El Encebollado de Rossy

ECUADOR 🇪🇨

There are stretches of Wyckoff Avenue, of course, that you should steer clear of these days. A combination of dangers and threats from fixed-gear bikes chained to every surface; large, apparently unshowered and unshaven men in plaid roaming everywhere, and the ever-present risk of drowning in craft beer get worse the closer you come to Flushing Avenue.

Luckily as you near Myrtle Avenue, and especially when you cross to the other side, the ubiquity of women dressed like they live in the 1980's goes down, and the chances to find excellent food goes significantly up. One such restaurant to eat well and avoid the dangers of all these other things is a small Ecuadorian nook named for the dish it features most prominently: Encebellado.

It does not take a ton of people to make this thin space feel crowded, but on each visit here the restaurant is at or above capacity. The customers and staff give it a good spirit though, and smiles pervade. When you are eating well, a New York City-style cramming is that much easier to handle.

On a second visit, with an unexpectedly buzzing late afternoon crowd, this bowl of encebollado regular ($12, above) was tucked into and savored. The regular version of this popular soup is filled with meaty whitefish, cooked of course with onions as the name suggests. With maritime themes painted on the walls, it is easy to close your eyes and smell the Pacific Coast as if you were sitting in a seafood shack near Guayaquil.

Encebollado comes with a heaping plate of tasty white rice, but order a side of chifles ($2, not shown) for the full experience. These are thinly sliced and fried plantains that add a salty crunch to the meal.

Despite having the national dish in the name and hand-painted fish on its walls, the menu here at Rossy goes much further, offering just about everything you could want. Ecuadorian-style Chinese favorite chaulafan ($17, above) is a supremely savory fried rice made with shrimp and beef, topped with avocado and a nice long fried sweet plantain.

For those wanting a good bit of leftovers, this is probably the best bet, as the plate is gigantic and would be a feat to finish. You will not find light and airy fried rice like you might in Chinese cuisine. Ecuadorians prefer the dark and heavy soy sauces and plenty of meat.

It is hard to go wrong with the goat stew known as seco de chivo ($16, above), another Ecuadorian favorite that is done well at Rossy. Each bite is proof of slow cooking, the gravy perfect with spoons of meat and rice together. Another one of those delicious plantains curls around and offers a sweet respite when necessary.

On weekday visits during lunch, check out the daily menu, an economical way to eat a ton of food. On one visit, this plate of carne asada (below), served with plantain, rice and beans was all possible with a ten dollar bill. Tasty soups can be procured for even less.

The menu goes in many other directions, future visits will require an order of their bolones, mashed green plantains formed into balls and combined with your choice of meats, cheeses, and eggs. Judging by other tables these seem to be a hit.

Or maybe esperame en la cama, a type of encebollado that translates as "wait for me in bed." The addition of black clams and the insinuation of aphrodisiac might be all that is necessary to spice up your night. Let us know in the comments. (Please don't)

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BUSHWICK Brooklyn

293 Wyckoff Avenue

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Nicholas Deli Grocery

MEXICO 🇲🇽

As often happens in the world of food and restaurants, the information written down years before had become irrelevant by the time a visit was made. Previously this corner had been home to a deli with the name of Cuernavaca Morelos, presumably the city and state in Mexico that the owner had come from. In preparation, I had looked through the famous dishes from the state and tried to have a game plan for ordering something special, rather than the normal bodega tacos.

As you can see, the new incarnation is named Nicholas, and through some conversations I gathered that the chef is from Tlaxcala, a small state east of the capital and north of Puebla. Glancing through the menu, I was a bit stumped and only found the regular set of antojitos.

For Morelos, I was prepared to order mole verde, a dish first consumed in Oaxaca but now popular in many places where small changes in recipes made for completely different versions over time. Still in the mood for it, I asked if this was available and was delighted to affirm that it was. I took a seat at the one table available and waited.

Once seated, a quick survey of the counter and menu above the kitchen shows that this place can be much more sophisticated than its small menu suggests on paper. Besides the mole verde ($10, above), there was mole poblano and other large plates of food.

What eventually arrived in about ten minutes was a simple looking meal on a real plate, with a side of red beans. The first bite confirmed with an instant spicy zing that this was a successful order. The mole verde was thick and complex, covering small pieces of tender chicken. The beans are full of fat and flavor. It was apparent that this small kitchen deserved another visit, as the dishes in front of me were completely cleaned when I finished.

Some months later I was back and waiting at the same table and its changed but still floral tablecloth, this time for an order of mole de olla (below), a rich spicy stew of chiles, herbs, and vegetables. The version here is served with big chunks of beef and submerged green beans. A bowl of cilantro, onions, and limes comes on the side so that each patron can make the soup their own.

Just to round out the spectrum, an order of two tacos was made. On weekends, they make barbacoa de chivo ($3.50, below right), so that was essential for one of them, and cecina ($2.50, below left) made the second. Neither meat did that much, and just confirmed going off menu for the prepared foods was a smarter way to go here. The chef is talented if she gets the chance.

The makeshift tip jar is full of candies and other assorted items, but each visit necessitated a deposit of bills to show the great appreciation for this modest kitchen's good work. For anyone with the money to start a restaurant, this might be a good chef to talk to to run the kitchen.

BUSHWICK Brooklyn

473 Wilson Avenue

Santa Ana Deli

MEXICO

In certain realms, Bushwick gets a lot of good words about its Latin cuisine, much of which is Mexican. In the past couple months I have visited a handful of the better recognized ones. For now, except for some possibilities further southeast towards Irving Square Park, I think this will be it for a while. These small family operations are good, but I do not think they are quite at the level as the ones in Corona or Sunset Park. At least no one can accuse me of not trying.

My latest meal in the neighborhood came at Santa Ana Deli, another former bodega that expanded operations of the kitchen as it became more popular. Now the dining room is almost completely spartan of goods for sale and has been replaced with tables and chairs for having a few tacos and a beer. The windows are covered with those colorful blankets we all brought back from our vacations to the country.

Adhering to my new policy of trying the meat at the top of any restaurants list, I chose two tacos de carne enchilada ($2.50 each, above), but was thoroughly uninspired by the unfresh meat and tortillas. They do give you fresh cilantro, lime, and onion, and this as well as their salsas go a good way to masking everything.

Outside they are happy to advertise their "best quesadillas" so it was a no-brainer to try one here. When this antojito is done right, as a few street vendors in those aforementioned neighborhoods can do, it is such a satisfying vehicle for deliciousness. Luckily the tortilla made for this is much fresher than the tacos, fried nicely to create crispy bites.

The quesadilla de la casa ($5, above and below) is a mild-mannered concoction of chicharron, zucchini, and cheese. The crunchiness of the pork parts pairs well with the rest, but the fold has to be opened to juice a lime and add a lot of their green salsa into the mix.

They have a case full of beer and do allow you to drink it in house, which is a wonderful thing for a bodega. This alone is reason enough to forgive them for some other sins, but probably will not get me going far from home. As a neighborhood joint, it is solid.

BUSHWICK Brooklyn

171 Irving Avenue

Amanda's Pupuseria

EL SALVADOR

The "front" door on the side of this small hut fooled me with its open sign, making me wonder if it was connected to a dining room in the main building. On this sunny winter day I could not squint and see through the windows, and thus made the mistake. I found Amanda at her griddle, busy making the pupusas she is famous for, and scrambled to explain my error.

Needless to say, this is a strictly take away operation, but they do have a small table and a few chairs nearby for nice weather or optimistic winter days like this.

The little hut used to be a hot dog stand, and sits directly across the street from Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick. The menu has about five or six options on it, but the lady before me and I kept ordering things that would require a wait. Her and I both ended up settling for chicharron y frijoles and queso y frijoles varieties. All options here are $2 per pupusa.

These thick corn tortillas are of course stuffed with their ingredients, and served with a small side of chopped cabbage and vinegar which is covered in a slightly spicy sauce, giving you the opportunity to create differently mixed bites. I hesitate to call this curtido because it is not fermented.

It is fairly obvious that Amanda has been in this game for a while, as the pupusas are excellent, especially for this part of the city. If you want your summer pupusas in a park and are tired of the scene in Red Hook, this will be a very nice alternative.

BUSHWICK Brooklyn

264 Suydam Street

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos

MÉXICO 🇲🇽

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

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BUSHWICK Brooklyn
271 Starr Street

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World NYC is and always has been free. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better and you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World NYC is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

You can Venmo me @JAREDCOHEE or click here to send PayPal donation, no account is necessary. Thank you!