Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.
Now that I’ve had my picture in Time Out and I’m somewhat of a celebrity (autographs are gonna cost you, people), I realize how important it is to be successful at this year’s list. Gotta give the public what they want.
So I’ve already begun strategizing. And seasonal dishes and limited menu items are a priority. That’s why I had to get to the Red Hook Ball Fields before they closed for the season on October 31. And although there’s now lots of snow on the ground and a new year is fast approaching, try to imagine it’s fall once again and summer has just come to an end. I doubt anybody will mind that too much.
I’ve been meaning to check out the Red Hook Ball Fields for the longest time. Every Saturday and Sunday between May and October, a horde of food trucks line up to deliver fresh and authentic Latin American food to the soccer players in the park and (thanks to bloggers and publications like TONY) hungry New Yorkers who come from miles away.
A big advocate for the Ball Fields has been my arch-nemesis from my ice cream video, the NYC Food Guy (sorry to spoil the illusion, but we’re actually friends in real life). And so, between his rave reviews and one of the vendors being featured on TONY’s list, I was more than happy to find my way out to Red Hook.
It wasn’t quite as overwhelming as I had expected. Maybe because we were close to the end of the season, but there were only about five or six trucks. It actually makes it easier for my decision making issues (and my waistline).
We started at El Olomega, which are the famous Salvadoran pupusa vendors that made the list this year for their Zucchini and Cheese pupusa. It was the longest line of all the trucks, but so worth the wait. In addition to the vegetable pupusa, we also got an order of chicarrón (pork) pupusas and a side of fried plantains with a sweet corn tamale.
So pupusas are corn tortillas that are mixed with cheese and any number of meat or vegetable additions. And then the whole patty is grilled so it becomes crispy, melty, and warm. Think a Salvadoran grilled cheese.
These were probably the best pupusas I’ve ever had. And the zucchini and cheese one was unexpectedly delicious. I’m not a huge squash fan (especially when I have options like beef and pork), but the zucchini here was so meaty and smoky that I’d never guess it was a vegetable. And the crisp, slightly sweet bread held the filling together with finesse.
On the side, we got some tomato salsa (which wasn’t too hot), some crema (sour cream), and a heaping of spicy, crunchy, pickled cole slaw. The flavors all worked together for an amazing snack. Fortunately, we saved room for a few of the other vendors (including the Vendy Award winning Country Boys), but El Olomega was by far the best.
The only surprise of the afternoon is that I wasn’t mobbed by a group of people who wanted to take a photograph with me. After all, I am a local celebrity. Aren’t I?
Would El Olomega’s Zucchini and Cheese Pupusas make my Top 100 of the year? Possibly. They get a 9 out of10 because these pupusas are a delicious cheesy treat regardless of the season. And they somehow make zucchini as delicious as pork.
| EL OLOMEGA |
| Red Hook Ball Fields Clinton Street and Bay Street Red Hook, Brooklyn |
| redhookfoodvendors.com |
