Note to self, some years back: "flan, with figs, also v[ery] tempting." The addition of pineapple chunks and maraschino cherries tipped the balance. From that previous encounter (and shown below): tres leches.
Dominican sweets vendor
East side of St. Nicholas Ave. between 183rd and 184th Sts., Manhattan
Generally on temperate Sundays
Locrio, very possibly, is a Dominican descendant of paella. Cooked with seasonings that include cilantro, garlic, and chopped sweet pepper, the rice is bolstered by meats such as chicken, pork, chorizo, or Dominican salami, individually or in combination. Locrio de pica pica (shown here) is a particularly homespun variety: It seems to have taken its inspiration, if not its name, from a brand of canned sardines in spicy tomato sauce. (The cans have an eye-catching scarlet label; next time I'll see if I can't peek into the kitchen.) Although red beans are the most common pairing, for contrast I chose gandules verdes, green pigeon peas.
L'Fonda
2023 Amsterdam Ave. (160th-161st Sts.), Manhattan
917-521-1631
www.Facebook.com/pages/L-Fonda-Inc/113864951979046
"Hecha por Neoyorkinos. Inspirada en el Caribe. ... A golden pilsner brewed with plantains."
—Advertisement for a collaboration between Blue Point of Patchogue, Long Island, and Presidente of the Dominican Republic, seen in Upper Manhattan
Breakfast burrito — eggs, home fries, cheddar, avocado, salsa, queso, chorizo. Stuffed. On return visit, during daybreak shift, will swap in bacon for chorizo, and inquire further about bygone Tom & Gus.
Angel Candy Store Coffee Shop (aka G's Coffee Shop)
634 West 207th St. (at Cooper St.), Manhattan
212-942-0679
On my previous visit to this annual festival, more than a decade ago, I would dearly have loved a cup of sassafras tea, but at the Iroquois Eatery tent it was 86'ed from the menu. "We didn't get out to the woods" this month, said my server.
Particularly when these bags of chips are heaped in a bin, the text at bottom, which names the flavor in Arabic and English, is hard to read. It's the artwork that must carry the message, in this case, "kebab." The flavor is mild, bespoke barcode notwithstanding.
New Yemen Convenience and Halal Meat Market
Frederick Douglass Blvd. at West 150th St.
Injera firfir is made from a sour spongy Ethiopian flatbread. Typically the injera is shredded, cooked with butter and spices, and served atop another injera. Benyam rolls the flatbread instead, then slices it into compact spools, adding a feeling of heft to this meatless dish.
H/T Ligaya Mishan, Hungry City
Benyam Ethiopian Cuisine
2795 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (148th-149th Sts.), Manhattan
212-510-7353
www.BenyamCuisine.com
Closed Monday
Lunchtime laffa, with schnitzel and all the fixings. I placed my order and claimed my seat just before the noon recess — Yeshiva University and (shown) its affiliated high school are immediately across the avenue.
Golan Heights
2553 Amsterdam Ave. (186th-187th Sts.), Manhattan
212-795-7842
www.Facebook.com/GolanHeights
Closed from late night on Thursday till after sunset on Saturday
Ham and black beans — jostling with juicy pork, shreds of the bland white Oaxacan cheese called quesillo, and other typically Mexican fillings of this cemita — earns it the moniker "Cubana." Give the nod to "spicy," and a crimsom seam of chipotles is the payoff. You might not detect pápalo by sight; I recognized this herb only from the aftershocks, which are persistent, if you catch my drift.
La Lomita
(name of a takeout-only corner deli and a sit-down restaurant beside it)
3868 Tenth Ave. (204th-207th Sts.), Manhattan
212-567-9355
Any reasonable assessment of the jumbo slice at this Columbia University mainstay must take into account not only the sprawl — it's shown, for scale, beside a U.S. quarter — but also the heft, even in the absence of additional toppings. Eat it freehand at your peril, or settle in for a few minutes and rest your elbows.
Koronet Pizza
2848 Broadway (110th-111th Sts.), Manhattan (shown)
212-222-1566
www.Facebook.com/pages/Koronet-Pizzeria/111687708870657
Also at 4087 Broadway (172nd-173rd Sts.)
646-559-5566
Thank you!
