All Aboard the International Local: Experience 15 cultures and cuisines aboard the Q58
There's another lesser-known mass transit line that’s no less diverse than the 7 train: The Q58 bus begins its journey in downtown Flushing and ends some eight miles away in Ridgewood—where an Egyptian café sits across from a Polish law office/thrift store and a Nepalese café cozies up to a Dominican barbershop. In between, the Q58 traverses Indonesia, Argentina, Vietnam, Venezuela, Poland and even Montenegro. Herein: Experience 15 cultures and cuisines at 10 stops along the International Local’s route.
41st Rd. & Main St.—CHINA
The Q58 begins its journey steps away from Flushing’s oldest food court, Golden Shopping Mall (41-26 Main St.), a subterranean wonderland of regional Chinese food. At the base of the stairs, find Chengdu Tianfu, a specialist in the fiery fare of Sichuan, and a favorite of Danny Bowien, the man behind Mission Chinese. The liáng bàn sān sù (house special salad) is a tangle of seaweed, julienned carrots and noodles showered in cilantro and dressed with roasted chili oil, black vinegar and raw garlic. Fū qī fèi piàn (husband and wife offal slices)—are so named because the couple who created this classic had an especially harmonious union. The meaty marriage of beef tongue, chewy tripe and tendon is bathed in chili oil and shot through with peanuts, cilantro and just enough Sichuan peppercorn to set your mouth a-tingle. Creamy curds of má pó dòu fu (mapo tofu) awash in chili oil and strewn with Sichuan peppercorn are also excellent spooned over rice.
108th St. & Van Doren St.—COLOMBIA
From downtown Flushing, the Q58 makes its way to Colombia, as represented by Empanadas Café (56-27 Van Doren St.). En route, take in the view of the Unisphere, the glittering stainless steel globe erected for the 1964 World’s Fair. The empanada offerings go beyond the traditional shredded beef to include more than 20 types such as pesto with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce; the Hawaiiana with ham, cheese and pineapple; and the mañanera (a breakfast empanada) packed with egg, bacon, ham and cheese.
Corona Ave. & 52nd Ave.—MEXICO, ITALY
The Lemon Ice King still holds court on the corner of 52nd Avenue and 108th Street, selling refreshing Italian ices in more than two dozen flavors, including classic lemon and oddities like bubblegum and licorice. Not far from the King is Mexican culinary royalty at a spot I call El Rey de La Tlayuda (104-32 Corona Ave.), after the cracker-thin, gigantic Oaxacan tortilla. The real name is Cienega, after the town Ciénega de Zimatlán. It’s the only place in Queens to get this gigantic, crunchy disc smeared with refried black beans and topped with cabbage, tomato, avocado and quesillo cheese. With the addition of meat—I like the chivo (goat) or al pastor (pork gyro with pineapple)—it’s even better.
Corona Ave. & Junction Blvd.—ARGENTINA
Next stop: Argentina, where two steakhouses, El Gauchito (94-60 Corona Ave.) (translates to “the little cowboy”) and La Esquina Criolla (94-67 Corona Ave.) (“the creole corner”) face each other. Apart from El Gauchito’s cowboy theme and La Esquina’s blue-and-white decor, an homage to the Argentine flag, there’s little difference. Both offer steak, pasta and gargantuan mixed grills featuring short ribs, offal and morcilla. La Esquina differentiates itself with its sandwiches. My favorite is molleja, creamy sweetbreads licked by the flames of the grill that stands in the front window.
Corona Ave. & Broadway—VIETNAM
From Argentina, the Q58 winds its way down Corona Avenue, passing a Hindu temple and a pair of churches that look like they belong in New England, to arrive in Elmhurst, Queens’ second, smaller Chinatown, where you’ll find JoJu Modern Vietnamese Sandwiches (83-25 Broadway). The banh mi roster includes such classics as Vietnamese headcheese and ham with pâté, and the signature JoJu, which adds barbecued pork. There are also decidedly more modern sandwiches like the Hot Chick: lemongrass chicken with kimchi and spicy mayo.
Grand Ave. & Queens Blvd.—INDONESIA
Awang Kitchen (84-05 Queens Blvd.), one of New York City’s best Indonesian restaurants, is run by Jakartan chef-owner Siliwang “Awang” Nln. Recommendations include tempeh mendoan, which transforms funky fermented soybean blocks into delicious fritters. Ayam goreng kalasan, fried chicken marinated with coconut water, is served with a sidecar of sambal terasi, a fiery red pepper sauce made with fermented shrimp paste. The specials include elaborate creations like bakso beranak, or pregnant meatball. The softball-sized beef bakso—filled with smaller meatballs, quail eggs and other goodies—is joined by thin rice noodles and springy wheat noodles in a bowl of soup. Don’t be surprised if the waiter asks “How many children do you have?” after you crack open the beefy orb.
Grand Ave. & Haspel St.—VENEZUELA
The specialty of the house at Venezuelan eatery Patacon Pisao (85-22 Grand Ave.) is the namesake patacon, a sandwich whose bread is fried, flattened and mashed plantains. The paisa combines grilled steak, avocado, a fried egg and chorizo. There are also sweet corn cakes known as cachapa. Folded in half, the yellow semi-circles resemble their Colombian cousin, the arepa. The “Cachapa Zuliana”—packed with mozzarella and parmesan—is named for the most common way of filling the sweet cake in the country’s state of Zulia.
Fresh Pond Rd. & Palmetto Ave.—POLAND, EGYPT
A knight in full regalia stands sentinel outside Krolewskie Jadlo (66-21 Fresh Pond Rd.), a Polish restaurant whose name means royal feast. Portraits of stout, fearsome-looking kings line the walls of the dining room. The hearty fare includes golonka pieczona w piwie (ham hocks braised in beer) and zrazy z dzika (stuffed wild boar). Just down the street, King Tut presides over Little Egypt (66-28 Fresh Pond Rd.), a café/grocery store. The Alexandrian chef-owner, Nashaat Youssef, makes wonderful lamb kebabs and a branzino thats sports a crust of bulgur, scented with garlic and cumin. For dessert, there’s mint tea and basbosa, a sugar-drenched semolina confection that the kitchen thoughtfully warms up before serving.
Putnam Ave. & Woodward Ave.—MONTENEGRO, NEPAL, PERU
The next stop presents yet another only-in-Queens confluence of culinary culture: Montenegrin, Nepalese and Peruvian. At Burek’s Pizza (68-57 Forest Ave.), the specialty is not pizza, but Montenegrin bureks, savory phyllo dough pies filled with beef, spinach or cheese. The pizza in the name comes from the fact that they are normally served as wedges cut from large, circular pies. When the kitchen runs out of round bureks, they’ll prepare a special spiral burek for an individual serving.
Just down the street is Creme & Sugar (58-42 Catalpa Ave.), a Peruvian ice cream shop/café whose flavors include lucuma, a fruit that calls to mind butterscotch. The owner’s son, Jonathan, also serves a wonderful flounder ceviche that he learned to make in Barranca, his father’s hometown. Around the corner is While in Kathmandu (758 Seneca Ave.), where the dishes include Nepalese jhol momo (beef, pork or shrimp) dumplings served in a spicy tomato broth. One of the most interesting dishes is the bacon, egg and cheese. Get it with kodo ko roti, a slightly sweet millet pancake. Blanketed with cheese and served with a side of what I like to call Himalayan home fries, it’s a perfect way to start your day in Ridgewood.
Palmetto St. & Myrtle Ave.— BOSNIA, GERMANY
A short walk from the Q58’s last stop you’ll find two spots that are old-school Ridgewood. The house specialty at Bosna Express (791 Fairview Ave.) is the pljeskavica, or Bosnian burger, a blend of beef and lamb. What the the patty lacks in thickness it makes up for in circumference. It’s broad as a hubcap and served on pillowy bread with the traditional accompaniments of ajvar (red pepper relish), kaymac (clotted cream) and raw red onions.
Just down the street is Gottscheer Hall (657 Fairview Ave.), a classic German rathskeller founded in 1924. The hearty Teutonic fare includes potato pancakes with applesauce, goulash with spaetzle and a wurst platter featuring bratwurst, krainerwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad. There’s also a jumbo pretzel the size of your face...
Golden Shopping Mall
Chengdu Tianfu
Danny Bowien | @dannybowienchinesefood
Mission Chinese | @missionchinesefood
Empanadas Café
The Lemon Ice King | @lemonicekingofcorona
Cienega
El Gauchito | @elgauchitony
La Esquina Criolla
JoJu Modern Vietnamese Sandwiches | @jojubanhmi
Awang Kitchen | @awangkitchen8405
Patacon Pisao | @pataconpisaonyc
Krolewskie Jadlo | @krolewskijadlo
Little Egypt
Burek’s Pizza
Creme & Sugar | @creme_sugar
While in Kathmandu | @whileinkathmandu
Bosna Express | @bosna_express
Gottscheer Hall
