Eating In Translation

In the Pocket: An Empanada Tour of Queens

In the Spanish-speaking neighborhoods of Queens, empanadas are everywhere. Here are a handful that we've enjoyed, indoors and out, while snacking our way through Queens for Culinary Backstreets.

La Esquina del Camarón Mexicano: Cóctel Party

When Pedro Rodriguez arrived in the United States, in 1989, "his dream was 'to have a business in the street,' but he quickly realized that the regulation of mobile vendors was (and is) much stricter in NYC than in CDMX. He took up general construction work — tiling, plastering, painting — because 'I gotta eat,' and so he could send money home to Mexico. Pedro's family still lives there, and he continues to send money, although now as a grandfather.

"Construction work would be hard on anyone's body, especially after 20 years, but ultimately Pedro was sidelined when he injured his leg during a recreational soccer match. In need of another source of income, he resolved to put that secret cóctel recipe to use.

"On weekends, not far from his Elmhurst apartment, Pedro began renting a tiny stand outside a Korean-American deli-grocery, under one corner of the awning. We enjoyed our first cóckel at La Esquina del Camarón Mexicano — "the corner of Mexican shrimp" — more than a decade ago. Like many customers, even before crossing to the park on the shady side of the street, we didn't wait to dip our spoon." Read more on 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.

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.

Son D'licias

Untie the topknot of this tamal Tolimense, and you'll find it overstuffed with chicken, beef, pork, egg, potato, peas, carrot, and rice. Unphotogenic but filling.

Son D'licias, a Colombian food truck, also serves many snack-sized items, among them a mashed-yuca fritter filled with rice and beef. While the menu labels it a pastel de yuca, Esneider Arevalo, who leads food tours in Queens for Culinary Backstreets, calls it a carimañola. I'd always thought that was a Panamanian name — but Colombia and Panama are neighbors, no?

Son D'licias
Truck parked on 82nd St. near the northwest corner with Roosevelt Ave., Jackson Heights, Queens
929-366-3738
www.Instagram.com/SonDelicias82St

Sweet Lucca

On a relatively cool evening, this coquito-flavored rice pudding was warmed at my request. Is it just as aromatic on a hot summer day, when served cold? More research required.

Sweet Lucca
83-06 37th Ave. (83rd-84th Sts.), Jackson Heights, Queens
347-335-6811
www.Facebook.com/SweetLucca1

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.

969 NYC Coffee

Meat-free Friday: fried oyster onigirazu, a Japanese rice ball transformed into a seaweed-and-rice-wrapped sandwich. Arrive before noon and you might find onigirazu with scallop or fish, as well as chicken or pork katsu.

969 NYC Coffee
3761 80th St. (Roosevelt-37th Aves.), Jackson Heights, Queens
646-203-7304
www.969NYCCoffee.com
Closed Thursday

Chalupas Poblanas El Tlecuile

"Crispy" is a word that affixes itself to many descriptions of chalupas, especially commercial enterprises that furnish them with lettuce, tomato, and string cheese. The chalupas in this batch, shallow-fried in lard and topped with onion and shredded beef, were supple; the texture reminded me of pancakes. A better label for my half-order, sauced red and green in equal measure, would be "short stack."

Also shown: a cup of café de olla, ladled from the traditional earthenware pot (on the house). The pot and the cooktop each rest on a tlecuile, the Nahuatl word for the Spanish fogón — generally, a wood-fired hearth or stove of some sort. These tlecuiles are charcoal-fueled and, when need be, hand-fanned.

H/T Matt Shapiro

Chalupas Poblanas El Tlecuile
By the roadside at 3747 Junction Blvd. (Roosevelt-37th Aves.), Corona, Queens
718-424-3662
www.Facebook.com/Chalupas-Poblanas-El-Tlecuile-114216710342440
Friday through Sunday, 6:00-11:00, except during heavy wind or rain

Mama's Restaurant

Bangladeshi bhuna khichuri, beef with yellow lentils and rice, accompanied by the essential plate of crisp palate cleansers.

Mama's Restaurant
37-34 73rd St. (37th Ave.-Broadway), Jackson Heights, Queens
347-448-6002