El Paso Centroamericano

EL SALVADOR 🇸🇻

My first experience with quesadilla salvadoreña came almost 15 years ago shortly after crossing the border with Honduras and sitting down for a coffee after a grueling overnight international bus trip. In the charming city of San Miguel, under the watchful eye of the nearby volcano with the same name, I pointed to the last piece left under a fly screen. After my order at around ten in the morning, they had already sold the lot.

I was too tired to inquire what I was ordering, it had just been far too long since I had previously eaten and still hours away from being able to unload my backpack in the guesthouse I would be staying. By the look of it not a lot of hope was inspired, but that quesadilla ended up giving me life and has to this day been an automatic order whenever I see it on the counter at a Salvadoran restaurant.

Much different than its more famous namesake to the north, quesadilla salvadoreña ($2, above and below) is actually bread and more often is thicker than the version served here. It usually appears more like a small loaf, but what makes it quesadilla is the prominent use of cheese, specifically finely grated queso fresco. Made slightly sweet by sugar and cream, its natural place in life is to be served alongside a cup of coffee.

On that trip, I found many different versions and varieties, quesadilla changes from north to south and east to west in the small nation. Each family or bakery or coffee shop will have their own recipe. Most have the thicker consistency of pound cake, sometimes with burnt edges like the thin cake here.

If you have room for more, try another Salvadoran antojito that differs from the Mexican version, the enchilada (below). A puffed up and fried tortilla is topped with meats, cheese, and pickled cabbage. Sometimes you see this with an egg on top as well, but they did not serve it that way here.

This visit coincided with the first match of the Women's World Cup, which some of the other patrons were getting into. This made it an easy decision to order a few bottles of Pilsener, El Salvador's nicest export beer. Pupusas are also popular here of course, most other customers who came in ordered plates of them in both corn and rice versions.

Next time you are uptown and need a Salvadoran fix, this is your spot.

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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS Manhattan
4129 Broadway

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Taqueria Sinaloense

MÉXICO 🇲🇽 (SINALOA)

The tiny little neighborhood of Marble Hill is a frustrating piece of land, with a Bronx zip code and having all the geographic clues of a Bronx neighborhood, but still annoyingly part of Manhattan. To understand it, one must travel back in history over 100 years to the dredging of the Harlem River Ship Canal. Before this time, the river ran to the north of the neighborhood and Marble Hill was part of Manhattan island, but that section was too narrow and shallow for the kind of ships desired to pass and the new canal was born. For a few years after this, Marble Hill was actually an island, but eventually the north part of the river was filled in and the neighborhood is technically the only part of Manhattan that is connected to the mainland of the country.

In modern times (since 2018), Marble Hill is home to a tiny little taqueria with a name just as odd for New York City as the history of how the neighborhood is part of Manhattan. In the area's most southerly street, overlooking the tracks of Metro North and the Harlem River, a few steps down brings you into Taqueria Sinaloense, of course named for the state of Sinaloa in northwest México known for some of the most delicious cuisine in all the country.

Unfortunately for New York City and the east coast, most people from this state have remained out west. Los Angeles, as well as much of southern California and Arizona are populated with Sinaloan restaurants, where even regional differences and rivalries between the cities of Culiacán and Mazatlán can be tasted in neighboring establishments. We briefly were entertained by a restaurant in Queens of the same name that whetted the appetites of even the paper of record before closing down suddenly after less than a year.

When the new Taqueria Sinaloense (no relation to the former) opened last year, I spoke with the owner over the phone to inquire about some of the most well-known and delicious foods from Sinaloa and whether they would be offered here. At that time there were no plans for them, but with a menu that uses the state's seal and proclaims "Authentic Tacos from North of México" right on the front, somehow I knew it would be necessary to keep checking in from time to time.

After recently seeing a plate of chilorio and frijoles puercos show up online, I did not bother calling and high-tailed it back to Marble Hill. The results are decidedly mixed, but with some imagination, and the right orders, a meal here could be very good. Unfortunately the chilorio (above), a slow-simmered pork that is then fried with chilies is not part of that order, as it has the consistency, temperament, and spicing of something that recently lived in a can.

The frijoles puercos (beans cooked with pork lard) from the photo were unfortunately discontinued because they were not a big seller, and machaca (dried and shredded beef usually enjoyed for breakfast with eggs and fluffy flour tortillas) does not seem to be in the cards. This led to an order of pozole ($8, above and below), which gives no hint of its style on the menu but after inquiry was promised in estilo Sinaloa.

After somewhat of a disappointment with the rest of the order, what arrived in this bowl was pure joy. In Sinaloa the pozoles are normally red with chile pasilla or chile ancho, but they go a step further here and turn the pork hominy soup into a fiery dream with chiles de arbol, a much spicier cousin. The broth is also full of garlic and onions buried within, and worth coming for on its own.

Another specifically Sinaloan item you can find on the menu is the taco gobernador ($4, below), named for the former governor of Sinaloa who first asked for the combination. Unfortunately, this is not a taco gobernador, which should be filled not only with shrimp, tomatoes, and peppers, but also cheese before being briefly fried after filling. The resulting taco should be crisp as the cheese melts and surrounds the tortillas, maybe next time this can be specifically asked for?

The rest of the menu is extensive and reads like much like many deli groceries around town, with photos of everything posted on the front of the shop as well to entice folks to enter. There is one table that seats four, and another four can eat at the high counter along one wall, but if the shop ever had close to eight eating all at once it would probably feel a bit too intimate. Thankfully for those dining in, it seems like most people just come in for takeout.

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MARBLE HILL Manhattan
113 West 225th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Tu Cachapa

VENEZUELA 🇻🇪

An ear of sweet corn, and a green plantain, both anthropomorphically smiling at passersby is how Tu Cachapa greets its neighbors in Washington Heights. From the awning this small storefront is easy to figure out, the gist of the menu is a mashup of Venezuelan street snacks and fast food.

Many Venezuelan eateries in New York City have adapted their foods for Dominicans, who are possibly the junk food soulmates of Venezuelans. In addition to the classics they always seem to have yaroa, the most junky of Dominican junk foods, on their menu and add ketchup and mayonnaise to places you would not see them if you were eating late in Caracas.

If you travel through Venezuela, you will see these sweet corn "pancakes" grilling on corner street-side stalls everywhere, usually folded in half like a Mexican quesadilla, and similarly filled with cheese. But here at Tu Cachapa, an order of the chicharrón cachapa ($8.50, above and below) is topped with lettuce, tomato and those more northerly condiments.

Other places uptown that serve these foods, including the amazing Patacon Pisao truck that remains one of our favorite places to go in the city, also cater to the demands of New York City's Dominican population, and that is not necessarily a bad mashup. There is just no way to separate soulmates after all.

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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS Manhattan

4195 Broadway

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Albert's Mofongo House

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Mofongo used to be one of those dishes eaten about once every two or three years, always enjoyed but just not a regular part of what was going on inside of my brain. All of that has changed though after a second trip to Puerto Rico, homeland of mofongo, where three different and exciting versions were recently eaten.

This quickly made Albert's, which has been on the to do list for as long as it has existed, rise to the top of what needed to be eaten. The 24 hour corner Inwood joint is actually Dominican, so it is worth connecting the dots from mofongo to the Dominican Republic. Credit might be due to Rafael Trujillo, dictator and unelected military strongman, who ruled over the country for over 20 years before being assassinated in 1952. For many reasons, Dominicans not on his side fled to Puerto Rico, Florida, and New York City, and the dish caught on with their fellow Caribbeans in those locations. In New York City at least, it is very common to see mofongo on the menu of many Dominican restaurants.

Albert's Mofongo House takes it to the next level, making it their specialty and presenting it in a tall wooden mortero, the traditional vessel that is used to mash the plantains.

There are thirteen options of mofongo available on the menu. The one they call "traditional" is the ChicharronFongo ($14.95, above). The mofongo itself, a dish of fried and mashed green plantains, is served alone, with the chicharron on the side. Here the mash includes onions and raw garlic, the taste that hits the strongest with each bite. Hence, it would not be recommended to eat this mofongo before an important business meeting or first date.

Some wedges of lime and two sauces also come on the plate, making variety between bites very easy. The green sauce is citrusy and spicy, while the red is tomato based and strangely satisfying. The chicharron itself is almost perfect, crispy skins and fatty morsels in every bite.

Albert's is dominated by a large wrap-around four sided bar when you enter. There are sports on TV and the place probably takes a different feel in the evenings or weekends. You can order takeout from the counter service area or take a seat at the expanded dining area behind the bar.

When I sat down at the bar alone, before my menu came out I was offered a small sample of their piña colada, apparently the crowd favorite. It was very tasty, but with more work later in the afternoon and the fact that it was just after 1pm, I had to turn down a full one. Regardless, I found the staff here very warm the entire time.

INWOOD Manhattan

4762 Broadway

Bobby Fish (El Rey del Ceviche)

PUERTO RICO 🇵🇷

When Bobby is not around, no reason on Earth could make you want to spend any time in this desolate gas station parking lot corner on the other side of a high fence from an MTA repair yard, especially on a hot summer day. But when this well-worn maroon van does pull in, bringing its valuable load of ceviche and clams, you forgive all the unwelcoming aspects of the location and settle in with friendly people and good fish.

The self-titled king of both ceviche and clams opens the back of the van and gets ready for customers daily sometime around mid-afternoon. I ask the official opening time and am told 1pm, but I was here at that time and found the lot empty, only a 95% eaten container of ceviche as a clue to what might be here later.

Chairs and tables brought to the site are placed in the sun, but Bobby comes prepared with some tents as well and you can eat in the shade. Apparently this has been happening for the past 43 years in the area, and by the looks of the van, it has served for most of this time proudly.

I take a look at the selections in the ceviche cooler and order the "11 Powers" ceviche ($10, below), which seems an obvious choice against the "7 Powers" option.

When ordering, at least half of a lime is squeezed into the mix if you like, and I think I would choose about half of that next time as my concoction was extremely tart. The hot sauce offered makes for a nice tickle of the mouth, and all the seafood inside seems nice and fresh. It is definitely a decent way to cool off on a hot and humid day in the city.

A man and woman run the show here, and neither of them is Bobby from what I gather. But no matter, they are both exceedingly nice, and "ta buena?" me before remembering I am not someone who appears to speak Spanish.

Other customers go for a platter of clams, all opened fresh.

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INWOOD Manhattan

207th Street, just east of 10th Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Tulcingo Azteca

MEXICO

[UPDATE: Is now called Tulcingo Azteca. On a September 2015 visit, the interior had been nicely renovated and the entire place seems more inviting with it's liquor license and small bar.]

Usually when people ask me what my favorite type of food is, I tell them I hate to have favorites and love variety. Judging purely by where I eat though, it most certainly would lean towards Mexico. This is partly to do with the cuisine's ubiquitousness here in New York, because if Thai food was good in the back of every little Thai grocery (which don't really exist on the East coast in numbers anyways), I am sure I would eat a lot more of it. And so on.

An order of sopes ($10, above) is a mountain of food, three boats that all aspire to be huaraches, oversized from their normal discs to oblong ovals piled high with meat.

When I am in Inwood, 10 times out of 12 I will be headed for the El Dugout Patacon Pisao truck that serves delicious Venezuelan street fare. This time however I was walking down 10th Avenue in Inwood with a semi-empty stomach in search of a new place. El Nuevo Azteca stepped up and filled the void.

The tostada ($2.50, below) was the only food I ordered as I wanted to preserve my stomach for as many stops as possible, but a sign beckoned from the refrigerator case with another offer that was too good to refuse: $1.50 Coronas. This turns out to be the takeout price, as they are $3 on the bill and poured into a styrofoam cup. [UPDATE: With the new liquor license, you can drink out of proper bottles, a Cerveza Victoria runs $3.50]. You can tell a lot from a place's tostada, the beans they use, the quality of queso, the crema. Positive on all accounts here at Azteca, although not mind-blowing.

It must be said though, that this is just a nice place to relax, have a very cheap meal, and enjoy yourselves. They have a full Mexican and American breakfast menu, as well as all the normal antojitos any place should have. Full entrees are available as well, and the cute surroundings peak on the wall where the window to the kitchen and the large television showing novelas compete for attention.

INWOOD Manhattan

3861 10th Avenue

Cachapas Y Mas

VENEZEULA 🇻🇪

Now with larger storefront (and prices)

After a recent visit to the Patacón Pisao food truck in Inwood, I was instantly addicted to the unique sandwiches. Flattened and fried plantains make the things unique, but it is really the juices of the meats within that pack the punch. Either way, the patacón was so memorable that I have been thinking about it everyday this week.

If you visit this far uptown late night spot from the A train, a walk down Dyckman Street is necessary and yields Cachapas Y Mas, which actually has the same owners and is a spawn of the truck. The menus are almost identical, the prices equal. (EDIT: I was contacted and told that the ownership has now changed hands and the two are unaffiliated)

The sandwich seemed to come out a little larger, but the meats were marinated less as I was dripping at a rate of only 25% the one I had around the corner. This might seem like a good thing, but something just seemed off after such a pleasure at the truck.

Don't get me wrong though, this is still an excellent (and cheap!) beast. The patacón mixto ($5, above) comes with your choice of two meats (instead of three like the "full"). Unlike the truck you can eat at the small window counter or one of two booths inside the store, but the place is very hot during the summer and walking outside to eat is not a bad idea.

The cachapas are simple large corn cakes, folded over the ingredients (many similar choices) like a quesadilla and also grilled. In my opinion though, the "y mas" is the reason to come both here and to the food truck nearby.

The menu also consists of arepas, tacuchos, pepitos, and empanadas, which all might warrant a try if I lived nearby but are impossible to eat after such a large sandwich.

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INWOOD Manhattan

107 Dyckman Street

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El Dugout (Patacon Pisao)

VENEZUELA 🇻🇪

The good old days in 2009

[UPDATED IN 2017: Reflects current pricing and location details]

As I walked away from the El Dugout truck in Inwood one evening, my mind immediately starting racing to apartment prices in the area. I was jealous of everyone that had easy access to this beautiful food cart, probably my new favorite in the city.

The subway ride back down south probably convinced me not to seriously look for a new home, but the hunger for more patacones was fresh by the time I finally did arrive.

The specialty of the truck and what most people are ordering, is the patacón ($6.50-$8, below) a sandwich of marinated shredded beef, pork, chicken, or carne asada, put between two large fried plantain slices which act as the typical bread. The most expensive, the "full" runs only $8, and combines three shredded meats which have been so perfectly marinated, lettuce, tomato, and a white "house special" sauce that gives a hint of spiciness. The red marinade juices and this sauce start mixing while you eat, creating such a mess of ecstasy that is dribbling down the sidewalk at your feet.

Cross section of "mix" with shredded beef and pork

The truck is always busy, from the time it opens in the early evening [UPDATE: now open every day during afternoons] until closing as the sun comes up, and getting your order could take 10 minutes or so. No matter, order a tequeño ($1.25, below), a simple cheese stick wrapped in dough and deep-fried. It is served with a tiny cup of pink mayo, but can be eaten with or without it depending on your mood.

Loud cars thump by with reggaeton or hip-hop, while club-goers from across the street grab a bite before or after their dancing and drinking. I can imagine quite a rowdy/drunk scene here late in the night, but the early evening was all joy and smiles from those seeking their dinner.

Personally, I'm now obsessed with the Patacón Pisao, the nickname of the truck which translates to flattened plantain. I expect to be spending many late nights returning to Brooklyn on the long A train ride south.

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INWOOD Manhattan

431 West 202nd Street

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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!

Tu Sabor Latino

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 🇩🇴

[UPDATE: Original post updated July 2018]

When we first came here ten years ago, our simple words were:
"All hail the chicken, as it is roasted to perfection. The tender meat falls right off the bone and is simply delicious. The rice and beans are so-so, atmosphere lively, although a bit intimidating for women in the evenings most likely as groups of men and many empty Corona bottles populate each table."

Many things have changed in a decade, but families are still coming here for the chicken. What used to be one small storefront has expanded to the next property and did a complete renovation to combine the two spaces. There is still an area for takeout orders which is constantly full, and now a dining area to seat 20 or 25 people comfortably. As compared to 2008, quite a bit larger percentage of folks walking by did not grow up in the neighborhood.

Those groups that come to drink together still come in the evening and now have a full bar to enjoy in addition to beer buckets.

Many interesting things happen on the daily specials menu, which has a lot of overlap but sees a few unique options each day. On Saturdays, try the cocido ($5, above, small), a Dominican-style cow foot soup that is incredible. This small bowl had three bone slices included and was as rich and fatty as can be. Bacon, carrots, potatoes and macaroni all make the soup even heartier.

Also on the Saturday menu but probably available any day is a portion of pernil ($8, below, small), slow roasted pork shoulder that includes plenty of fat and crispy skin. This plate is considered small and includes a mountain of rice and bowl of red beans.

While the sign outside now reads "Latino's Bar & Grill Restaurant" rather unnecessarily, the menu inside still reads the original name, and so we will keep it here as Tu Sabor Latino.

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WASHINGTON HEIGHTS Manhattan

3864 Broadway

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!