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I've recently joined the masses and procured a phone that has me gazing downward for a much higher percentage of each day. The good news? Eating the World in NYC is now on Twitter.

You see, I was having so much fun yesterday eating in an old car wash that I thought everyone I know and don't know is probably not at their prime for the simple fact that they could not share in this joy with me.

Ok, ok, I'm not actually that vain, but good food finds make me super giddy with drunk-like skipping and frolicking sometimes ensuing. Twitter seems like a good outlet for me. Maybe it's self-help.

Either way, find Eating the World in NYC at:

http://twitter.com/EattheWorldNYC

@EattheWorldNYC

Supreme Kabab & Curry

http://supremekabab.tripod.com/

While four lanes of Highway 1 blaze straight southwest towards Trenton in an endless sea of strip malls and gas stations, smaller and parallel Route 27 meanders a less direct path through slightly kinder lands of strip malls and gas stations. The more important thing to note in this area though is the abundance of restaurants that grace the side of Route 27, especially those of a South Asian bent.

In a very ugly building veneered with beige-painted bricks lives Supreme, which advertises Indian and Pakastani on a neon sign and Bangladeshi as well on the menu. Regardless, it's all halal, and quite good.

My largest point of contention was the lack of patience they seem to have, regardless of the fact that it was not busy after 2pm on a weekday. The main attraction for non-south Asians seems to be the buffet, and as our group looked through the menu we had to repeatedly decline the proprietor's offer. He seemed unaccustomed to selling anything but this to customers like us, and came off as pushy, hawking goods that were past their prime in mid-afternoon.

Thankfully we all picked made to order items from the tandoor, like the hariyali kabab ($8, below top) and beef bihari kabab ($5, below bottom).

Like all items, they were complemented well with a fresh piece of naan ($1.25). We found all the meats a bit on the dry side, especially the bihari, but the hariyari which is laced with coriander and hara dhania spices was quite delicious enough to overcome this.

The grand daddy of the kabab section of the menu is obviously the supreme kabab platter ($9.99, below), which is a combination of three chicken varieties, and far too much meat for one person alone to eat.

With the thriving region of tech and pharmaceutical companies in this area of New Jersey, a sophisticated and dedicated south Asian cuisine seems to have arisen. For this New Yorker, the surface has only been scratched.

Ayada

There isn't any great revelation to report from Ayada, besides the fact that it is on a shortlist of Thai restaurants in this city that have acceptable food. I am not sure whether it is the four months in Thailand or growing up to a certain degree on the west coast, but I am admittedly picky. In New York, I do not even get invited to dinner with friends any longer when Thai food is involved and Manhattan is the borough of choice. People are tired of hearing me complain. To be honest though, I don't blame them.

Luckily Ayada is around to beef up the small number of places that serves Thai food to anyone who comes in looking for it. There's no unnecessary sugar added and no necessary spice subtracted. They make the food the way it is supposed to be, and you don't even have to ask for it that way.

The decor is a bit deceiving, as often times this type of sleek design is a sign of weak food, but a few trustworthy folks' impressions about Ayada reassured me to gather a couple Thai friends and have a try. The place is very welcoming, with friendly staff and warm colors and surroundings. A sign in Thai thanks all the customers for choosing to eat here, while a satellite Thai channel is pumped in on the big screen to keep everyone entertained between courses.

The som tum ($7, above) is the perfect start to a meal, and will always get my vote when it's prepared right. The sourness of the dish is spot on, while the chilies get your mouth prepared for the rest of the meal. A bonus here is the peanut quantity, more than I've ever seen before and much appreciated.

The pork leg ($7, below) is a decent mound of fatty pork bits served with mustard greens, a hard-boiled egg, and a sweet and sour sauce that has a slight hint of Chinese takeout packets, but 100 times better. I still preferred to eat it alone with the rice though, savoring the savoriness itself. There always needs to be a calm dish in a sea of explosively spicy food, and this serves that function quite well.

Two interesting kang som (sour curry) options grace the menu a few items apart. Very different from any coconut milk-based variety, try the version with shrimp and cha-om omelet pieces ($8, below). Cha-om is the Thai word for acacia, and the square "wafers" soak in the sour in all its glory. It is served with a small bowl of rice, but could be just as easily slurped straight from the bowl if you prefer.

My companions told me that back in Thailand our final dish might be overheard by foreigners to be described looking like snot, but the gelatinous sauce that accompanies the rad-na ($8, below) is much better than that, I assure you. The flat noodles are the showpiece of the dish, served with your choice of meat and Chinese broccoli. They are sautéed and serve as the bed for the other items, so deliciously limp and soft, constantly falling off your eating utensils and requiring skilled patience.

Patacon Pisao

As anyone that knows me already knows, I am in love with the Patacon Pisao truck up in Inwood. It took me a while to get to their new bricks and mortar location in Elmhurst, but it was definitely worth the wait.

It doesn't come with quite the experience afforded at the truck, I must admit, but the food here is just as delicious. The place is tiny and fairly non-descript, a couple counters offer eating space like a Chinese takeout. It still has a warm and friendly feeling though, with little reminders of Venezuela on the walls.

I decided to come on the day after a blizzard, perfect timing in my estimation to eat some food from the tropics. Since my love for the truck is so strong, I wanted dearly to come and find the food here to not be up to par so that I could write this location off and continue my trips to Inwood. But it isn't even remotely possible to do so, the patacón I ate was freaking delicious. Again I went for the full ($6, below), which like the other sandwiches is 50 cents more expensive here than the truck, but still worth every penny.

I pretty much knew that the quality here was going to be the same even before I started eating, as like the truck, you are given a moist napkin and small mint with every purchase. It's a small detail, but one that is so important when eating such messy food. I was even corrected when I unwrapped my patacón to get a better view for the photo. The concerned employee warned me to keep it inside the foil so I wouldn't go dripping everywhere.

Shredded chicken, beef, and roasted pork are joined by fried cheese in the "full"

Patacon Pisao also has a full menu of cachapas, arepas, and tacuchos, I suppose it just depends on what kind of wrapper you are in the mood for upon arrival. The place was so warm inside that I decided to waste more time by getting a coffee and enjoying these tropical temperatures, watching freezing New Yorkers walking down Grand Avenue on my balmy perch.

Les Cayes Haitian American Restaurant

Neon in the window beckons neighborhood residents with the simple call of "Haitian food to take out," but that does not reveal all the secrets that await inside this nondescript Crown Heights grocery. The door opens to a normal deli, catering to Haitian and Caribbean tastes, but past the counter and saloon doors ( ! ) lies a restaurant from another world.

There are many such establishments and neighborhoods in New York City that can give you the sense of traveling and being outside of the country, but Les Cayes all added up to the strongest out-of-NYC experience I have had in my eight years of residence. "One Life to Live" blares in English from the back, even if no one understands. A French-Haitian news talk channel competes on a radio from the front, adding to the cacophony of sounds.

Walking past the four or five tables will win you the glance of any customers that happen to be eating. They might stop their meal for a few seconds to look up and smile, as if you were a foreigner in a strange land. The dishes prepared and kept on the steam table in the back are all covered, so it requires someone to come and show you what is in each compartment. When English is an obvious obstacle, we switch to French but this too does not yield any progress. Creole is not an option, so the language of the body, smiles, and pointing ensues.

What we did end up with is two plates of griot ($8 including side of legumes, below). The table is also served a plate of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, which can roughly pass as a salad. Before it is brought over though, the woman meticulously prepares each dish, placing it on trays with detailed precision, only to carry it a few steps and drop it off in front of our hungry eyes.

The pork (not boar as you might find in Haiti) in the griot had such a unique texture that it could most closely be described as being dried outside before frying. There is of course no first step as I describe it, but the overnight marinade that this sits in must be very good juice. The fried plantains that are served with the griot in large pieces are probably the most perfect I have eaten. The legumes are terrifically greasy and taste mainly of the peppers inside. Each one of our servings comes with a hunk of beef, which causes quite a bit a laughter as the place is not very well suited to cater to vegetarians if their only "vegetable" dish comes with such a large meat component.

Our meal is by far too much to complete and we start moving around pieces of the fatty pork while trying to make room in our stomachs. We strike up conversation with one of the two owners, who are brothers. He says the place has been open for over twenty years, but I am surprised to find hardly any mention of it on the internet besides a couple Haitian papers in French. As far as Yelp or Urbanspoon are concerned, the place doesn't exist. Stumbling upon it by luck after the Jamaican jerk chicken I was searching for had closed down can be straight out of the definition for serendipity.

In the front refrigerators, it is worth pulling out one of the homemade drinks on offer. The vanilla lemonade and akloo both explode with nutty amaretto flavor, but the owner insists it is only vanilla. Either way, they are worth a try if only for their sickeningly sweet uniqueness.

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos

Some places have good feelings, and some places have bad feelings. You usually know this feeling instantaneously when walking into a restaurant, sometimes even from the sidewalk. You feel good about going in, sitting down, relaxing in your chair, and enjoying your meal to come. Sometimes it even feels like you've been coming here for years when it's only your first time. Los Hermanos is the type of place with that uniquely good feeling from the moment you step in.

It all takes place in what appears to be the waiting room of an old car wash that has been transformed into a tortilla factory. It's been around for some time as its current incarnation, but in the last couple years has been skyrocketing in fame, and I finally got around to checking it out.

At the counter there are slips of paper that you can write down your order and hand to someone, but it is just as easy to call it out when the place is not too busy. Preparation is pretty quick, standard for this type of joint, but the surroundings create a good deal of fun to appreciate and happiness of the place is contagious.

The best deal on the menu here and the winner for most care goes to the tostadas ($2.50 each, above), which are piled high lettuce, cheese, cream, and a slice of fresh avocado. The cecina (cured beef) and bistec (steak) are less moist and marinated than preferred but make for honest, hardy choices.

Less satisfying are the tacos themselves (below). Even though this place is supposedly cranking out tortillas, these circular carriers were just as unfresh as most in the city. There is a whole world of $2 tacos in this city made from packaged tortillas and forgettable, but one shouldn't expect to find the gems in Bushwick I suppose, especially from a place that is mostly frequented by non-Mexicans. I would love to sample the food from here when it started serving to see if it has been altered and/or scaled back over the years due to shifting clientèle.

Perdon... no puedo probar las carnitas...

A strong set of red and green salsas can make or break a taco joint sometimes. Unfortunately the kickstarters here do none of either and are lifeless afterthoughts.

I do know however that my experience in this place was positive, and I would certainly return relatively often if it was around the corner from my house. It just has that vibe that goes with everything I like. It makes me want to tell everyone about it, but alas... they already know!

Food/interior photography by Paula Kupfer

Yafa Deli & Grocery

Yafa has one simple way of setting itself apart as a convenience store, and that's with fried chicken. It is an otherwise unremarkable grocery store and deli, providing common goods at steep markups and lunch meat sandwiches when necessary.

A patriotic box full of fried chicken.

They have a two pieces with rice special for $3.75, but there is really no reason to stray from the chicken itself, priced at $1.50/piece. They let you select which ones you want, so take a long pause gazing into the heating case and pick the freshest and largest.

This is the real stuff, crispy on the outside and very moist and tender within, perfectly seasoned. Sure, it would be wonderful if it were fresh out of the deep fryer, but that's not possible, unless maybe you work at a place with one and bring it yourself. This is only takeout, after all.

The best thing about this chicken is that it always seems to be nice and fresh, at any time of day.

Antek Restaurant

More (or less) than just a "Polskie Obiady" like the awning reads, Antek is in the true style of an old communist-era bar mleczny (literally "milk bar") which are still found today in Poland and run as if the last four decades never happened. In the years near their creation, these milk bars served mainly dairy or vegetarian dishes, a sign of the hardships and rationing rather than of any dietary preferences, but these days meat is found up and down the menu, satisfying all tastes.

In Antek, nothing is out of place in forming this feeling, with spartan surroundings, cheap tables and plates, and a layer of ugly peach paint that covers every vertical surface. That is all to say that the interior decorating is perfect.

In the mood for hot soup on a cold afternoon, I ordered the white borscht with egg and potatoes ($2.50, below) which ends up being almost a meal in and of itself. The scoops of mashed potatoes compliment this soup, which is traditionally served around Easter but can be found at anytime.

A nice dill was sprinkled on most everything.

Making my potatoes redundant, the bigos ($5.50, below) was also served with a healthy portion of them. This is a dish that will never blow you away, but always satisfies a hunger. It translates in English as "Hunter's stew" most times, and consists of cabbage and meat, which in this case is pork sausages. Outside of Poland, I would say this is the best rendition I have ever eaten. It even warmed up nicely at home as leftovers, as there was no way I could have eaten everything that we ordered that day.

The showpiece of the table this day was the beautifully arranged Hungarian pancake ($8, below), a large fried potato pancake laid upon an enormous portion of beef goulash. A healthy dollop of sour cream and tasty gravy topped the pancake, which had a crispiness that seemed very professional.

I might have shivered every time the door opened, but all in all this just added to the charm of this Greenpoint establishment, making it easier to get into the mind frame of what it could have been like decades ago under slightly different conditions.

Lan Zhou Handpull Noodle

Clearly visible from the window, noodle dough gets twisted, pulled, smashed, and thrown, causing quite a bit of hunger to any person familiar with delicious hand-pulled noodles. I walked past this place some months back and would have grabbed a bowl immediately if it were not for the dinner I had just consumed in Sunset Park already, one of my favorite edible neighborhoods.

I was excited to return and enter this small establishment, its door tucked behind a bus stop on 60th Street. The noodle maker was in full aerobic workout mode, tossing a long piece around for all customers to see. The heavy lifting he was doing caused me and a friend to comment how muscular his job as a chef must make him.

The noodles in our soups were slightly thinner than my beloved Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles in Manhattan, but still delicious, if slightly less chewy. The meats within are right on, but the most disappointing thing about the bowl is actually the broth, which was lifeless until using several products available on the table.

The hand pull noodle with beef tail ($5.25, below) was full of bits of fat on the bone, usually a sign of robust taste in soup, but in this case slightly boring. The few chunks of edible meat were gamy, as tail can tend to be, but most of the parts are just there for flavor.

A better option is the hand pull noodle with roasted duck ($5.25, below), which had much more meat for consumption, and was better than average bird. The skin was especially enjoyable, but again I was hoping for more flavor from my broth.

The place is geared towards Chinese customers, with the main menu only reading in Chinese characters, but grab a takeout menu for English. The woman taking the orders is always offering a pleasant smile and ready to relay your directions to the cooks.

Gayana's Bakery Cafe

I had a lot of questions on my first visit to Gayana's, asking what this and that was, where everyone was from, how much things cost, etc. Too many questions at first that I thought the Russian-speaking Georgians who owned and operated the place didn't take too kindly of me. After a while my good-natured curiosity was enjoyed though, maybe because it was nice for them to have a stranger, or maybe the place just quieted down and they didn't have other customers to serve.

I actually had a bit of a wait at first, as the strongest English-speaker of the group was busy tending to one of these other customers when I walked in and started asking questions. It was nice to browse through their cases and counter though at the many fresh-prepared goods on offer. When I asked if there were any specialties of the house and was shown the "special teas" they had, I could only chuckle.

After quite a bit of deliberation I ended up with a few things to accompany my early afternoon coffee ($1). I had never seen khachapuri ($2.50, below) like the one this bakery has, sliced in squares on a large cookie sheet and warmed up briefly in the microwave. I noticed that it was set for 20 seconds, but next time I might ask for 25.

The pastries are numerous but I selected the two below. These items are all weighed for pricing, and came out to $3 for the pair. The heavier prune/apricot/walnut pastry must have been the bulk of that, as the powdered sugar cheese pinwheel was light as air. Both were delicious, but I was happy that I saved the sweet prune-filled one for last as it was much different and had very strong tasted as compared to the subtly salty cheese items. Everything I ate here was delicious though, and next time I will have to prepare a box of goodies to bring back home.

As I grabbed another coffee and relaxed in my window seat to watch Kensington go by, the owner showed off some art to some customers and the stern-faced men at the only other occupied table continued to join me in watching the action on busy Ditmas Avenue.

St. Vincent Bakery

Formerly down Nostrand Avenue a few blocks to the south, this small bakery has recently relocated to this address. Luckily a friendly patron in the barber shop next door to the old location directed me to the right place when I peeked my head in to ask about the shuttered "Vincie Bakery" at 1729 Nostrand Avenue. St. Vincent is no holy person though, this name comes from the fact that its proprietors, who bought a new awning and made a slight adjustment to the name, come from the tiny Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

The pick of the litter are the salt fish patties ($1.30 each, below) which seem unassuming from the exterior but have a sharp spice bite within. They are slightly fishy, but that is easily overcome by these tasty spices.

There are many sugar-loaded items, like any Caribbean bakery should have, including the staple sugar buns ($0.50, not pictured) which would make a great snack at any time of day, a few coconut-themed items, amongst others. Deciding between a couple pastries with coconut inside, I went for the bright pink one pictured below ($1.75, shown cut in half) simply because it looked more interesting. It was a bit dry on the inside in places, but had enough coconut to satisfy. Combined with tea it becomes quite agreeable.

East Harbor Seafood Palace

In a building nondescript and ugly enough to blend in with the surround automotive repair shops lives East Harbor Seafood Palace, a tribute to dim sum in the northern reaches of Dyker Heights, just south of Sunset Park. On a weekend the place is packed with groups of mainly Chinese people from the surrounding areas, and anytime after 10am usually requires a wait. Take a number upon entering and wait for the microphone to call it out (and maybe suggest that it be yelled in English if you are not with any Chinese speakers).

This place seems to stick to the classics, and lovers of typical dim sum dishes won't be discouraged with the carts that roll around. While everything might be slightly oilier than usual, it is still tasty, and every once in a while surprisingly good, like the special turnip cake pieces below that come with sautéed onions that almost resemble bacon in both appearance and taste.

A hierarchy of suited men, vested men and women, and yellow-shirted women work at a fast pace during your meal. It is all slightly aggressive like any dim sum can be, but efficient in getting most options to you quickly. I felt like we had a lot of choices in a very short amount of time, which can be good and bad in many ways.

While the prices are not rock-bottom even for Manhattan standards ($1.95/2.50/2.85 for small/medium/large), the quality justifies it and makes the price low. You don't feel like you are eating something unfresh here like can happen at a place like Jing Fong.

P.S.: The chicken feet are saturated in vinegar no matter what the lady handing them tells you.

Madina Restaurant & Sweets

http://www.madinabrooklyn.com/

Walking into Madina is a fairly quick experience: Open door, take two steps, stare at steam table. This heating apparatus separates the cooks from the patrons with too many options to safely choose from. Asking for recommendations in such a place is sometimes a dangerous proposition as many times the employees will steer you towards what needs to be dumped, but here at Madina it led us to a couple options that seemed to be fresh from the kitchen.

Although the outside awning reads "Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine," I wanted to try something particularly Bangladeshi, since all the names on the menu and items in front of me appeared much like Indian food. "It's all Bangladeshi!" was the answer, alleviating any problems we might have with limitations. Possibly unconvinced, we ordered anyways and later learned that our server and all the other people working here are Pakistani.

The aloo tikki ($0.99, above) is best as a receptor for chutneys and other sauces, a potato cake that is mild enough despite its peppers and cilantro that it could take to any spices added. The nice firm texture is great for dipping or scooping, and gets you prepared nicely for anything else to come.

While waiting, Bollywood videos play on an English-language Indian channel in the mustard-walled dining room, and all lunching customers' eyes are fixed screenward.

The special of the day was a ground chicken mixed with black eyed peas ($4.99, below) for which I could not get a real name out of our server. It was mildly spicy but full of intense flavors and a real treat to eat with the delicious, fresh naan ($0.99), which is made to order, with the sweet voice of the lady calling "one more naan please" each time we went back to ask for another.

Also naan-worthy was the lamb and potato curry ($4.99, below) which we probably could have upped to a large size for more of the delicate morsels of my favorite meat. The subtle hotness of the dish creeps up with each bite and creates a lovely tingle by the bottom of the bowl.

To cleanse the palate, you are offered free coffee with every order over $5, but it also is nice to try the ras malai ($2.49 for two pieces, below), a homemade cheese with condensed milk conglomerate that has almonds mixed in. It's less sweet than it sounds and satisfies very promptly any dessert cravings you might have been having.

Tehuitzingo

Tehuitzingo is on so many people's "little secret" lists that I finally went. Admittedly, if I lived in the East Village or Williamsburg and ate Mexican food there, it would be on my list too. It's a very fun little cave of a place, has a great vibe, and serves passable fare.

But that's just it, it's passable. Not knock your socks off. And after a taco tour of Sunset Park, even more mediocre.

But the place has its strong points. I really liked being there, despite the Christmas glow of the green fluorescent lighting. It's fun to eat amongst the novelas on TV and kitschy decorations. The mirrored walls make orientation a little difficult at first, but then are useful to check your teeth for particles. The people that run the place are fantastically nice, and every once in a while a customer will put a quarter in the electronic jukebox so that we all get a little ranchera music in our lives.

The meat used here for the tacos ($2-2.75 depending on type) and other items is tasty, but just not as moist and delectable as desired. The carnitas (below, left) is always a favorite of mine but here seemed just a tad less dry than my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. The taste is spot on, but I want much more drip from my taco. The size is a bit larger than your normal $1.50-$2 variety though, I suppose making the higher prices worth it in the end. A lunch of two is about adequate for someone without a huge appetite.

The salsas are also a bit disappointing and don't add much flavor or fire to whatever they are applied to. It is sometimes true that a salsa can really make or break a place, and while this is not a deal breaker for Tehuitzingo, it certainly doesn't appoint any favors.

When in the neighborhood again, I am bound to go back for more though, because this "little secret" will charm you to no end!

IKEA Restaurant

There are not a ton of places to get Swedish food in New York City, with the cheapest option probably being the terrific Midsummer Celebration. The restaurants tend to be a bit expensive and highbrow. And then there is the restaurant in every IKEA, sort of a go-to place for everyone's love of Swedish meatballs. A trip to the furniture store is hardly complete without first visiting the restaurant.

The restaurant is cafeteria style, if you haven't heard already. In Brooklyn, it's not that pleasant of an experience, to be honest. The employees are just passing through their day, no emotion, heaping things on your plate with no regard. Whatever.

Don't be ashamed to pick the Swedish meatballs ($4.99 for 15, $5.99 for 20, above) because they are still the best thing on the menu. It comes served with a side of mashed potatoes, a bit of lingonberry sauce for dipping, and is covered in an excellent cream sauce. The quality control of the whole operation might be slacking though, as some balls are cold inside and other lukewarm. It's surprising that IKEA does not have a tighter leash on its operation.

While it is certainly not great coffee by any standards, it should be noted that at 99 cents (which includes free refills), this could be a very economical coffee shop for freelancers. Stop downstairs at the food store, bring up some candy, and nurse your coffee all day while working. A cheapskate's dream!

Carmelita Deli & Grocery

The only hint to what could be going on in the back room is the word "sandwiches" on the awning out front. Peering inside the window offers no clues to its secrets, only views of basic Mexican and American products that you would find in any bodega. But walk through the first room and follow the narrow unmarked hallway to the rear and emerge in a tiny two-table taco stand where all eyes gaze towards fútbol on television.

You will find sandwiches here, in the form of cemitas, but we came for tacos, and noticed that others seem to have the same thing in mind. I ordered a plate of three ($1.50 each, all varieties, below) and was greeted with some of the best I have ever ordered north of the border. Every time I have good tacos recently I begin to think harder and harder that this whole "There is no good Mexican in New York" stuff is a hoax. There is good Mexican here, it's just not on display for everyone to see. It's in places like this, that don't pull in a clientèle much more than who they are geared for: Mexicans.

Three beauties topped with the sensational green salsa.

When your order comes, you are free to bring it over to the complimentary condiment bar that sits in one corner, a buffet table of sorts offering red and green salsas, guacamole, limes, radishes, and more. I felt that the few eyes in the room were on me while I visited, so I was quick to load my plate and sit back down, seeing as how this was my first visit and I still felt a little out of place.

Grab a drink or two from the refrigerator cases up front (pay up front as well) and bring them back to wash down your meal. Cheap $1.25 Jarritos are on offer, including a grapefruit version which I had never tried and was pleased by its far less sweet taste than its colleagues.

On a second visit, along with a variety of five tacos, I ordered a sope de pollo ($4, $3 without meat) but was marginally unimpressed. It was the second straight night that people were sticking to the tacos with a cemita here and there. Also on order was a shrimp soup, which seemed to be a weekend special and enjoyed by some, although its higher price point ($8.50) kept me away. The couple next to us did not seem overly enthusiastic about theirs, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

The brightly painted green walls are not too offensive as the light is low. And what is important is that this little neighborhood secret is serving up delicious food, not a sense of decor.

Guerrero Food Center

It's not hard to tell that the owners of this Mexican bodega and restaurant are proud of their home state of Guerrero as the coat of arms is displayed proudly on the outside awning and menu. Opening up the door, the store opens spaciously with the food preparations on the left and colorful piñatas overhead. Normal convenience store goods mix with fresh fruit, Mexican fresh and dried products, and a small seating area towards the back.

I decided to order a couple different items to get a good sampling of the menu and ingredients used and first chose the huarache ($3.50, below) for which I topped it with carnitas, a slightly crispy fried pork. It was hands down the best huarache I have had in New York, with a perfect sandal tortilla filled with a thin layer of beans then topped with the meat, a layer of green salsa within, and all the fix ins.

Less delicious was the tostada de pollo ($2.50, below), although the chicken should be noted for a wonderful kick from the red chipotle sauce it is cooked in. I was slightly surprised that the whole thing was served cold, and while this did not make it inedible by any means, I would have preferred my meat to be warm.

The cooking all seemed to be geared towards takeout, as three groups ahead of us took their bags when called and left. Foreseeing having the order wrapped up, I stepped forward to say I would be dining in and was met by surprise by the lady who could not see over the comically high counter. There was a group of four men enjoying their cemitas and a 2-liter of Coke, and we asked to share the back tables with them.

Once the food was devoured, I began to enjoy the feel of the place even more, with our friendly table mates laughing and the upbeat salsa music. The only unfortunate part of the place is that despite the large glass refrigerators full of tempting cold beer, you are not allowed to drink alcohol in the restaurant, which would make for a perfect way to wash it all down.

Ba Xuyên

While the trendsters are debating bánh mi shops in Chinatown Manhattan, head out to Sunset Park for the absolute best (not to mention cheapest, most are $3.75) sandwiches in town. Ba Xuyên has been the New York City standard for many years and still is.

On a recent morning visit, I was also pleasantly surprised by the excellent regular coffee ($0.80, small). For something more unique order the Vietnamese coffee (listed on the board in English as "hot coffee (special)", $1.75). It takes a few minutes to prepare, but it is fun to watch them as they filter it and the ladies prepare sandwiches for all the hungry customers.

Also of note if you are hungry for more, they now prepare some delicious soups.

Top Cafe Tibet

On this very rainy evening, we push past subway riders using the attached grocery store's awning for cover. At the back of the grocery is a small, unmarked door, and once past two more curtains, we discover what had been hiding from us all along. I liken the small pleasure to a mini search for Shangri-La, and any paradise that I was looking for would obviously have delicious food.

Looking over the menu does not tell you much unless you are familiar with Tibetan food, as most of the interesting items only have their Tibetan names. We are not shy to ask, and the very friendly waitress tells us everything we need to know, and probably too much as we end up with much more food than we can possibly eat.

The tasty thukpa (above) a traditional noodle soup comes out as inviting as I could imagine, dressed with lovely orange broth as well as red and green peppers, peapods, spinach, and carrots. The dish is good, but maybe looks too good for what is actually possible and does not have quite the explosion of taste we expect. The other main course is shogo ngopa (below), described as spicy fried potato and spinach. This is an accurate enough description, but the delight of the dish is the accompanying Tibetan bread which I use for dipping in the sauces and broths of everything we order.

And of course no Tibetan meal is complete without momos (below), a type of dumpling, and another staple of the cuisine. We see a group of five men sit down together and order what must be two plates of eight momos per person. It seems like every table in the tiny place has at least one order.

We are thoroughly plump from eating way too much, but cannot resist the dreysil (above), a sweet rice dessert with white and black raisins interspersed. Near the end of our meal, a monk strolls into the restaurant, sits down and orders, and somehow gives the place the final nod of approval it did not really need in the first place.

We smile in acknowledgement and already have our minds on the next visit as we leave.

"Tamales Lady" Mega-Post!

With too many "tamales lady" posts to manage effectively, I decided to combine everything into one post for tamal addicts city-wide. If you know of more women I should seek out, please share with me and everyone else in the comments! Here is a list of my favorites:

You will hear her before you reach the top of the stairs coming out of the uptown 1 train at 137th Street, yelling "tamales, tamales!" To my palate, she is still the best purveyor in the city, and still costs just $1 each.

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From the relatively early morning hours, two ladies stand side-by-side with a shopping cart of tamales each. Invariably, the woman closer to Roosevelt Avenue always has a longer line, so I end up going to her every time despite the fact that sometimes she is filling orders of 20 or more. I am sure lady #2 also prepares them well, but more importantly, how can I get invited to these tamales parties?

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Just outside the entrance on 9th Avenue for the D train, I have spotted this elusive lady and her delicious tamales ($1) only once. She must bring them from home at irregular hours, and I hope to speak to her about this the next time we meet.

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With fairly irregular hours, the small woman who sells her steamed masa treats on East 116th Street obviously knows everyone in the neighborhood since she is always in the midst of friendly conversation. Usually with three savory varieties on hand, one of each ($1) make for a nice and quick street meal.

She has sliced and prepared fruits as well as refreshments on her cart as well, but stand nearby and the orders from other customers will point out the real reason to hand over your dollars here.

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Romanian Coffee

The name of this place is a bit deceiving. I wouldn't even call it a coffee shop per say, it's more of a Romanian living room. A lady is busy in what is certainly not a commercial kitchen, but more like the one in any house. Her mismatched appliances and wood veneered cabinets are more welcoming than any stainless steel could ever be.

Coffee culture is not as strong in Romania as some other beverage cultures, but seeing as how part of the country is considered to be in the Balkans, they do enjoy a strong cup of Turkish blend ($1, below). Watch out for the bottom of the cup here, as even more so than usual you will find a thick, black sludge that is easily drank if not careful. At any rate, it's the only coffee offered in this "coffee" house, and is very tasty. Being the only non-Romanian speakers in the place, we are asked the question of whether we wanted sugar in ours, something that I think is added usually without question.

So we take our seats after ordering and enjoy the surroundings of her home. My friend comments that it appears to be the kitchen of someone's basement, and I agree that if my grandma had a kitchen in her basement it would certainly have a resemblance to this place. The furniture is straight from the past. A couple men come in, order food or a beer, and watch what is probably the only Romanian channel in the city. We try to discern words that sound so close to Italian but yet so far.

The only diner when we enter was eating sarmale, stuffed cabbage rolls that I was underwhelmed by at the Romania Day Festival over the summer. We instead go for the most exotic dish available (no menu, she will tell you everything that is ready for each day) and order the tripe soup ($5, below) which came with stern warnings from our cook. Apparently she does not trust us to eat these pieces of stomach, and probably on good experience with non-familiar stragglers walking in. We assure her we are up to the challenge though and are rewarded with a decent hearty soup that is fit for a working man.

The soup comes with a garlic sauce so potent that just a few drops is enough to get the aroma going through not just our soup but the entire restaurant. A heaping portion of sour cream also comes with it and is immediately dolloped into the mix. The soup, and presumable the others offered, are served with so much bread that it could be (and was) a meal for two.

The place and woman were so friendly and cute that I want to take a photo of her in the kitchen, but she shyly declines and gets back to work as we say our goodbyes.

Rudy's Pastry Shop

To walk into Rudy's is to be a bit overwhelmed on a couple different fronts. It's very bright and you are immediately surrounded by reflective glass surfaces on all sides. Display cases, refrigerators, windows. Luckily the staff here is patient and doesn't demand orders right away.

Given a little time to nose around, there are many items that deserve an "ooh" and an "ahhh" around this upscale pastry shop. I did not know this until after my visit, but Konditorei in German hints at the fancy factor of a bakery, a place that supposedly is more classy than a normal humdrum shop. Don't let that scare you off though, Rudy's is a very friendly place despite having some very fancy and expensive items.

With a little time, a small plate of small pieces from their German selections is recommended (they also have Italian cookies and American cakes but those looked less appetizing). Grab the one table in the joint, your goodies, and a coffee for a relaxing snack.

Bosna Express

The absolute best burger in New York City, but not your typical American style by any means... the pljeskavica ($8, below) will wow you at this tiny takeout establishment. Even though it is cut into more convenient quarters, the giant (yet thin) sandwich is not easy to eat standing up, so grab the one table if you can as the sour cream and onions will be dripping all over.

It had been three years and a lot of press since my last visit, but the burger is as good as ever, if a tiny bit smaller than my memory served. It is a still a crowd pleaser though, but I would recommend asking for extra ajvar (a magic red pepper sauce), despite its hefty $1 charge.

The cevapi ($5 for 5 pieces, $8 for 10) is just another way to eat the same meat, served in small links that you can eat with the bread and ajvar.

I only wish I worked around here...

Ali's Trinidad Roti Shop

When the sun is setting over Bedford Stuyvesent, and the songs from the muezzin in the nearby mosque fill the air calling the faithful to prayer, there is no better time to file into local favorite Ali's. And as the name suggests, you would be a fool to ignore their glorious, heaping mounds called roti.

Ali's is definitely not the place to expect kind and courteous staff. Ali himself (guess?) struggles to run back and forth between order and pickup windows, jotting down orders and trying to make sure the cooks have all the right info. It seems like every order needs to be said at least twice no matter who says it though, a real comical gap in communication exists here for some odd reason. Hope though that he takes your order, as if he's around the corner and you have to scream through the window to the ladies in the back, your order is effectively being broadcast for everyone to hear, and don't even think about asking questions! It's all fun and quaint somehow though, and makes procuring your delicious snacks that much more rewarding.

The major two panels of the menu are split between "rotis" and "dinners," but one of these gigantic rotis, which all range between $4-6 is more than enough to be called dinner. The curry chicken roti ($5.50, below both before and after opening) is filled more with potato than anything else, but does have a couple big chunks. Interestingly enough, the pieces are still on the bone and have to be pulled out and eaten separately with your hands like fried chicken. The curry is up to par with the best Trinidad cuisine in this city has to offer, and it is obvious the chicken has been slow cooking in that stew all day as the meat falls off the bone.

These might not fit in the overhead compartment

The cheapest option on this side is the potato and chana roti ($4, not pictured), which is basically the same thing without the chicken pieces. The beef, oxtail, and other options are all strong and worth the good variety in life if you return for multiple visits.

Meanwhile, the alou pies and doubles are better around the corner at A & A. Unfortunately you will have to wait until tomorrow, as you're stuffed beyond belief by Ali.

El Punto de Reunion

The most current incarnation of this restaurant has fashioned itself a pan-Central American establishment, with the flags of not only Guatemala, but also Honduras and El Salvador flying across its menu. I had recently picked up a menu and returned on a Friday to sample items that appeared in the first section, called "Platos tipicos Guatamaltecas." Unfortunately these typical dishes are unavailable except on weekends.

Thoroughly disappointed I could not try the hilachas, I requested jocón ($8, below) off menu, but was greeted with the ability to adapt. They could only make it with pechuga (breast) instead of meat on the bone, but I was eager to try their rendition anyways. It was served with a pile of rice and without vegetables, but the sauce was well done and mildly spicy.

Without all the Guatemalan items to try, we decided to stray to some other countries and test the Honduran boleada and Salvadorean pupusas here. Both had their good points, but neither was up to par with having a good one at a restaurant specializing in one of those respective countries.

The boleada regular ($2.50, below left) had a fantastic oozing bean, cheese, and cream filling but was made with a normal thin tortilla that seemed to miss the point.

Travel through Honduras and El Salvador without stopping

The pupusas ($2, above right) were even less appealing, especially the plain cheese one which was almost tasteless. The pupusa de chicharron succeeded a bit more, with small bits of flavor inside.

While I was a bit disappointed with the food, the experience in this small charmless place is positive overall, with an attentive and friendly staff, sticky vinyl tablecloths, and even a billiards table ready for what might turn into a sports bar when a fútbol match is on the television.