La Fortaleza

MÉXICO 🇲🇽

Having walked by both branches of Passaic's beloved La Fortaleza many times over the past ten years or more, the establishment has always been on the to do list but unfortunately that box was never checked. These shops put cemita right in their name, claiming excellence in their execution of the Pueblan sandwich. Photographs and peeks inside the doors always show the other part of La Fortaleza experience: color and over the top kitsch.

What finally tipped the scale and locked in a visit was a look at their presence on social media, which by far and away favors another location in Garfield. This spot seems to ramp up the color, add nightly live music, and a full bar to the mix. The menu might actually be a bit longer, but they still give proper focus to those giant cemitas.

But first thing's first, do spend a little time in the bar area, especially during the daylight hours when light gives all the bright colors inside their proper due and some happy specials are available on weekdays. Giant margaritas can be ordered in many flavors or original, and when asked to be served in their house cantarito de barro (above), you get to take home the souvenir cup.

The good music rotation is on point even before the nightly live performances start, so you start to settle into your environment even if you had not planned on staying. Even when you have already eaten lunch the appetizers start to sound appealing. Order the guacamole ($8, below) if only for the chance to have the ceramic Volkswagen Beetle arrive filled with it. It took a few more limes and dumping in a bit from the various hot sauces on the table to give it life, but it was not the reason for this visit so it can slide.

After a few more rounds and time enough to feel like eating again, the list of cemitas was perused and offered many selections. This sandwich gets its name from the sesame-encrusted bread that is used, and on the east coast is often times a much better vehicle for meats if you cannot find handmade tortillas. The Pueblan bakeries and restaurants like this never disappoint.

These gigantic beauties range only from $9 to $11, really a steal for how much quality food arrives. The cemita de carnitas ($9, below) uses maciza cuts of the pork, probably the easiest for anyone to eat. All lean meat and no guts or skin, the pork is cooked Michoacán-style, with the addition of avocado, a mountain of quesillo, and a very important and unseen chipotle pepper.

The homemade salsas at La Fortaleza also really stand out. The menu says this sandwich is paired with a spicy salsa verde, and it is undeniably wonderful, but the salsa roja here is the real star of the show. It is made with habañeros and packs a swift slap in the face for each drop you apply. Sweat was forming almost instantly, but the heat is rewarded with a deep and rich palate underneath. If only they jarred it for purchase.

After this cemita was enjoyed, it was great knowing the Garfield branch was just as interested in what comes out of their kitchen as the Passaic locations. With a brand new spot in Clifton as well, La Fortaleza is creating a little empire in this section of New Jersey.

🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

GARFIELD New Jersey
361 Midland Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

JAPAN 🇯🇵

The first ever shop of this Hokkaido-based ramen chain was opened in 1988 in Asahikawa near the base of Mount Asahi, but the story begins a few years prior to that. The founder had been inspired by the 1985 film Tampopo, a comedy that was all about ramen, and felt that the options he and his family had available were not good enough.

Nowadays the company is located throughout Japan and even has a branch on tiny Okinawa. Its expansion to seven other countries in Asia and onto North America just seems natural. In the United States, many of the branches are located inside of Mitsuwa Marketplaces, like the one here in Edgewater, New Jersey.

They do have other offerings, but the original and unique offering of Santouka is the tokusen toroniku ramen ($12.50 for small, below), a bowl of the shio (salt) ramen in white tonkotsu soup with toppings served on the side. This is the classic and what they promise will be mild and perfect, not too salty even to the last slurp.

In that side dish are six slices of perfectly cooked fatty pork cheek meat to supplement the pork bone broth, along with bamboo shoots, chopped green onion, and red pickled plum. This can be added as desired piece by piece or all at the beginning.

Not shown well here, but also of note is the story of Santouka's custom bowl, or donburi. They use a thick porcelain that retains the heat of the soup and are always a pleasing blue color with white rim. No matter where you eat Santouka in the world, the bowl will always be the same.

🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

EDGEWATER New Jersey
595 River Road

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Bunsik Nara

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

During the 1960's rice was scarce in the Korean Peninsula, so the government started promoting foods that were made from flour (bunsik). Nowadays the term is more generally used to talk about all manner of inexpensive Korean dishes, and many restaurants take on this name if that is the type of business they are offering.

While Palisades Park is lined with all types of Korean restaurants up and down Broad Avenue, Bunsik Nara has certain charms, mainly for its ease of getting in and out and vast variety on the menu.

Since the logo is a hot dog on a fork, I felt certain that some type of hot dog needed to make it into my meal.

An order of cheese boodae jjigae ($11.99, above) satisfied all needs and was surprisingly available in an individual portion. Sometimes translated to "Army Stew" in English, this hodgepodge of terrible things US soldiers brought with them during the Korean War is something I can rarely resist. The cheese version even throws on a Kraft single for good measure.

Underneath the Spam, hot dogs, cheese and ham is packaged ramen noodles. The stew is spicy and just as delicious as it sounds. The banchan here is probably the only complaint.

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

PALISADES PARK New Jersey

254 Broad Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Cafe Metro

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 🇦🇬

This interesting section of Teaneck that Google Maps calls "West Englewood" gave me more questions than answers. A small hub of businesses that acts like a sleepy miniature downtown is full of Kosher restaurants of all varieties, but also has your normal New Jersey entries like a bar & grill and a gas station. On one main corner sits Cafe Metro, which advertises itself as a "Caribbean American Restaurant."

There are quite a few Caribbeans in Teaneck, but as I looked outside the window during my meal here, the only foot traffic was coming to and from a Jewish books and Judaica store. I was also the only patron inside the restaurant during the entire span of time, making sure I had the full attention of the friendly woman in charge who hailed from Antigua.

"What do you know about ducana?" she asked me as I put in my order for the Friday through Sunday only item.

After convincing her I knew what I was doing, we talked drinks and she offered to mix her homemade fruit punch and ginger beer ($3, below), saying many people did this to cut the spiciness of the fresh ginger. As I watched, it seemed her rationing was about two thirds fruit punch, which is good since it was still quite spicy! An interesting idea I never thought about, but only possible because she makes large batches instead of small bottles and can do the mixing.

They have some standard pan-Caribbean entrees and lunch specials the rest of the week, but to truly experience her Antiguan fare, the Friday-Sunday menu is the reason to come. The rest (and bulk) of the menu is made up of a mixture of breakfast, burgers, and southern cooking to cast a wider net and stay in business.

As is often the case back home, ducana ($13, below) is served with saltfish and chop-up, which she just calls "eggplant" on the menu. Ducana can also be eaten alone, but as a meal these dumplings made from primarily sweet potato want to be paired with salty flavors. The sweetness is intensified by coconut milk and sugar and spiced with cinnamon or possibly nutmeg. This flavor combination was completely new to my tongue, and grew on me the further I went into the meal.

These boiled dumplings are not completely exclusive to Antigua but are most commonly associated with the island more than any other place. It is a treat to come here and experience them. Unfortunately this lunch was a solitary occasion and I could not try the other items on the weekend menu like fungi, something like grits but made with cornmeal and okra, or the curry conch.

🇦🇬🇦🇬🇦🇬

TEANECK New Jersey

166 West Englewood Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Spoon (Midam)

KOREA 🇰🇷

As Main Street climbs up the hill and west away from Fort Lee, a quiet area claims the home of a tiny Korean takeout joint that is cooking homemade meals at good prices. A few "last exit" customers jumping off I-95 might wander in, but for the most part it seems geared towards a regular lunch crowd who live and work in the area. For those not taking their food to go, there are a couple seats available.

No inquiries were made to the nature of relationships between people working here, but it seemed like it was a family. On the day of this meal, only grandma (not her real name) seemed to be around upon arrival. She looked busy in the kitchen and took a while to approach the counter to help us despite the place being empty. Once she arrived and we went through ordering, it was apparent she might have been wasting time in hopes of the arrival of grandson (not his real name), who usually interacts with English-speaking customers like ourselves. No matter though, the numbered menu made it easy for us all to make selections and we sat down as she began preparing the meals.

Once grandson did arrive, grandma seemed to give him a little piece of her mind for being late, but he went through the rest of the prep for us and everything settled into place. Later, father (or son, not his real name) arrived with groceries, and three generations were all working together.

Off the "Korean fast food menu" section, we eagerly ordered the spicy rice cakes with vegetables and fried dumplings ($11.99, above), a massive plate that is well described by its name. The rice cakes, cabbage, and egg are almost drowned in a wonderful sauce that balances sweet and spicy perfectly.

The other order of beef soft tofu soup ($8.99) came as shown below with a round of assorted banchan, rice, and a salad. Both dishes were quite good deals for the price, and were far too much for the two of us despite being very hungry.

The sundubu here has a strong feeling of being homemade, full of beef stock and warmth. On a return visit, one of their featured bulgogi dishes seems like a wise choice, probably feeling this same way.

🇰🇷 🇰🇷 🇰🇷

FORT LEE New Jersey

515 Main Street

Esquina Catracha Restaurante

HONDURAS 🇭🇳

Many times eating Central American food can be an underwhelming experience here in the city. The cuisine definitely has its own characters, even between countries, but usually does not have the flare of the more famous Mexican or South American cuisines that surround it geographically. Restaurants tend to cater to diaspora and have generalized menus focusing on the easier to cook items.

In this atmosphere, it was thrilling to have a meal at Esquina Catracha Restaurante in Union City, NJ. The restaurant technically shares its menu with El Salvador, but it is Honduran through and through. The interior is amazing, completely white and blue like the flag, full of football jerseys of the national team and its big bold "H" crest. Structural poles are painted blue and white, all the chairs upholstered with the same stripes from the flag. Cabinets are full of t-shirts and tchotchkes that tourists in the Bay Islands would buy before coming home, but might also interest homesick Catrachos.

If Honduras is able to qualify for the next World Cup in 2018, this place will definitely make our list of venues best for watching.

Before the plates come out, complimentary chips, beans, and cheese.

The typical breakfast plates looked so inviting, exact replicas of the simple hearty meals we were craving each morning during travels in Honduras. The staples here are important, and forgetting one would upset the balance of a Honduran meal. The eggs come flanked with beans, cheese, and tortillas, as well as a slice of avocado.

We were here for lunch though, so everyone ordered their own personal baleada con todo ($3.50, below), the flagship culinary creation of Honduras. The flour tortilla made here was slightly thicker than most and luxuriously fried for a thin crispiness around the pillowy center. "Con todo" means with everything, and that means beans, cheese, cream, meat, and egg. A side of avocado was ordered for the full splurge.

On its own, the cuisine is not very spicy, but pickled peppers come standard on every table to be added to anything as desired. Also green and red salsas from Guatemala were available.

Perfect for sharing and getting the full experience of what a typical Honduran kitchen makes daily, try the plato típico hondureño ($16.50, below). Centered around the rice sculpture, the typical platter includes carne asada, Honduran crema, a block of queso, chismol and avocado, and fried sweet plantains.

Carne asada can be one of those underwhelming things described earlier, but here it was better than any other Central American restaurant in the area, tender and full of flavor and less tough than usual. The excellent crema and queso is used in both of these dishes, but like a Honduran I could never get enough of these.

This section of Union City is unique in that it is an almost exclusively Central American enclave with most residents with roots in El Salvador. The menu probably offers Salvadoran cuisine for this reason, but we suggest sticking to the other side of the menu like most of the customers coming here.

🇭🇳 🇭🇳 🇭🇳

UNION CITY New Jersey

2319 Bergenline Avenue

Karen & Sharon Restaurant

GUATEMALA 🇬🇹

On a recent walk in Bergen County on the way to the well-known Latin American neighborhoods of West New York and Union City, I was surprised to find somewhat of a Guatemalan enclave in parts of Fairview, Cliffside Park, and even as far north into Palisades Park, a neighborhood known for its Korean population. Near the southern end, there was a block with three Guatemalan delis occupying real estate amongst the Korean restaurants, staking claim for an always-expanding population. Groups of Guatemalan men waited on corners for day-rate work opportunities, while the quiet residential neighborhoods in the area were full of parked cars with blue and white flags of the country on their rear view mirrors.

There was no plan to eat Guatemalan food on this day, but I obsessively walked into each deli and restaurant I found, about a dozen in total, asking for some of my favorite hard to find Guatemalan dishes. Over in Jamaica, Queens exists the wonderful Tierras Centro Americanas, the only place in the city I ever found serving hilachas and jocón, dishes first experienced in travels through the country. Since first eating there over a decade ago, I have diligently asked the chefs at Guatemalan places in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Queens whenever I run across them, without luck.

Having asked almost ten times on this day at various locations, I walked into Karen & Sharon not expecting much, but the lady nodded her head quickly after my request. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, an order was placed and I sat down and took a look at the rest of the menu still skeptical that it was actually going to happen.

But there on the front cover of the menu was hilachas, apparently one of their featured dishes.

Excitement levels skyrocketed, these two ladies with rhyming names had somehow made the day. I took a seat at one of the eight or so tables available and enjoyed the white and blue environment. Stripes on the wall, flowers at the table, everything had to adhere to the strict patriotic theme inside.

The word "hilachas" means "rags" in English, and the dish somewhat resembles the more popular Cuban dish ropa vieja (old clothes). Both are prepared by shredding thin strips of beef. Various vegetables are combined with the strips of meat, which are slathered here with a red tomato and tomatillo sauce. Sometimes the dish reads more as a stew and is served in a bowl.

The version Karen & Sharon serve ($9, above) is potato-free, accompanied by a mound of white rice for starch, a basket of fresh tortillas, and a small vessel of black beans.

The cuts of beef are a bit chewy and tough, not as tender and of the quality at Tierras unfortunately, but still very satisfying.

Other exciting menu items not seen in a standard Guatemalan steam table deli are salpicon, a fresh salad of beef, mint, lime, tomato, pepper, and onion (amongst other ingredients), and subanik, a Mayan meat and chili pepper stew served during ceremonies.

🇬🇹 🇬🇹 🇬🇹

FAIRVIEW New Jersey

306 Anderson Avenue

Arenie Armenian Gourmet Foods & Bakery

ARMENIA 🇦🇲

In the middle of a 25km walk one very warm May afternoon approaching 35 degrees celsius, there was an urgent need for a cool down and refreshment stop, which turned into a little more. A nondescript Armenian shop showed up like an oasis, but did everything I needed it to and more.

After grabbing a couple drinks from the refrigerated case, it was hard not to notice the four red boards advertising all the foods on offer that are made fresh to order.

Panini sandwiches using Armenian ingredients, beef lahmajoun, za'atar bread, and bouregs all plead their cases strongly to be the selection. In the end, knowing at least two meals were still to come in the day, one piece of lahmajoun ($2.99, below) won out over the others.

You will often find ground lamb on top of these, but here they used beef, the other most common topping. It is made fresh, so come with at least ten minutes to spare, well worth the wait. The beef is mixed with tomato, onion, green and red peppers, parsley, and Armenian spices. A wedge of lemon comes to be squeezed over everything, and the discs can also be ordered "hot & spicy" if desired.

Along with breads, it appears that people come in for bulk orders of these lahmajoun, available by the dozen for $15.99.

As well as a nice big bottle of cold Armenian water, I got hydrated with a delicious box of sour cherry juice, one of my favorite things in the world. To be honest, this is what I needed a dozen of on this day.

🇦🇲 🇦🇲 🇦🇲

CLIFFSIDE PARK New Jersey

575 Anderson Avenue

El Tio Taco Cart

MÉXICO 🇲🇽

When this taco cart first came into view some months back, I had just stuffed myself with other treats in West New York and was not able to manage even one taco. Lucky for me, I did not try because they only do orders of 4 here. Make sure to come with your full appetite!

The cart is placed on the corner of 55th Street and Bergenline Avenue, near the original restaurant which is tucked back around the corner on 55th as seen above. From the avenue the immense beautiful trompo of al pastor meat and juice is easily seen and hard to pass.

El Tio Taco seems to be an aspiring chain, with another location a few blocks south on Bergenline as well. I have yet to try either bricks and mortar, but they do not have the immediate appeal of the cart.

I did step up to the cart and notice the woman in front of me ordered bistec, so other options are available. But why? There was a small stool on the sidewalk for eaters so I asked for my order to stay.

They make red and green salsas here both worth noting. The wooden ladles are somewhat clunky, so do be careful, especially with the red. It has a heat level off the charts, so my accidental slathering of the first taco ended with a lot of sweating and crying. Beautiful. As usual, it pairs with al pastor tacos the best, but the green is good too and would go great with other meats.

They serve the tacos here on one hand made thicker than usual corn tortilla, loading it up with ample amounts of meat and a sprinkle of onion and cilantro. A few lime wedges round out the no frills presentation and you are on your own at the salsa bar.

An order of 4 for $7.50

All in all, what is handed to you can run a little on the dry side, so make sure to ask for some cut up pineapple to add into the al pastor meat, and squeeze plenty of lime juice before adding your salsa of choice. As can be imagined from looking at the trompo, the flavors are intense and very good.

🇲🇽 🇲🇽 🇲🇽

WEST NEW YORK New Jersey

502 55th Street

Halmae Noodle 할매 칼국수

KOREA 🇰🇷

Broad Avenue through Palisades Park is indeed broad enough to do a U-turn when you find a parking spot, but so much space usually seems like overkill, as traffic is sparse and this sleepy neighborhood always seems empty when I go for food. Most of the restaurants on this "main" drag close by 9 or 10pm, unlike the Korean neighborhoods of Queens and Manhattan. But don't be fooled, the food here is still worthy of seeking out, and this sleepy corner establishment is no different.

Only the Korean is illuminated in neon outside, but Halmae Noodle reads the smaller sign on the window. Either way, it means grandma and is a promise of old style traditional cooking.

The woman who runs the place first tried to speak Korean with the Thai in our group, then the Filipino, but when unsuccessful switched to English, all with a smile. I went with friends who brought their two year old boy, and he was treated like a king by the staff, brought his own cartoon bowl, spoon, and sippy cup.

The five of us were hungry, so we quickly ordered some appetizers, starting with the stir fried spicy rice cake ($9.99, below), a delicious and indeed spicy dish. We are always big fans of the texture and chewiness of Korean rice cakes, and these did not let us down.

Not being able to decide whether the dumplings should be fried or steamed, both orders ending up coming to the table as compromise. The fried dumplings ($8.99, above) and steamed dumplings ($8.99, below) both are available in shrimp or beef, and a winner remained undecided. All 20 were eaten in an attempt to crown the champion, maybe 20 more are necessary.

Almost glowing red with chili, the spicy noodles soup with beef and vegetables ($10.99, below) was a hit. The vegetables, beef, and noodles all seemed to have the same shape, and their soups do come with a choice of spice level in case your belly does not behave the same as a Korean.

Also red is the noodles soup with spicy soft tofu and seafood ($10.99, below), which comes loaded with mussels, shrimp, and squid, as well as big bricks of soft tofu, a little harder than most if we're being honest. This is the first bowl I have seen with the soft tofu and noodles together, which was fun.

Although we were at a noodle house, we for some reason could not turn down the kimchi and pork fried rice ($8.99 below), which was excellent. The big yellow egg yolk oozes through everything when cut open, and the kimchi has enough spice to make all the bites tingle a bit.

The website makes a point to show the three varieties of colors of the homemade noodles used here, which can be seen below. As far as I could tell, this was just coloring and not a difference in ingredients, so I asked a friend in Korea to do some translation for me. The colors come from different vegetables, used only for looks. The recipe comes from the owner's mother in Korea, who must now be the grandma from the menu. Make sure the noodles make their way into at least one of your orders, as they are very tasty.

🇰🇷 🇰🇷 🇰🇷
PALISADES PARK New Jersey

413 Broad Avenue

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!