme, and asure (ah-Shoo-ray) bright with pomegranate, mandarin, and lemon peel — see the EIT page on Facebook.
Paterson-Clifton Turkish American Day Parade and Festival
The parade proceeds south on Main St. from Madison Ave., in Paterson, to the festival site in Main Memorial Park, Clifton, New Jersey
www.Facebook.com/pages/Paterson-Clifton-Turkish-American-Day-Parade-Festival/476964359023656
(The 2016 parade and festival were held on June 4)
The modest decor of Bensonhurst's Silver Star and the Polynesian getup of Chan's Dragon Inn could hardly be more different. Even the purplish flame that flickered in our faces (and over the countenance of the totemlike figure on the war shield hanging close by) had a more exotic glow. Our mission, however, was unchanged: to hunt down the Americanized Chinese food of our youth.
Though the pu pu platter was adequate to set the scene, the tiki drinks (said my dining buddies) were less than potent. Fried rice and shrimp in lobster sauce were good; portions of roast pork Hawaii, however, went unclaimed. War shu opp was oversauced and skimpy; this pressed-duck dish had been the hit of the evening at Silver Star. But butterfly shrimp, which fell flat in Brooklyn, soared at Chan's. For these two precious dishes, war shu opp and butterfly shrimp, if only we could choose one from restaurant A and one from restaurant B...
See more photos on the EIT page on Facebook.
Chan's Dragon Inn
630 Broad St. (Edgewater Ave.-Banta Pl.), Ridgefield, New Jersey
201-943-1276
A burger (one of several, $1.35 each), the burger joint, and a view of the Hackensack River out back.
White Manna Hamburgers
358 River St. (Ward-Passaic Sts.), Hackensack, New Jersey
201-342-0914
www.Facebook.com/pages/White-Manna/103797772991960
A shrug and a smile was the only response when I asked about the origin of the name yum-yum (small, which is plenty large, $1.50). Some oldtimers synonymize yum-yum with a style of frozen confection that can be prepared in many flavors; the young gal at the service window simply called it vanilla ice. Well-packed snow was closer to the truth, perhaps with a trace of almond.
Lyndhurst Pastry Shop
256 Ridge Rd. (Freeman St.-Milton Ave.), Lyndhurst, New Jersey
201-939-3951
www.LyndhurstPastryShop.com
On a small tree planted in a front yard, East Rutherford, New Jersey
From a lesser bakery, this would be a case of bait-and-switch. Lured off the avenue by the promise of pie (artists, sign your work, or remain inglorious!), I left shortly after with a slice of cake. Afternoon indulgence: roasted banana cake with cream cheese ($3.75).
Erie Coffeeshop & Bakery
10 Franklin Pl. (Park-Kip Aves.), Rutherford, New Jersey
201-460-0073
www.EatDrinkErie.com
Thank you!
