I O Caffe

SERBIA 🇷🇸

As Ridgewood continues to change and newcomers with earbuds shuffle down the subway stairs at Forest Avenue to quickly walk home, I O Caffe continues to be the place it has always been for the last 25 years or so. With its dark, barred windows and solid door that offer no glimpses inside even at night, it takes somewhat of a leap of faith to swing open the heavy portal and step inside. The right folks might bring the jukebox screeching to a halt just like in the movies, but since I am Serbian-passing the intensity level of stares were simply at harmless intruder level.

But all that evaporates away pretty quickly just like it does in most longtime corner bars that only get a few outsiders. After all, the door is always open, I O Caffe just keeps to itself. And if this leap had not been made, a really nice plate of ćevapi and the friendly welcome would never have been found. As a group of men smokes and plays dominos in the back, grab one of the ten or so seats at the bar and settle in.

As with most Balkan bars here in the city, it opens early and has an espresso machine, making sure your morning and evening vices can all be taken care of in the same place. While the East Village has an actual Serbian place called Kafana, this is what an establishment with the description of a "coffee house" usually feels like back home. When asked about the clientele, the very friendly barman on this day tells me:

"People from all over the Balkans come here. Here they get along, over there they don't."

The meal above was procured at 17:00 on a Monday and required him to kick the whole operation into gear back in their tiny open kitchen. At a similar time on a weekday before this, the woman running the place said that food usually starts around 19:00. Still unclear of the rules, it should be noted that showing up at least close to dinner time or later should land you better chances of eating.

There is no menu, but plates of ćevapi (above) are the main offering. When salad and fries were mentioned they were not turned down, as it was the goal of the meal to try as much as they were cooking. $25 ended up being the total for 10 perfectly grilled pieces of meat over crisp fries, some bread, and an excellent and large šopska, a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, red peppers, and a healthy sprinkling of Bulgarian goat cheese.

While most of the tables are empty during a weekday afternoon, the bar must be fun and spirited on a full evening. Five TVs over the bar play Serbian karaoke via YouTube but would be excellent for a particularly thrilling non-American football match. And while they do not carry the Serbian lager Jelen, there are enough beers and spirits here to make most non-hipster folks happy.

Even though they don't carry it, ask for a Jelen anyways when you arrive and you'll get an earful of Serbian and the immediate endearment of the barman.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
793 Fairview Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Albanian Grocery

ALBANIA 🇦🇱

All photos by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune.

This article originally appeared in the 13 December 2018 edition of The Queens Tribune:

In the early 2000s, I had my first experience meeting an Albanian pizza maker on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx at Tony & Tina’s Pizzeria. After a short inquiry and a couple of orders of byrek instead of a typical slice, I had more questions than answers. Luckily, a succinct article in The New York Times from 2001 answered most of my questions, but Albanians’ connection to pizza—and how they started taking over pizzerias from upwardly-mobile Italians—always fascinated me.

While Albania was not part of the former Yugoslavia, many ethnic Albanians in New York City are actually from places that were, especially Montenegro and Kosovo. In the 1990s they started arriving in waves, as dire circumstances forced them to flee violence and hardship in their own homelands. During that decade, the populations of Balkan peoples in New York City exploded, and Ridgewood was one of the locations that saw much of this resettlement. The formerly German neighborhood is now home to the Serbian Association of NY, and in nearby Glendale you can find the Albanian American Islamic Center. Myrtle Avenue favorite Muncan Food Corp. is possibly the city’s premier location for cured Balkan meats. The now-closed Etno Restaurant, which was under the Fresh Pond Road subway station, used to hang the flag of every nation of the former Yugoslavia from its awning and serve the foods familiar to all Balkan peoples.

Nowadays, Fresh Pond Road is more Polish than Balkan, but a new grocery store has put up its bright red-and-white awning with the flag of Albania to declare its allegiance to the latter. Only four months old and still figuring out its rotating menus and operating times, Albanian Grocery is owned by Lulzim Nika, who came to New York City 10 years ago, a bit after the large influx of the ’90s. He is originally from Puka, a town of 11,000 people in northern Albania, but he spent the majority of his life in the capital city of Tirana doing work unrelated to food. Mr. Nika immediately went into pizza upon arriving here, however. With the right connections and commitment, he now operates four pizzerias in Manhattan after a four-year stint at Rubirosa, which he told me inspired him most.

The opportunity arose when the shop’s previous owner passed away and the business was up for sale. As someone with a passion for what dough can become in the right hands and the right time in an oven, Mr. Nika believed that a prepared-foods deli with a natural knack for making delicious Albanian byrek was the right fit for him and the neighborhood. Byrek is the Albanian word for what is known as börek or burek or many other terms in many other nations. Basically, it is a flaky-layered phyllo dough pastry filled with ingredients of the chef’s choosing. Common in Albanian byrek is ground beef, cheese or spinach, all three of which are available here.

When I asked Mr. Nika if there were certain similarities between the skills of a pizza maker and a great byrek chef, he laughed and exclaimed “Of course!” as if the question answered itself and was unnecessary. When you understand dough, you can be very good at both. He still spends most of his time at his pizzerias, while the day-to-day operations here are run by three lovely women.

On my third visit, I asked to observe the making of the byrek from flour to finished product, and was eagerly taken to the kitchen for a demonstration. The layers of dough have to be first pushed thin by hand and then flipped to stretch them out further. One byrek pie will use four of these thin layers and have ingredients stuffed in between before baking. I do not know the secrets, but their pies come out of the oven without excessive grease or weight, unlike many versions you will find.

During the course of the day, fresh pies are made from scratch as needed, so you will never find a byrek sitting around for long. Each one is cut into four slices, so there is a 25 percent chance they will need to make a new pie when you order if the previous one is gone. It is worth the 10-15 minute wait, though, as the slice fresh from the oven is a place close to heaven.

In addition to these, the kitchen makes a range of dishes to fill a small steam table each day, and serves hearty lunches. Most of the customers I saw during visits here worked nearby; many had come in for the first time, curious about the prospect of a new meal. Two small tables in the front offer space for a few people to eat, but many take their bounty to go. Foods on the steam table can include tasqebap, a rich oily beef stew that was called “Albanian goulash” when I inquired about the name; or fasule, another hearty soup of white beans and bits of meat. Usually there is at least one type of tavë, a baked casserole traditionally made of soured milk. This thick cream was described to me as similar to bechamel, but upon eating it, it was obvious this comparison was only made due to the fact that I cannot speak Albanian. The yogurt and eggs used to make this do not remind you of the mother sauce from France.

The food is all rib-sticking and genuinely tasty, but even more enjoyable here is the pleasure taken from being their guest. On my first visit, a tablecloth was even laid down for me before I dined alone. As I ate my lunch between the cured meats and cheeses in the counter refrigerator and some stacked shelves of teas and snacks, it was not hard to feel like royalty when they took such care. There is no pizza here, but you will not miss it at all after your first bite of their byrek.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
65-05 Fresh Pond Road

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Café Esencia

SPAIN 🇪🇸

Before Café Esencia came to be in real life, it was a Kickstarter campaign that promised a churro café inspired by La Convivencia, or "coexistence," a time period in southern Spain where cultures and cuisines merrily mixed and produced an "awesome flourishing of flavors, aromas, and essences." It is from this that they get their name as well, with the signature pinwheel of the churro spinning underneath the logo.

Before the afternoon sun passes overhead towards the west, the mornings here are filled with sun on clear days, making the small café quite pleasant and always bright. The few tables can fill up quickly if a couple groups are around, but stragglers can usually find a bar seat at the window if need be.

In the United States, churros are often associated with Latin Americans, who have developed a love for them and especially in cities can be seen hawking them on the street or on transit platforms. Before this became true though, the churros have existed in the Iberian Peninsula forever in different forms. Those known as porras ($4.5 for a "small" wheel, above), like the ones served here, are made with a lighter sourdough batter that contains no egg or dairy and is even vegan. Since this batter is much thinner, you will not see the familiar consistent extrusion and instead each creation looks unique as the dough takes a life of its own in the fryer.

The lightness of these is a gift, snacking on them does not leave your stomach heavy. Add the available cup of $1.75 milk chocolate for dipping. In Andalucia, you would also see folks dipping theirs into their coffee, so do not feel bad doing that either.

On certain days of the week they also make a limited amount of tortilla española (not shown), an egg dish not unlike quiche that takes the form of a cake. "Tortilla" does translate as "little cake" after all. Here they make it simply with potatoes and onions, and while it is not typically Andalucian it is definitely part of Spanish culture and cuisine and eaten everywhere in the country. On the days it is coming out of the kitchen here, come early or you will find it already sold out.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
68-38 Forest Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Słovianka Deli

POLAND 🇵🇱

Over the last decade or so, as Greenpoint gets infiltrated by the privileged and monied, northern Ridgewood and southern Maspeth have set themselves up as the premier destination for Polish food and culture. Fresh Pond Road and Forest Avenues are full of Polish delis that offer daily fresh food on steam tables.

Just before Forest Avenue dead ends into Metropolitan, one of my favorites is definitely Słovianka. After a recent visit by a friend, I was inspired to head back and bring home a feast.

The one negative about it is that there is no seating inside, so you are forced to get everything to go and either find somewhere to eat in the neighborhood or take it home. I opted for the latter. At the steam table, the options are a little overwhelming, there are salads and soups and everything in between.

Everything is sold by weight in different categories, so be prepared to see a lot of plastic used. At home it was easy to combine everything and enjoy things together.

The full spread, for something like $17.

In the back below, gołąbek, a stuffed cabbage full of meat and rice. Closer and the same shape is kotlet schabowy, a breaded pork cutlet with the consistency of a meatball covered in a dill cream sauce. The beet salad is obvious.

Barszcz biały is white borscht full of potatoes and sausage made sour by a mixture of fermented rye flour and water. 

One placek (potato pancake) was purchased and then smothered with a small portion of goulash.

Mizeria is a salad of sliced cucumbers with sour cream and dill.

This was just a small sample of everything available. If you are around someday, grab a meal and let us know what your selections were.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
62-42 Forest Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

While in Kathmandu

NEPAL 🇳🇵

Quick Instagram Dispatch from Ridgewood, Queens:
After enough buzz and good vibes, finally made it out to While in Kathmandu which has a wonderful feel and setting and now even a back garden. The meal started delightfully with jhol momos and the deep fried catfish dish called Malekhu ko Macha, but then tailed off with subpar goat sekuwa and steamed fish. The joint serves wine and beer, which is a perk, and seems like a friendly place for folks near Seneca to come and relax.

Jhol momos

Malekhu ko Macha

Goat sekuwa

Steamed fish (not fresh and unfortunately discarded)

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RIDGEWOOD Queens

758 Seneca Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Manor Oktoberfest Atlas Park

GERMANY 🇩🇪

For the better part of a decade, Manor Oktoberfest on Yellowstone Blvd has been serving bratwurst and German lagers to fourth generation German-Americans and the residents of Forest Hills, Rego Park, and Middle Village. They also have a location in the Shops at Atlas Park that is on the second floor and overlooks the interior courtyard with some comfortable outdoor terrace seating. The feeling is definitely here for drinking. TVs are tuned to sports for afternoon regulars, and the selection of sausages and lunch specials are good.

Both locations are the expansion of longtime favorite Manor Delicatessen in Woodhaven, which has been serving sandwiches on Jamaica Avenue since the beginning of time.

This order of käsekrainer (above, which the barwoman "corrected" me by calling it a cheddar bratwurst), was tasty enough, served on quite good bread with competent sauerkraut and German potato salad. The timing was just right for this meal, as it was part of a lunch special and the half litre beers were on happy hour.

Pilsner served in a Höfbrau mug. Sigh.

The spot sits literally next door to the movie theater in Atlas Park and makes a good stop before or after watching a film. Maybe a good place to get a big hot pretzel to sneak in as well.

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GLENDALE Queens

8028 Cooper Avenue

Burek's Pizza

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA 🇧🇦

In New York City, it is not a surprise to find Bosnians and other Balkan peoples inside shops with the word "pizza" on the awning. For decades, immigrants from these countries have been running the city's slice joints. Sometimes they might add a burek, a popular phyllo dough pastry stuffed with various ingredients and normally baked in a circular pan similar to the shape of a pizza.

Here at Burek's Pizza in Ridgewood, the slices only come in the form of burek, with three varieties on offer and nothing else. You will find a stack of standard pizza boxes ready for use, but no pepperoni.

There is not much to the dining room, as the place has transitioned to, or maybe always has been, an almost exclusively takeout business. A couple tables are available though for customers who do not live nearby, although an old unused oven blocks what may have been the public bathroom so don't bring your business here. For entertainment, the TV over the counter is tuned to Televizija OBN, a broadcast network out of Sarajevo.

On any given day, you can purchase the pastry filled with either meat, cheese, or spinach. If there is one that you cannot live without, and do not have much time to spare, you may want to call ahead and make sure it is available. In between pies, there could be 15 to 20 minutes during preparation and cooking where a certain version is unavailable.

The meat burek ($4.50, above and below) is filled with ground beef and cooked thin. This version goes well with a cup of the homemade yogurt ($1.50), and was even better when leftovers were brought home and I could use the ajvar in the fridge.

The star of the place seems to be the cheese burek ($4.50, below), which all the customers were ordering while I was sitting here. This slice is a bit thicker and has a lot more moisture. The cheesiness is perfect, and no yogurt or anything is necessary.

As more pies were necessary, the woman running the place would disappear behind a wall and the thwap thwap of dough being pounded out on the table could be heard. Not more than a pie or two is in the oven at any time when they are not servicing large orders, so you know your slice is always going to be hot and fresh.

From the outside, the place does not seem like much, but the product is a very pleasant surprise.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens

68-57 Forest Avenue

Guadalajara de Dia II

MEXICO

Sometimes I am a little worried when I visit the Bushwick/Ridgewood border these days, as the popular taquerias and delis have started jacking up their prices as the new residents start eating there. At this well kept place just over the border in Queens, prices are not rock bottom, but still far from stupid. Quality remains good as well, as their clientele can attest to at any given time.

Like many delis that find a niche serving their customers food instead of canned goods and sodas, they have cleared most of their deli products out of the way in favor of seating for dining inside. The kitchen is in the back instead of part of the room, but I definitely recommend taking a trip to the bathroom to see into the busy space and feel the heat of the grill. The dramatic music from afternoon telenovelas filled the air while we ate our lunch, and the proprietor had his eyes fixed intently on the action between taking orders.

Most places like this have a beer fridge but no liquor license, a quick recipe for a frown on my face. Here, that is not so, and they sell singles to accompany your meal.

An order of picaditas ($7, above) is well paired with tinga, a spicy chicken they do excellently here. Choose their green sauce, and carefully pick up these hard discs or use utensils if you must.

To get a sense of a variety of other meats, we chose three different tacos ($2 each, below), and ended up liking our cecina the best, which was spiced the best and seemed cared for. Barbacoa seems a bit more "goat-y" then usual, so good for people enjoying that meat the most, while the pastor flies very low and is not recommended.

On a normal afternoon, a second round of beers probably would have came out, but this day we had places to go and people to see, and we were back off into the heat. It's good to know that the area can still support some good, honest taquerias.

RIDGEWOOD Queens

566 Seneca Avenue

Gottscheer Hall Tap Room

GERMANY 🇩🇪

The tap room at Gottscheer Hall is the type of place that probably has looked the same for at least a decade. The same five to ten men are there every night, ordering the same beers, telling the same jokes, and popping quarters in the jukebox to play the same 80's rock favorites.

The night me and a friend decided to go was just before Halloween, and the main ballroom (if you can call it that) was filled with a party for children all dressed up in their cute costumes. Although not much dancing was taking place, I could hear the chicken dance and electric slide coming from the hall.

That finally cleared out on this Friday night around 9:30pm, but the tap room stays open until at least midnight on weekends, depending on the crowd. They serve dinner from Wednesday through Sunday, and it is worth coming here for the experience of the whole place, even if the German food will not completely knock your socks off.

Although he became annoying to the point of anger, our neighbor at the bar began a conversation with us before we had even sat down. It is just that type of place, where even two young kids living far away from Ridgewood can come in and feel very welcome immediately.

They carry a couple bad US beers and a few good German beers, usually poured in the correct glassware in metric sizes. You will notice small signs on the tables advertising a $1 beer in the 0.3L size with any food purchase. Make sure to take advantage of this at some point during the evening.

On the specials the night we went was the sauerbraten dinner ($12.50, below), a big plate that comes with potatoes and red cabbage. The potatoes will be enjoyed, especially with the tangy gravy poured over the meat. The red cabbage is so-so, while the meat itself is on the dry side. It's fine with that sauce, but I found that a bite should probably include the potato as well.

Did someone say three-cheese spaetzle ($8, below)? When the bartender did in fact say these words, we jumped at the chance to eat it. Unfortunately it did not live up to expectations, as the noodles were soft and dead and the whole thing just tasted too similar to macaroni and cheese. That being said, it was not terrible, it just was not like spaetzle.

Between courses we enjoyed another round or two of $5 beers in half-liter mugs, an absolute steal even for Ridgewood. Eventually the promise of apple strudle ($3, below) came, but even this disappointed. Besides coming about 30 minutes later, it was just a microwaved dish. Unfortunately the black forest cake ($3) that was on the menu was not available.

Despite the fact that I have not said so many nice things about the food, I would come back here in a heartbeat. The place has charm, and the experience of it is definitely worth any distance and time you have to take to get here. The service is friendly and you are treated like family on your first visit. They have a bunch of memorabilia on the walls that is worth a look, and a big map of the Gottschee region, where the first immigrants who started this place were from. That region is now in current day Slovenia, and this place has no German accents, but it is all still very pure somehow.

The street outside was even named for them!

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
657 Fairview Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC: