Eating In Translation

Wheels Down, Surf's Up: A JFK Layover in Rockaway Beach

Between bites: buskers on the boardwalk (Tim Otto & Free Ride, for the moment, minus their drummer). For more, boogie on over to Culinary Backstreets.

969 NYC Coffee: Japanese Snacks in Jackson Heights

"While onigiri have a centuries-long tradition in Japan, onigirazu have been around only since the early 1990s. As the name might suggest, these are larger, grander relatives of onigiri in the shape of sandwiches, but with pressed vinegared sushi rice, wholly wrapped by nori, in lieu of bread. Oda fashions a dozen or so varieties, including onigirazu with chicken or pork tonkatsu; corned beef or spam; mango with avocado and a corn croquette [shown], okra with avocado, and seafood such as salmon or mackerel, soft-shell crab, shrimp and — our favorite — fried oyster.

"Proudly presented by Oda, each onigirazu — sliced in two with cut edges facing outward, snugly fit to a clear plastic carry-out container — feels like a jewel made just for us." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Super Heroes: Our Favorite Italian Sandwich Shops in Queens

After we carried off our Godfather hero, "we found a place to spread out nearby at an out-of-service 'streetery' — one of the ad hoc dining areas that allowed New York restaurants to serve customers outdoors during the pandemic, when indoor dining was prohibited. That's where we learned that the Godfather could literally stop traffic. As we posed ours for a photo, a car pulled up alongside, and a fellow leaned out the window to ask where we'd bought it. We pointed back up the street, and his car made a U-turn in that direction. Evidently, this was a sandwich he couldn't refuse." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Angel Indian Restaurant: Divine Eats

" 'Simple but good.' This guiding principle is evident from the moment we step into Jackson Heights’ Angel Indian Restaurant, where the small dining room is almost bare of decoration. Until our food arrives at the table, the most eye-catching sights — just barely visible above the tall partition that screens the seating area from the open kitchen — are the flames that leap from a pan as chef and owner Amrit Pal Singh puts the finishing touches to our meal." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

Neighborhoods to Visit 2022: Ridgewood, Queens

"Tischlein, deck dich" — "little table, cover yourself" magically with food and drink — a hand-painted illustration inspired by a fairy tale, as told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, at Morscher's Pork Store in Ridgewood, Queens. Pull up a seat and read more about this wonderful neighborhood on Culinary Backstreets.

Rincon Criollo: Memories of Cuba, in Queens

"Everything had to remain the same."

In the dining room of Rincon Criollo, a Cuban restaurant in Corona, Esther Acosta recalls the pledge that she and her older brother, Rudesindo ("Rudy") Acosta, made to their great-uncles when they took the reins of the family business.

The surrounding community has changed in the years since the restaurant opened in 1976. Today it's easier to find chaulafan from Ecuador, chalupas from Mexico or chow from many other Latin American countries than to find the shredded, slow-simmered flank steak of a traditional Cuban ropa vieja.

Thanks to the younger Acostas, however, the home-style cooking, the red-and-white-checked tablecloths and the framed photos that nearly blanket the walls evoke not only the Rincon Criollo of the mid-'70s but also another Rincon Criollo from a quarter-century earlier, in Cuba itself. Read more on Culinary Backstreets — and, if you like flan de coco, save room for dessert.

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.