Taste of the City Fresh Grill

HAITI 🇭🇹

In a tradition that dates back to the founding of the nation of Haiti in 1804, the first independent black republic in the world, soup joumou is enjoyed around new years day. This day means more in Haiti than it does for the rest of the world though, because it is also the anniversary of their independence, the culmination of a decades-long slave revolt against French colonizers.

It is widely believed that the tradition started because this particular soup was forbidden, once only the meal of the slave masters rather than the enslaved themselves. You can find the soup at many locations in East Flatbush around the first of January each year, but this three year old restaurant on Flatbush Avenue is also cooking it every Sunday.

Often translated as "pumpkin soup," the vegetable used is traditionally a squash found in Haiti that is very similar to what we consider to be a pumpkin here. The rest of the ingredients change with each chef and each audience, but there are some standards in the dish's tradition as well: beef, potatoes, pasta, and peppers to provide a nice heat.

When you come in, if they are busy enough not to have someone to greet you, make your way straight to the counter in the rear of the restaurant, jostle with takeout customers, and get your order in. Sitting down and waiting for a menu to show up is a strategy that does not always work here, especially on busy weekends.

The version here is good, and large. For $10, a full soup meal arrives in front of you. The first bites reveal spaghetti and penne, a modest hunk of beef, a few potatoes, some vegetables, and many spices. But the heat takes its sweet time. Somewhere deep in the bowl there is the heat of an angry pepper, but it does not hit your tongue immediately. Overall it is not too intense, but this feeling your mouth gets after being coated with the pepper's tingle is very enjoyable.

And so is the general atmosphere at Taste of the City, where on a Sunday you can delight in not only the soup but the after church diners that come with friends and family. Shouts of French from tables, or the customers ordering behind you in line somehow seem more gentle than if they were in English. I am looking forward to coming back for a more proper meal to take in their fritay and seafood dishes.

If you would like to learn more about the history before trying soup joumou, watch the documentary film entitled Liberty in a Soup.

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FLATBUSH Brooklyn
1368 Flatbush Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Michelle's Cocktail Lounge

PANAMÁ 🇵🇦

When 55 year old Kelso Dining suddenly announced their closure in October of last year, an immediate vacuum and void ate away on Franklin Avenue and the community. The slowly creeping pressure of gentrification had finally caught up to this Brooklyn mainstay. The new residents of Crown Heights could barely be bothered to notice, as they passed the now shuttered storefront on their way to pick up organic kale and have a craft cocktail made by someone with a moustache.

Thankfully the Panamanian community has another location to call home, to retreat in the evenings and share laughs over drinks. And thankfully for the rest of us, this place called Michelle's has a bit of tasty food.

The place seems eternally filled with retired Panamanians who have lived in the United States forever. Men and women wear hats and shirts emblazoned with the flag of their home country like midwesterners wear their alma maters. One man politely inquired about my presence the first evening I showed up and was surprised it was not killing time before a show at Kings Theatre. Apparently the stragglers usually fall into this category.

On the most recent visit, a woman who looked to be a manager was wearing a Michelle's shirt that said 1972 on it, making the lounge almost as old as many of its patrons. These people are the place's true connection to Panamá, as the liquor selection and foods are more of a Brooklyn mashup of Caribbean tastes. But they do have Ron Abuelo and Seco Herrerano if you look hard enough.

Not much exists in the way of information online, so I really had no expectations when I came for the first time. Not wanting to be too forward with my excited curiosity, a couple beers and the atmosphere was good enough until I started to feel the rhythm of Michelle's. But halfway into that second beer, the chef emerged from the kitchen, came right up to me, and asked if I would like some food. Without hesitation, I said yes, not knowing what it would be or how much it would cost.

A few minutes later a modest plate of salt fish (cod I believe), dumplings, and plantains arrived in front of me with a quick friendly explanation. Later I would find out that the plate was free, on Mondays and Tuesdays there was complimentary food for those coming in to drink.

After devouring this plate and getting asked a couple times if I liked it, new secrets started to be unlocked. This is when I learned of the fish fry that takes place on the first Tuesday of every month and promised to see everyone again. They smiled and nodded, apparently hearing this before.

But when February turned to March and Tuesday rolled around, the entire day's calendar was put in place to be at Michelle's around happy hour for the fish fry, which does last all night. After settling in, we inquired about the offerings and were told two options: $10 for fish or shrimp and sides, or $15 for a mixed plate with sides. The latter was ordered.

The tasty fish that came out could be described as well done and was topped with three shrimp and accompanied by tostones and salad. The fish fry night was more popular than the Monday I had been here before, with some folks coming in and leaving with many portions of takeout.

I received a somewhat different answer every time, but it seems pretty likely that some sort of food will be available most nights here at Michelle's. Thursday may be complimentary as well, while there seems to be soups on Wednesday if I heard correctly. Friday and Saturday offers different options for purchase. If a less cloudy picture of this schedule is obtained, we will update it here.

Michelle's is really a treasure for a certain kind of adventurer.

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FLATBUSH Brooklyn

2294 Bedford Avenue

Island Express

GUYANA 🇬🇾

If you are a Caribbean person living in South Queens or Brooklyn, or just love good food, chances are you have heard of and love Sybil Bernard. Her first bakery opened in 1976, offering Guyanese bread and pastries that quickly became beloved and eventually expanded to two other restaurants. The fourth has recently opened in Flatbush, Brooklyn and resembles a fast food burger joint on first glance. Fortunately it is much better, all of the Guyanese favorites are just as good as always.

The graphics game is on point, and the walls tell the story of Sybil, her children, and this Guyanese empire. It also includes her photos from younger years and a few select quotes that frame her as a no-nonsense woman.

The menu is compact but offers all the Guyanese and Caribbean favorites including roti and curry. There is also a bakery side, getting back to her roots and showcasing her many skills.

Off the menu, but sometimes available is pepper pot ($12, above and below), a stewed beef dish made with Caribbean hot peppers, cinnamon, and a cassava root-based sauce called cassareep. The second half of the name comes about because this is a dish usually reserved for special occasions or holidays, and cooked in a large pot for many servings.

This should be eaten with white rice, which will turn brown and soak up all the good gravy. It comes with a choice of one side, which will be added to the plate and also covered with gravy.

The bakery skills of Sybil have always shown through with her Jamaican-style patties, which can also be purchased here in a small size called cocktail patties ($1.50 each, below). The well-seasoned meats are covered with perfectly flaky crust.

Other treats from the bakery include a thick and sweet yucca and coconut "pudding" called pone ($2, below) and the cheese roll ($1, below) which is not unlike the patties but filled with slightly spicy cheddar.

Also available are homemade Caribbean drinks like sorrel and mauby, and something I can never resist, the peanut punch ($3, below).

Caribbean people fly the flags of their country everywhere, but often times a restaurant will have an awning that says "West Indian" on it instead of being specific. I think it is great that Island Express proudly prints "Authentic Guyanese Cuisine since 1976." If you have ever felt intimidated by some of the Caribbean steam table restaurants written about on these pages that do not really have a self-explanatory menu and require some guess work, this is a "user-friendly" place to start.

🇬🇾 🇬🇾 🇬🇾

FLATBUSH Brooklyn

998 Flatbush Avenue

BG Café Creole

HAITI

According to the awning, this casual Haitian eatery is open 24 hours a day, but by the time the sun goes down it seems like they are past their prime. Walking in for a fairly early winter dinner, the selections were not exactly bountiful, and I hoped lunchtime saw greater options for patrons.

The wall behind the steam table lists all manner of choices written in nice handwriting, but it is best to simply check in with the person working and ask what is available. She will open compartments and show you dishes, maybe suggest a few here and there. We inquired about a few interesting things and were told they would have to be prepared, which seems like a normal scenario in a restaurant, but here seemed like the last thing they wanted to do. Our questions eventually become a hassle, but only because we were unfamiliar with the place I suppose.

The one main entree that was available up front was poule en sauce ($8, above and below), which goes by the name "stew chicken" in other Caribbean cuisines. We took it with rice and peas (beans), also available is white rice. She will ask if you want more sauce, and keep saying yes as this stuff is delicious and a lot is necessary to mix with the mountain of rice. All sorts of seasoning and peppers are in this sauce, a dark and delightful bite. Two fried plantains are also included.

When we seemed determined to have another dish, but none of our inquiries seemed desirable to cook, she went to the kitchen and asked us to wait. A minute later a small cup of legume ($8, below) arrived in our hand, which we immediately ordered. As you can see, I asked for more plantains instead of more rice, which we figured to have enough of. This is probably a mistake, as the thick vegetable stew needs rice. What might surprise a vegetarian is that legume, the french words for vegetable, actually contains chunks of meat and is completely unsuitable for them.

Thankfully for meat eaters, the stew is great and we polished it off. It is think and slimy and oily, but those are all used in positive ways here. Besides the rice, maybe a loaf of bread would suit it well.

This is an enjoyable place to hang out in, even if the jukebox does screech to a halt when you walk in. Haitian cab drivers and others fill the space with French language, and it all seems like a crowd in the know. I will try it again for lunch someday and report back the findings at midday.

FLATBUSH Brooklyn

1366 Flatbush Avenue

Ethlyn's Caribbean Bakery

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES 🇻🇨

[UPDATE: Now called Ethlyn's Caribbean 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. [UPDATE: It now has new owners, but the baked goods mostly remain the same. On a May 2016 visit, I found they had set up a steam table for prepared foods and planned to start offering a few lunches each day]

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.

Coconut rolls ($1.50) are always a good bet.

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.

The old awning.

🇻🇨 🇻🇨 🇻🇨
EAST FLATBUSH Brooklyn
1621 Nostrand Avenue

Madina Restaurant & Sweets

BANGLADESH
PAKISTAN

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.

DITMAS PARK Brooklyn

563 Coney Island Avenue

Top Cafe Tibet

TIBET

Accessible by front garden now. Shame.

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. [UPDATE: They now have a menu with full English descriptions of everything] 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 ($7.75, 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 ($8.25, 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 ($7.25, 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 ($3.99, 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.

[UPDATE 02 JANUARY 2012]

Usually when I go back here, I do not hesitate in ordering a plate or two of momos, and have no room for anything new. I resisted recently and took the opportunity to try some new items. We already know the soups here are great from the thukpa above, so I decided to get the interestingly described tsam-thuk ($4.25, below), a "nomad soup" based around the tastes and aroma of barley. It is definitely a working man's soup, nothing that will knock your socks off, but hearty and body warming.

The sha-baklap ($7.75, below) are sort of like fried versions of the momos, but the crispy, chewy dough gives them a life of their own. Cut one open to reveal a good amount of ground beef, juices, and the steam, as they are piping hot.

They go well with the same orange hot sauce you use with the momos, and are served with an afterthought of a salad.

Despite not having the Tibetan community that Jackson Heights does, this restaurant stays very strong and is still my favorite place in the city for their food. Maybe not the quirky hidden hole-in-the-wall it once was, the importance of the food and friendliness is still present.

DITMAS PARK Brooklyn

1510 Cortelyou Road

Map of Eat the World NYC: