2011 November | The Food Ledger

Punjabi Grocery & Deli (Manhattan, NY) – Go Where the Cabbies Go

November 30, 2011

I’m sure you’ve heard of the travel tip, “go where the locals go”. Well, let me take that to the next level – don’t just go where the locals go, go where the cabbies go.

Across the street from Katz’s Deli, Punjabi Grocery & Deli (NOT to be confused with the Punjabi grocery a couple doors down from Katz’s) is where you find the taxi drivers of New York chowing down. It’s a true hole-in-the-wall – there’s no seating whatsoever and only has a counter to rest your bowl while you eat – but like many other hole-in-the-walls, it serves some of the cheapest, tastiest eats in the city.

Seven vegetarian dishes are stored in a refrigerated case, scooped into Styrofoam bowls and nuked in one of the half dozen microwaves sitting atop the case. The bowl then goes straight from the microwave, into your hands, into your mouth.

(What? Not sold on microwaves, Styrofoam bowls and cabbies? Fine…)

Like I said before, Punjabi serves one of the cheapest meals in the city. How cheap? You can get fatty samosas with potatoes and peas for $1.

Or, if you’re looking for something more substantial than that, you can order a small bowl of rice with two sides for $3.

I personally have a soft spot for the chickpeas, but pretty much everything I’ve eaten here has been delicious. And here’s another tip: I didn’t find this out until much later but they’ll put yogurt on top if you ask. (Make sure you ask.)

If you get thirsty, wash your meal down with some chai tea. They have two types here: a standard chai and an authentic Indian chai. Obviously, get the real stuff – the flavor is much more robust and full of spice.

And you know what’s the best thing about Punjabi Grocery & Deli? It’s open 24 hours. If your stomach can withstand Indian food at 2AM in the morning, there’s nothing better to soak up all that late night alcohol than a bowl of rice and curry.

Thanks cabbies! You introduced me to a real winner with this one.

Punjabi Grocery & Deli
114 E 1st St
New York, NY 10009
(212) 533-9048

The Arepa Lady (Queens, NY) – Arepa, Arepa! (Part II)

November 17, 2011

I get abnormally excited when I hear of a person defined by what they cook. If you’re know as “THE ______ man/lady”, I’d like to think you make a damn good ______ (whatever that may be).

The Arepa Lady was no exception. When I first heard of her, I immediately put her on my bookmarks list without doing any research whatsoever. (I mean, if you’re THE Arepa Lady, I’m going to assume your arepas taste like clouds stuffed with rainbows.) Only later, when I actually read more about her, did I realize that she’s:

Sort of a big deal on the internet (the foodies, they love her!)
Located on 79th and Roosevelt in Jackson Heights (a bit of a trek but okay)
Only out late on Friday and Saturday, usually around 10pm or later (…wait, what?)

So if I wanted to meet this Arepa Lady, I would have to schlep out to Queens (a good 45+ minute train ride) in the middle of the night on weekend? Just to eat street food? Oh, great. This isn’t ever going to happen.

…But wouldn’t you know it, because of coincidence and a little bit of luck, I recently found myself in Queens at 11pm on a Friday in time to visit her cart! It may have taken me a while but I finally tasted the arepas from The Arepa Lady.

———-

Before I get to The Arepa Lady’s arepas, a little background about arepas in general: My first arepa experience was at Caracas Arepa Bar, where the arepas were hard and crispy on the outside with very little doughiness in the middle. After Caracas, I began seeking out arepas in LA; all the ones I found were also crispy on the outside. Therefore, I (mistakenly) assumed that that was just the way all arepas were.

The Arepa Lady opened my eyes to a totally different variety of arepas. All those arepas I’ve had in the past? They were Venezuelan-style arepas. The Arepa Lady, she serves Colombian arepas.

Unlike Venezuelan arepas, which are first cooked and then stuffed with filling, Colombian arepas are usually eaten with the filling either mixed into the batter before cooking or piled on top afterwards. Filling on top vs. filling stuffed inside…doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? In actuality, it creates very noticeable differences in both flavor and texture.

For example, The Arepa Lady’s arepa de queso is made by mixing corn flour with mozzarella cheese and then topping it with butter and queso blanco once the patty has been cooked to a light brown. The resulting consistency is a soft and tender, almost doughy disc – a completely different texture than the crispy pockets you get at Caracas. (Btw, I’m using the word “doughy” loosely. The arepa is neither gummy nor mealy nor does it taste undercooked, it’s just very, very soft because of the mozzarella cheese which melts while cooking.)

Then there’s her arepa de choclo, which is essentially a large sweet corn pancake. Sweetened plain corn batter is poured onto the griddle, cooked on both sides, then sprinkled with queso and folded in half. I found that, while the arepa de choclo is described to be the sweet to the arepa de queso’s savory, both arepas have a slight sweetness from the corn flour. The arepa de queso does have more cheese though, which means more salt to offset the sweetness.

Now if you really want something salty to go with your arepas, order a skewer of meat. She has chorizo and chunks of pork, which can be topped with either lemon juice, bbq sauce or hot sauce with your choice of a potato, small arepa biscuit or bread on the side. I’d recommend the potato – there’s something so satisfying about chowing down on a hot potato when it’s cold outside.

Lastly, if you don’t live in New York or don’t feel like trekking to Queens for arepas, she did publish her arepa recipe for you to recreate yourself. However, I think I’ll still make the trip the next time I get a Colombian arepa craving – after all, she IS The Arepa Lady.

The Arepa Lady
Roosevelt Ave and 79th St
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Website: http://www.myspace.com/arepalady
Twitter: @arepalady

Caracas Arepa Bar (Manhattan, NY) – Arepa, Arepa!

November 7, 2011

In December 2009, Caracas introduced to me to the arepa.

…Wait, let me be perfectly accurate: In December 2009, Caracas introduced me to the Venezuelan arepa. (I just didn’t know that at the time.)

I make the distinction because…well, honestly because I have another post in the works I talk about different types of arepas. However, I’m also making the distinction because I know more than I did in 2009. Before Caracas, I had never heard the word “arepa”, let alone that there were different types of arepas. Now, I know better. That’s one of the reasons I love food – a single bite can open your eyes to something completely new.

…But I digress. This post is about arepas. Venezuelan arepas.

If you’ve never had a Venezuelan arepa, think of a corn flour disc that is grilled then baked until it’s relatively crispy the whole way through. This hard arepa shell is then cut in half and stuffed with fillings that range from meat and seafood to avocados and plantains. It reminds me a little of an authentic Mexican gordita, but baked and without the breadiness in the middle.

Caracas serves 12+ varieties of arepas at any given point in time, which can be a bit intimidating. (Even more so when you consider Caracas also serves appetizers, salads, empanadas, shakes and desserts…) If you’re not sure what to order, you can’t go wrong with a combination platter – I usually order “La Popular” because it contains two of my go-to’s: The “Reina Pepiada”, which has shredded chicken mixed with avocado, and the “De Pabellon”, which has beef, black beans, cheese and plantains. The weekend special arepas are also good; one of my all time favorite arepas was the seafood arepa special with grilled squid.

No matter what filling you choose, make sure you try a bite with the yellow house sauce. (There’s a bottle of it on every table.) I don’t know what’s in it – it’s “a secret” – but I do know it’s like crack. Tangy, slightly fruity with just a touch of spiciness, I douse everything I order in it.

Lastly, a word of guidance: Arepas may look small but they’re actually much more filling than you would think. Order 1 if you want a hearty snack, 2 if you’re really hungry and 3 if you want to feel like you’re giving birth to a food baby. Whenever I order 3, I always curse myself for ordering that last one. Seriously, 2 will fill you up just fine.

(Btw, I apologize for the quality of these photos. Caracas’ food is great but its lighting…not so much.)