Eating In Translation

Carvel

Surviving signage, 2472 Webster Ave. (at East 189th St.), Fordham Heights, Bronx
Also shown below in January 2009; this location closed sometime after the summer of 2014
www.Carvel.com

Mister Softee

A cherry dip cone after a long afternoon's walk, and just before oppressive humidity gave way to rain showers, in the northern Bronx. Also shown: the Perry Arms, a prominent location for Stanley Kubrick's early film Killer's Kiss, still standing just up the block; another cone, set against a bygone Manhattan backdrop.

Mister Softee
Truck parked on Perry Ave. near the northeast corner with East 204th St., Norwood, Bronx
(One of many locations)
www.MisterSoftee.com

Wines & liquors

Surviving signage, 850 East 180th St. (Crotona Pkwy.-Mohegan Ave.), Tremont, Bronx

Twin Donut Twins

To the rescue!
196 East 161st St. (at Concourse Village West), Concourse Village, Bronx
718-993-7050
(One of many locations)

Djobo African & Middle East Market

This crunchy batch of kuli kuli, savory peanut-based snack sticks, was imported from Ghana. (The counterman hailed from Ghana, too, his business partner, from neighboring Togo.) They're peanutty but not oily — the main ingredient is a byproduct of peanut-oil extraction — and flavored by some unspecified spices. I'd guess that black pepper is one. The peanut flavor is not very strong, probably owing to the absence of oil.

Djobo African & Middle East Market
984 Intervale Ave. (Westchester Ave.-East 165th St.), Foxhurst, Bronx
646-251-3717

Ann Clair's Salumeria

Thinking about the name, self-applied by many Italian-American sandwich shops: a "Godfather" hero, with cappy ham, hot soppressata, provolone, fresh-fried eggplant, and hot peppers. Take the dressing, or leave it dry.

Ann Clair's Salumeria
1030 Morris Park Ave. (Williamsbridge Rd.-Tomlinson Ave.), Morris Park, Bronx
718-409-1171
www.AnnClairs.com

Morris Park Bake Shop

Stacked food photos often rely on digital manipulation to get the pose just right. Icing works, too. Airing on a rack by the window, anginetti, or lemon drop cookies, had cooled but were still very sticky, as my photo (and my camera controls) can attest.

Previously: Sharing new neighborhoods, new eateries, and new food finds with Eating In Translation readers requires me to willfully go where I haven't gone and eat what I haven't eaten. In this regard, getting lost can be a boon. A wrong turn on an overcast afternoon, without the sun to guide me, led me recently (this was 2013) to the G&R Italian Deli and an excellent prosciutto, mozzarella, and roasted pepper hero.

Try as I might, however, I'm not always led astray. Sometimes I find myself retracing my steps, turning down the same side streets at the same time of day and finding myself at the same destinations. And sometimes it's not my sense of direction but my preference for certain flavors that gets stuck in a rut. After polishing off half of my amply filled hero, I stopped in at the Morris Park Bake Shop; it had been quite some time since I'd last walked in the door. After a good look at all the eat-as-you-walk pastries, I bought a frosted poppy-seed bun. I like frosting, I like poppy seeds, and after the hero this light but not too sugary bite filled the bill.

At home, upon further review, I found that my previous visit to the bake shop had been a full five years earlier but that in 2008 my choice of pastry was just the same (albeit 15 cents cheaper). True, like most everyone else I'll seek out my favorite foods, but even while trying to cover new culinary ground, in recent memory I've inadvertently repeated myself on perhaps a half-dozen other occasions. Usually the purchase in question comes toward the end of a long outing; I'll lay the blame on my affection for sweets.

Morris Park Bake Shop (shown below in 2008 and in 2021)
1007 Morris Park Ave. (Paulding-Colden Aves.), Bronx
718-892-4968

Addeo's of the Bronx

If a Sicilian slice has a thin-enough crust, can it count as a salad? Arugula and fig pizza, with walnuts and goat cheese; caramelized onions, too.

Addeo's of the Bronx
1056 Morris Park Ave. (Hone-Lurting Aves.), Morris Park, Bronx
718-824-5036
Also, as Addeo's Riverdale Pizza, at 5654 Riverdale Ave. (West 256th-West 258th Sts.), Riverdale, Bronx
718-549-4750
www.AddeoPizza.com

Wah Gwaan

All too frequently, fusion tacos pair interesting toppings with indifferent, often store-bought tortillas. These Jamaican-Mexican beauties, jerk chicken with diced apple and cucumber, and jerk pork with pineapple salsa, do justice to both traditions — each includes a fresh-pressed tortilla.

Wah Gwaan
914-414-3484
www.WahGwaanNYC.com
On this afternoon, at the Bronx Night Market
East Fordham Rd. near Webster Ave., Fordham, Bronx
www.Eventbrite.com/e/Bronx-Night-Market-tickets-137666120071

2 Belize Girls

Salbutes, popular in Belize and in the nearby Mexican state of Yucatán, resemble tostadas at a glance. But unlike tostadas, which often are made from day-old tortillas and can be shatteringly crunchy, salbutes are made from fresh masa or masa harina. Deep-fried and then topped, in this case with shredded chicken and cabbage, they're puffy and a little chewy, so they won't fall to pieces at first bite.

2 Belize Girls
917-334-7409
www.2BelizeGirls.com
On this afternoon, at the Bronx Night Market
East Fordham Rd. near Webster Ave., Fordham, Bronx
www.Eventbrite.com/e/Bronx-Night-Market-tickets-137666120071