Eating In Translation

Leticias: Ecuadorian Eats and Treats

At Leticias in Corona, Queens, "the menu is rich with traditional Ecuadorian fare such as encebollado, a fish stew bolstered by cassava, and a pork-heavy platter of fritada, hornado and chorizo dubbed 'tres chanchitos,' loosely, 'three little piggies.' We've particularly enjoyed the tripa mishqui, grilled pork intestines that are popular street food in Ecuador and in Corona Plaza, where at least two vendors specialize in this dish.

"Thanks to Fernando's laborious cleaning and marination of the offal, the flavor is not at all funky. In fact, it's 'mishqui' — 'delicious,' in the Quechua language still spoken by many Indigenous people in Ecuador. (A mini-glossary on the back of the menu taught us what little we know.)

"We did not, however, try the standard version of tripa mishqui — we enjoyed it in a trio of tacos. Corona is 'half-Mexican, half Ecuadorian,' Fernando explains. To celebrate the mingling of cultures in the neighborhood where he grew up, Fernando offers many dishes both in their classic form and cradled in tortillas from nearby Tortilleria Nixtamal. ..." Explore more of these cross-cultural connections on Culinary Backstreets.

Corn Dogs & Dumplings: A Snacker's Guide to Murray Hill's "Koreatown"

Just to the east of Flushing, the home of New York City's largest and fastest-changing Chinatown, is a sprawling neighborhood that boasts many of the city's most interesting Korean restaurants and food shops. I hesitate to call it a Koreatown. Compared with the few dense blocks of Manhattan's Koreatown, this part of Queens has a more open feel, with modest buildings, wider streets and more sunlight.

When I'm in Murray Hill, I always figure on lots of walking, and repeated snacking. For a few of my many favorite refueling stops, read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Foda Egyptian Sandwiches: Falafel Mavens

Sautéed beef liver — deposited, with its pan juices, onto the absorbent inner surface of homemade fino (Fee-no) bread — is a specialty of Foda Egyptian Sandwiches. Read about this Astoria street cart and its hard-working namesake on Culinary Backstreets.

Beyond the Courts: CB's U.S. Open Eating Guide 2021

"Each year in late summer, some of the best athletes on the planet converge on Flushing Meadows Corona Park to compete in the United States Open Tennis Championships. ... The tournament site does provide hungry fans with several cafés and casual bar-restaurants as well as a pair of 'food villages.' But when in Queens — where some of the best food in the city is so close at hand — why would we confine ourselves to the boundaries of the tennis center?" Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

A Snacker’s Guide to Flushing

Flushing is home to countless restaurants — I couldn't begin to tell you how many I've visited — but for a resident who's running errands, often there's time for no more than a light bite or two. Although I don't live in Flushing myself, I've discovered that snacks are a great way to get a taste of the neighborhood while on the go. See a few of my many favorites on Culinary Backstreets — and tell me some favorites of your own!

Fried Fellowship: Building Community Around Loukoumades in Queens

Some are rings, perhaps lightly kissed by sour cherry syrup. Others are golden orbs, fully loaded in many possible combinations. Both styles are delicious. But at Cafe Boulis and Gold N Honey, two Queens shops whose loukoumades look as different as can be, a sense of community is just as important as any menu item. Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Chalupas Poblanas El Tlecuile: The Real Thing Drops in Queens

"Late on a weekend afternoon, the clamor that greets us is intense, even for Queens. As we descend from the elevated 7 train to Junction Blvd., on the border between the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and Corona, dozens of street vendors make themselves known by the display of their wares and by their come-ons, spoken mostly in Spanish, to passersby.

"During a half-block walk north, on the eastern, sunnier, side of the boulevard, we find sidewalk vendors selling perfume and jewelry, wallets and mobile phone cases, masks arrayed like a collection of pinned butterflies and a yapping, battery-powered Dalmatian puppy. There’s plenty to snack on, too: meat-laden skewers, roasted nuts, tamales, ices on a stick and by the scoop.

"We also notice, as we pass the storefronts, a self-identified 'Mexican-inspired fast-food chain.' It doesn’t even slow us down, not with the promise of outdoor cooking just ahead, at Chalupas Poblanas El Tlecuile." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Memories of Shanghai: A Dim Sum House Grows in Queens

Your booth is ready: Memories of Shanghai has expanded from a dim sum counter, at the back of an alley, and now occupies the cozy confines of a former diner in Forest Hills, Queens. In the hands of founding chef Xueling Zhang, the xiao long bao are still great; thanks to his colleague Shengming Zhou, the menu also offers grander enticements such as sweet and sour fish. Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Boishakhi: A Journey to Bangladesh, via Ozone Park

In New York, where many restaurants advertise an "Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi" menu and offer a bill of fare rooted in the north of India, customers not raised on Bangladeshi cuisine often conflate it with the food of its larger neighbor. As a hub for Eurasian traders for many centuries, however, Bangladesh has developed its own delicious combinations of cardamom and clove, coriander and chile pepper — and acquired a special love for river-going fish such as ilish, also known as hilsa (shown above).

Last autumn, Tozammel Tanzil and his longtime friend Khaled Khan (shown below) introduced Boishakhi, a Bangladeshi restaurant, to the southern Queens neighborhood of Ozone Park. Yet despite the temptations of ilish pulao — fatty fish and fluffy rice — opening a restaurant during the pandemic was a "big risk," says Khaled. "People don’t want to take chances on food they don’t know,” adds Tozammel. Get better acquainted on Culinary Backstreets.

Bolivian Llama Party: Pump Up the Salteñas

At a glance, a salteña "resembles nothing more than a fat baked empanada — a resemblance that can vanish with one incautious bite." Read about the Oropeza brothers, their restaurant Bolivian Llama Party, and their salteñas on Culinary Backstreets.