Colombia Has Entered The Chat.
I used to live in a small enclave in Jackson Heights, Queens, unofficially known as Little Colombia. As the name suggests, the population is mostly Colombian, including the ownership of shops and some restaurants in the area. I used to live right next to Pollos Mario and could sometimes smell the smoky char of pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) come through my windows. Getting off the 7 train, I'd pass the lady selling homemade obleas (large round wafers with dulce leche smeared on top) from a shopping cart or the other ladies furiously cooking food on the street.
Our neighborhood even had an iconic local celebrity known as Ms. Colombia. She was a fabulous transgender performer who wore colorful dresses and walked around with her rainbow-colored dog and parrot on her head. I remember my time in that part of Jackson Heights always filled with memories of bustling streets, sidewalks filled with food vendors, and the Colombian flag proudly displayed anywhere I went.
I decided to showcase a couple of light bites. I could have gone the route of eating a massive plate of rice, beans, plantains, and meat (aka a bandeja paisa), but honestly, I didn't have the appetite. I was eating solo and my stomach had definitely shrunken in the last few months.
I decided to go to an old favorite of mine called the Arepa Lady restaurant. This place has quite a history. The matriarch of the family used to sell arepas on the street at midnight to feed the hungry masses after their night of drinking at the many bars that line the streets under the 7 train on Roosevelt Avenue. The line to get an arepa was infamously long, and her family would post on Twitter if she’d be outside with her cart for all her regulars who would start to make a line on her usual corner. Unfortunately, many New York street vendors don’t have licenses to sell food because of a very bureaucratic system, and are ticketed or arrested, so people move around to not get caught - they can’t afford to be on the same corner.
Back to the Arepa Lady...her homemade arepas became legendary. She was finally able to open up a small brick-and-mortar which her family ran while she was still cooking arepas at midnight. Unfortunately, their original outpost closed (I'm pretty sure due to the building being bought by a developer), so they opened up their new location a few blocks away and tripled the number of customers they could serve. They also opened a spot in Astoria and a stall at the Dekalb Market in Brooklyn. I mean, if this isn't a great American immigrant story then I don't know what to tell you 🤷🏾♀️.
I decided to order an arepa de tela con queso, a patacon sandwich and a Colombiana soda. The waiter asked if I wanted anything else and I assured him in my exhausted Spanish from speaking it 24/7 with my grandmother that I think I had ordered enough for now. He gave me a sly wink and proceeded to leave their three signature sauces on the table.
Arepa de tela con queso is a dough disc made of white corn that's cooked on a griddle with toppings. I got mine with fluffy grated white cheese on top. The arepa itself isn't chock-a-block of flavor, which is the case with most arepas. It's used more as a vehicle for the toppings you choose. Kind of like bread for a sandwich. It tastes of lightly charred corn and the cheese tastes like very mild queso fresco.
I then started to eat my patacon sandwich which I regrettably got with chicken breast. I tend to forget that I dislike chicken breast. Call me weird IDC 🙄! I'll eat it but it's not my favorite cut of meat. I wasn't in the mood for pork or beef so I quickly picked the chicken.
Patacon is a sandwich made with two unripened plantains that are fried, smashed flat then refried. They hold the insides of the sandwich together. My patacon had grilled chicken breast, lettuce, a little mayo dressing, and whole black beans. It was a behemoth of a sammie and I was only able to eat a third of it. The chicken was moist and tender. The beans could use a bit more of a flavor kick, but were still delicious.
I washed everything down with my ice cold Colombiana soda. It's a bit similar to Guarana soda from Brazil in sweetness, but had a vanilla cream soda flavor instead. The flavor is actually called kola champagne in South America. I'm not really sure why.
Before heading to the train station, I stopped at the local Colombian bakery called Miracali. The bakery is cash only and I only had a couple of bucks on me. So I bought two small round pandebono. Eating one isn't enough, so I bought two (gotta get that appetite going again 😉). This magical bread is baked with cheese inside and looks kind of like a biscuit. It’s similar to a Brazilian pao de queijo which is also made with cassava flour and cheese. It's super light and airy inside.
It was great to be back in my old hood visiting places I haven’t been to in quite some time. I’m happy that going for Colombian food helped me get back into the swing of Eating A-Z in NYC. Next country we visit is Comoros!
Cook. Eat. Repeat.
Natalie 💗✨
This neighborhood is truly a gem for the variety of food one gets access to.
Ooh! The Arepa Lady is practically around the corner from me. I should go way more often than I do.