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Categories: Latin American, Food Stands [Edit]
Neighborhood: Red HookSmith-9th Sts (F, G)
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i thought i wrote one, but i guess i didn't.
I love the horchata at the drink stand. IT IS OFF THE HOOK! They also sell grilled corn w/chili, lime and mexican cheese. The pupusas truck is yum and i love it w/cheese only. The ceviche is marinated well and for that price it's a delight. All the food and one with nature. I welcome the walk back.
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Despite all their success (well-earned it must be said), the vendors lining the intersection of Clinton and Bay in Red Hook still remain affable and charming, humbly offering their foods each weekend during warm months, from about May to the end of September. It's a tradition that has lately caught in with the "in" crowd, but no matter, the food is still top notch. Get their by noon and one or two trucks might still be setting up, but you'll beat the crowds and maybe enjoy a word or two with the proprietors.
The corner is lined with trucks and still a few small carts, selling ceviches, pupusas, tacos, and all the rest. The Country Boys truck (above) is usually the most crowded, and for good reason, they know how to cook. I especially like their sopes ($6 for 2), which are molded into a small plate-like shape with edges to hold in the beans. The corn base is also crispy, something of a rarity in the sope world, but a very good change.
They also make a mega quesadilla ($6) that when picked up starts dripping and breaking apart immediately. Keep your wits about you though and munch fast, making sure to pick up all the juicy remains.
There are two competing (but I think they are all friends) Salvadorean pupusa trucks, both with similar offerings and pricing. I don't remember which, but one of them sets up camp over at Brooklyn Flea on Saturdays, one of two locations that the vendors have expanded to this year. You can also find some random offerings there too, but fighting the hipster mob is kind of defeating sometimes.
Back at the ball fields, I always like to grab my food and head for the opposite side of the soccer pitch, where families of the players gather with children and music to watch or not watch the games. It's more festive, and it's even fun to watch the players strut their stuff on the field. If you are lucky enuogh to see a score, a nice show usually follows.
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We went on Saturday and boy did I enjoy myself
Pork Huarreche with all the fixins first also enjoyed a corn with lime and chili while waiting on the line
pupusas with pork and cheese. I really enjoyed that with the tomato sauce and the red cabbage slaw type accompaniments. However the chicharones were a bit to much for me, the boyfriend ate all of those.
Lime-aid and fresh pineapple juice to wash it all down
my one disappointment was the mixed ceviche. i thought it was just OK, I added all the spicy side and then had to add more of the chili paste from the Huarreche place. It was the one thing we didn't finish. I should have known better, the only place with no line, but I had my heart set on great ceviche.
Savored the last bite of the season... muy delicioso... will be back next year! http://chubbychinesegi...
So much variety, so cheap! Great weekend trip
Like a kid in a candy store... was how I've felt all the times I've made the trip to the ball fields.
So delicious and soooo affordable (read cheap).
The grilled corn-on-the-cob is a must, as are the arepas.
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I came here for a snack before a dip in the fabulous Red Hook pool. I'd read and heard so much about the vendors and had high expectations.
I expected food carts as far as the eye could see and was shocked to find no more than a dozen.
I expected amazing prices and was shocked that an ear of corn cost $3.
I expected a superb culinary experience but thought my chicken taco was strictly okay.
If I just happened to be wandering around Red Hook and stumbled upon the food carts, I think I would have been much more excited. It's nice to see street food that breaks from the typical hot dog/pretzel/kabob mold. (And let's be honest, there really aren't any other food options around the neighborhood, so having something at all is nice.) It's kind of a campy atmosphere, too, with people sprawled about the grass. But I'd advise against making a special trip...
One artesional (the browned outside captured the tender, sculpting finger pats from the cart ladies) pupusa filled with bubbling queso and flower and another with pork with a side of rock hard, quadrupole-fried chicharrón. Purple lightly-marinated cabbage slaw also rested pleasingly on the side with additional saucey fixin's (pickled-pink onions and marinated jalapenos) ladled happily from the side of the food cart.
All this laid joyously in front of me and my very tired friend. He, as always, tried to use his fork. Epic fail. You can't control the crumbly wonder of a pupusa with your imperial utensils, conquistador! Just use your hands.
KEY: DO NOT FORGET NAPKINS.
We washed down all the unquestionably-unsanitary goodness with cashew drink and tamarind jarritos, ahhhh! Perfection.
We were freakin' stuffed. Still, we didn't come all the way from the fuqqin' upper west side to be bitch-slapped into satiety by one lousy cart.
Next we hit a random taco stall and had some strange meat goods on top of tortillas. They did not look like carne asada or al pastor as advertised and tasted rather... errr... cooked. It's no wonder my primal urges were set off a block away by the thick scent of crackling animal--- they make sure their meat has a shell of carbon around it.
The milky mango juice we got from a fresh fruit cart saved the meal though. It was just pure fruit liquefied, the type of drink Jamba would charge $8 for at about 2/8th the price.
Honestly, Manhattanites, I know you all get a half-boner when you read reviews or hear about the Red Hook Ball Fields. However, if you live above 14th street, just let the dream go.
The trip is not worth it. People do crazy things chasing pupusa, going all the way to this bumblestink part of Brooklyn is the looniest example. The food is good, but it's not worth the pilgrimage. You can find the same shiznit in the immigrant enclaves of your neighborhood or those heavenly, tastealicious oases known as taco trucks.
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My only complaint is that my stomach couldn't handle eating any more food. My mind was telling me yes, but my body, my body was telling me no (the reverse r kelly). For the past 24 hours I keep thinking and rethinking how I'm a fool for thinking I was too full to handle an ear of corn. Dammit, I'll have to be back next weekend to try the carts I didn't make it to.
The watermelon agua fresca changed my life. (If you don't like your beverages super sweet, avoid the hibiscus tea. I took one sip and tossed it. Le sigh).
GOOOOOO THEREEEEEEEE!
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The food is still good. Really good. But the Red Hook Ball Fields Vendors Experience (RHBFVE) is not the same, not even close. There used to be a real sense of community here, with the various stands set up close to each other and vendors happily and busily serving long, snaking lines of excited customers, who all ogled each other's food as they walked by and chattered in reverent tones about the pupusas at this stand or that stand, the huaraches at the other stand, and oh my God, where did you get that corn?
Now it's a bunch of sad little food trucks parked on the street in an L formation. You can still sit in the park but it's kind of halfhearted. No one really talks to anyone else. The vendors seem really stressed out. The RHBFVE is totally different, and not in a good way. I even heard some uptight, whiny woman loudly complaining that there was nowhere to wash her hands before eating. You jackass, you're eating street meat. Get over it and get ready to lick those manicured fingers!
It's totally not the vendors' fault, I get that. And again, the food is still really good. But the sense of camaraderie and community here is totally gone. People don't seem to mingle much anymore. The festive atmosphere has vanished. Now it's just another place to buy food from a cart on the streets of New York.
Maybe that was the City's intention.
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Finally, great Mexican food in NYC! I didn't know it existed here until we visited the Red Hook… Read more »
The star of the show at the Red Hook Ballfields seems to be the Salvadoran popusas served at a truck called El Olomega.
These popusas are handmade with love and care, and cost about $2 apiece. My popusa-loving friend had one with locoyo flower and queso, while mine was simply pork, or chicharron.
The popusas were mighty fine and the fried chicharron nuggets on the side were also tasty, even though they looked they'd been nuked. A cashew drink and tamarindo jarritos soda complemented this banner meal ($11 total....score!)
I was pretty full at this point -- and really fuckene tired -- but I didn't travel all the way from 110th Street to the ass end of Brooklyn for a popusa and few measly pieces of pork. I needed some more grub. Mas comida, amigos.
Surveying the options -- which were surprisingly less than expected -- we passed on Chilean ceviche, Guatemalan tamales and Colombian arepas and opted for the more familiar, comforting Mexican tacos.
Fail.
My friend's taco al pastor resembled grizzled sausage (but not the good kind) while my carne asada taco was like a steak-um sandwich inside an uninspired tortilla. This was one of the worst tacos I've had in awhile, actually.
Still those popusas were better than I'd had during a layover at the airport in El Salvador, so that's saying something. And I'm glad I finally checked this place out. Red Hook has been on my to-do list for a long ass time.
But spare me the yadda yadda yadda about how this is the best Latin food ever or in NYC. Cause I don't think it is. I don't think it's even close.
Like I said, the popusas (love saying that word!) are good stuff, there is a cool sense of community surrounding the soccer, and if you live in BK or downtown NYC, I can see this being an option.
But if you live uptown like me, just head for La Taqueria or something similar. You'll save yourself a lot of time and energy and you'll eat better, too.
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$6 quesadillas from the stand right on the corner (which may be somehow related to the stand that goes to Brooklyn Flea? the quesadillas are pretty identical), plus fresh tamarind drink. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
So fun to sit and eat ridiculously messy food, watch some soccer, and then take the Ikea shuttle boat home.
I don't understand how anyone could give these guys less than five stars. It's an all-around great way to spend an afternoon.
All of you knit-caps giving a Ball-Field the same rating as restaurants who serve $100 plate dishes are dolts. Thank you for gentrifying the area so that my missus and I can stroll through, just like the rest of you, adorned in our finest new threads from near-by boutiques, but, dear knit-caps, this is not a restaurant.
I am sure some of you who are overwhelmed by the experience to finally be out of Manhattan for a change and to also see a real-to-life Mexican native are overjoyed in the experience but I implore you to write a review based on food and not upon broadening your horizons.
Any-one who says otherwise shall receive a bonk from my umbrella square on the head.
(Watermelon juice was good though.)
People thought this was:
Good cheap street food, but not exactly the home run I was expecting after hearing all the hype. There were about ten trucks and they all seemed to be serving the same stuff. I didn't wait in one of the longer lines for the papusas, and went for a shorter line, with a truck w/ a smaller menu. The food was good, two papusas with some slaw for $5, hard to beat that. Got a lime drink at a truck nearby and had a quick snack.
Do more trucks open up in the summer? As constructed, not sure its worth a return visit but fun checking out at least once.
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I've heard about this place and even saw it on Anthony Bourdain's show. One of the reasons I actually moved to Red Hook. I checked it out the first day they opened this year. I pretty much tried almost everything, huarache, pupusa, arepa, and flautas. They were all very good and very authentic.
I saw Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern having ceviche on that show so I told myself that I would try it out the next time I was there. Well I did a couple weeks later. Now it was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done especially with the whole Swine Flu thing going on. I got sick but not fluish type of sick. Just stomach sick. I've always been proud of myself cause I never get sick from food. However, ever since I moved to NY, it's happened twice now. I guess I don't have quite the iron stomach I thought I had.
My good friend told me that the only thing he never gets from street food is raw fish. Wish he had told me that before the ceviche. But hey, guess where I'm going to have lunch today? It's just way too convenient for me.
Grass, open space, cheap mexican cuisine and local character. What more do you want?
Apparently it used to be more authentic and more like a street market (which I am sad I missed) but nonetheless it is still a great place to come and visit and I will be spending my next sunny afternoon in NY rolling around here.
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This place seems to disturb all the established restaurateurs' and the pretentious crowd who can't handle street food - OMG it may have germs! I've fallen sick with restaurant food, but never here. Well, it's awesome, I don't visit NYC without stopping here.
The Huarache makes a just right meal, followed by roasted corn, cut fruit and a lemonade. I don't care much for the soccer matches, but it's a festive atmosphere. It was better before all the control, but is still very good and a little culture never hurt anyone.
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i wish i knew the lyrics to some epic Mexican folk song that i could cleverly replace with details of my experience for this review. but i don't.
what i do know is how to stuff my face with delicious food. and the red hook ball field vendors know how to help me with that .
the first truck on bay st at the intersection is the shizzle.
get you some:
tacos
huaraches
taquitos
then pop over to the first truck on clinton and get you some
elote (grilled corn on the cob with butter, anejo, chili powder and mayo)
hibiscus tea.
sit down at one of the picnic tables
and get fat.
we went around 2pm on a saturday and the lines were minimal and there was ample seating.
i wanna steal one of these trucks and go on a fatass road trip.
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After spending the afternoon at the FREE :) Redhook pool...we were hungry! So we waddled over to the the Red Hook Ball Fields and wow there were so many food carts lined up, about 10. Some were selling pupusas, other selling tacos, flautas, tostadas, ceviches, huaraches, shakes, smoothies...all things Latin American. We finally decided on trying the pupusas and the huaraches. The pupusas were great from the Olomega tuck, which btw, also had the longest line. The loroco pupusa was tasty, as we love veggies! The horchata and maranon drinks were excelent, but a bit sweet! The huarache was just OK, very heavy, and really nothing special...it was great to check out the carts and to see so many diverse people patronizing the many different types of Latin American cuisine!
Latin American Fare at its best. I was in every South American country within an hour.. I went with Latin American friends several times who guided me around. I loved the atmosphere, the friendliness, the food and the prices. I can't wait to go back this season. I was involved in keeping the place open, signing petitions. This is an institution that should be kept.
I was there when the Dept of Health were inspecting the vendors. Dept of Health should leave these people alone and inspect enclosed restaurants. I know a few they should inspect. Leave this cultural colorful area alone.
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i came to the ball fields with great expectations. 'it was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade....'
i could sit here all day and try to conjure up the eloquence of charles dickens with this review, but we all know that's not going to happen.
basically what it comes down to is this: i *like* the ball fields. the concept is fun, carefree, special. it's cool that a place like this exists for spring, summer, and early fall.
and while i was not blown away by the food, i still have come here three weekends in a row for lunch.
on my first visit i got tacos and tamales.
big mistake.
HUGE.
i have been eating tacos for months in sunset park, and they're pretty decent, but the tacos here pretty much suck.
i was so excited to see tamales here, and they too, are terrible.
so i skedaddled home and rubbed it in every ball fields lovers face that the ball fields are not all that. and they all retorted: " you didn't get a pupusa???"
so i had to go back, because i love pupusas. the pupusas here are really fucking good. as are the chicken huaraches, and the tamarind and watermelon aqua fresca.
the lines are slightly irritating but they move quickly. and despite my ambivalence about the glory of the red hook ball fields, i find myself thinking about it friday night before bed, and first thing when i wake up saturday morning. the trek in to red hook is met with a growl in my stomach for this food.
i see this as becoming a weekly summer thing.
3.5 stars.
***
ps:
the ceviche is off the chain.
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Average Latin Food.
NOT WORTH IT IF YOU HAVE TO COMMUTE MORE THAN 30 MINS TO GET THERE!!!!!! FOOD IS NOT THAT GOOD.
Full disclosure, I don't eat meat, so my ability to fully elaborate on the culinary delights is limited, that said the limeaide and corn with butter an cheese were far out. We'll keep trolling this place for other non-meaty delights.
P.P.S. ok so dumpling house raised their prices too. dammit.
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I came. I saw. I salivated. and then I proceeded to stuff my face for the next 2 hours. I have… Read more »
This place serves some amazing Latin fare. We were here in 2007, during the last week before the closed for the year... came all the way from Manhattan, met some friends in the vicinity of Carroll Gardens who then walked us here. Let's just say we wouldn't have been able to find this place on our own.
We tried a lot of stuff (I can't name them all as I'm not familiar with the names)... In fact, this was probably the first time I was introduced to some of the items offered here. Let's just say I'm one who's able to tell good food from the look of it so we had a lot of hits. When in doubt, go with the queues... the locals are usually right on as well.
We sat on the ground and did our lunch picnic style. Afterwhich, we took a walk around the baseball field, peered at the "then moving in" Ikea and chatted about it. Afterwhich, we walked to the subway stop and headed home.
PS: We passed by the projects close to the fields. Hopefully the buildings were vacated as they lacked maintenance and had tons of broken glasses, glass bottles, filth etc. Pretty scary actually.
It was closed.
I was pissed.
See this pic: http://static.px.yelp....
~*~
Edit: In case you didn't notice the first time, it's "comming soon." Teehee.
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"Rain, Rain, Go Away" waiting at the Martinez Hurache Truck
Yesterday, I was caught in the rainstorm at the Red Hook Ball Field waiting for Huaraches*.
So went to Ikea, borrowed their neon-yellow tarp bag and wore it like a hoodie raincoat.
Yes, it was a genius idea but I looked ridiculous!!
Even worst to shield me from the wind:
I fed my arms though the handle straps so, in bold lettering IKEA IKEA IKEA read down my body as I stood underneath this tree while my BFF waited in the 45 min line.
Yes, it was a perfect opportunity for a "Food Blogger" to come up to me and asked to take my photo. NO WAY JOSE -I had to decline.
I don't want to be in cyberspace with the caption underneath my photo reading:
"They look stupid just like us -celebrities "!!
Martinez Huaraches Truck $6:
A major disappointment. Tortilla wrap under cooked, soggy-yeasty, sour taste, flavorless carne dumped on the grill for a nanosecond, a thimble spoon of guacamole, a fairy dust of cheese, empty plastic jars that once housed the homemade salsa (?).
What I ate was a miserable mess. What happened? Clearly NO LOVE!
"I'm not a newbie here" Gone are all those mixed matched tents, grilling alfresco, Mexican print plastic tablecloths and the sea of tasty food vendors...
Read this blog compare '06 to now:
http://porkchop-expres...
Ms Hernandez of The Porkchop Express -We Miss YOU!
Inflation:
For a $1 more from last year prices, The Martinez should give a great product or why else would "Foodies" wait 45 minutes for this stuff -Rain or Shine??
Good Note: 4 Stars
Ceviche Truck, I really enjoyed the mélange of seafood offered.
Grilled Corn people still worth the wait. Bring your dental floss!
Next visit:
Will allot time for the Salvadorian Pupas Truck
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I will start by saying that I've never encountered such a disorganized and nasty bunch of ladies in my life.
When trying to get the vendors' attention, I was met with either nothing or "what do you want??", annoyance prevailing in their voices.
Now, I understand that for many people this is all part of the charm of the Red Hook Ball Field Food Court, but I for one am not impressed.
My friend and I began with huaraches, vegetable and pork-filled, and though mine was delicious it completely fell apart as I ate it at one of the park benches.
Moving on, tamarind juice was pleasantly sweet and sour, but mango with "everything" (chile, salt, and lime juice), had very little kick to it.
It was at this vendor that it seemed the woman working did everything in her power to ignore me as I stood before her.
In trying to get food from the ceviche and tamale stalls, we were again met with bored attitudes; the fact that the vendors are said to open at 10AM, and most weren't opened until noon, also annoyed me greatly.
However, the papusa cart had me clenching my teeth the most. For the first hour of opening, the main woman running the cart had nothing but nastiness for her customers, saying that nothing was ready. In trying to pleasantly ask a question of her fellow workers, one of the male workers stopped me before I could get a word in, asking what I wanted in nasty tone. "Nothing at all, good sir."
When the pupusa cart finally opened, a crowd rather than a line formed, and no matter how many times I mentioned my loroco flower with cheese order, I was asked an equal amount of times, "You have meat and cheese, right?" Lack of forks or other utensils only made the disorganization more infuriating until, half an hour later, I had my damn papusa.
Though full by the end of the experience, I found it all to be completely not worth it. Not dealing well with the crowds has something else to do with it, yes, but I will not return.
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Nothing beats the plethora of great food options, eating outdoors, and quality food at a great price.
Big pieces of meat are used for each dish (not that minced stuff to short change the customer). Tacos are overfilled with meat and fillings at only $3 a taco. Everything is made to order. The Huarache (i got chorizo) is fantastic! This dish is huge! Definitely a must get, if not, you'll regret it like i did my first time as i watched the line grow longer and longer and everyone leaving the truck with it.
The Colombian platter came with chorizo sausage, carne meat, chicharon, rice, beans, AND a fried egg. All the greatest things put into one plate. i would have ordered two more of these if i could have fit it in my tummy. Everything was well seasoned, chicharon was fried to perfection, and i could barely contain myself as i watched everything being made and plated. i nearly jumped onto the truck and dove in.
Everyone was very friendly and there was a mix of people. Perfect in warm/cool weather. It was a bit more challenging when the weather was colder and i wasn't dressed for it....but i was still able to enjoy the food through my chattering teeth.
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Remember when you were a little kid and one day your dog Rambo left for a few nights your family started to get worried? Phone calls were made, search parties were released into parks and sewer drains. Days later, Rambo came back scruffy and limping, with a gunshot in his leg?
Well, after he lost that particular leg, got patched up and returned to your loving kid-arms, he just WASN'T QUITE THE SAME.*
*(Story can also substitute dog for "meth-addicted brother / cousin / uncle.")
Thats how it feels like at Red Hook Ball Fields 2008.
Still great: elotes, watermelon juice and the Original Pupusa stand.
Not as good: the huarache truck that serves taco combos.
Missing: the special certain spark that made the park feel relaxed and festive.
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So here's the latest info on Opening Day for Red Hook Ball Fields 2008. Still haven't found a solid… Read more »
Oh God oh God oh God, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!!!
I would direct Hieronymus Bosch to Red Hook Ballfields.
This is where the seven deadly sins live in my book. Luxuria (extravagance, later lust), Gula (gluttony), Avaritia (greed), Acedia (sloth), Ira (wrath, later anger), Invidia (envy), and Superbia (pride).
I could LIVE here. I could eat at every single stand, have a vomitorium built, and come back for more. The food is fried, red meat, not organic, there are a million reasons why I should not be here, I should not be eating this, I should go home NOW and have a salad.
But that's not going to happen.
Me and my friends would sneak away and drink ginger infused vodka under a tree, and be sluggish...smug that we were getting away with alcohol in a water bottle.
We watch a couple of soccer players get into a fistfight.
One of the soccer players, Dante and I sneak away and makeout behind a tree.
I drive off with my friend in his car, and I see people who wish they had wheels to get back to Manhattan as it's a far trip via subway.
I will do it again next year, and bring more people. bwahahahhahahaha!!!!!!!
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IT'S BACK ON!!! My first time there was today. The food was awesome! I understand the disappointment everyone had about it being shut down for so long.
There weren't that many stands though, maybe 6 only but each had something different. Had the huarache and quesadilla's ($6 each) which were amazing. Carne Asada seasoned well, so frickin tasty. Spicy pork delicious.
Really authentic, inexpensive, huge portions, nostalgic from my trip to Oaxaca. I love street food and here they have food from all over Latin America. Well worth the trip. Check em out here: http://www.myspace.com.... There was even a guy sleeping on a box next to the quesadilla stand...next time that guy will be me.
A counter pic to Lynn F's review
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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Well, my wife and I made it out to RHBF after some friends seriously recommended it to us and we weren't disappointed. The corn which we've been a fan of for years since first trying it at Cafe Habana was spectacular, the Papusa was very tasty and filling, empanadas on the money and fresh juice perfect to wash everything down.
There have been some up and down ratings of the Ball Fields but that depends upon when you get there in the day and what your expectations are... if you're there before the mobs arrive and you want to have some tasty and authentic South American food then you'll be fine. If you're into a food experience or want to participate in the phenomenon then you might be disappointed.
Some regulars there said it was the bomb before it get so big which I'm sure it was but it's still worth checking out.
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In a word, overrated.
Look, I'm all for supporting local businesses. I hate the fact that the man is making the vendors pay through the nose to set up shop. I love the fact that it's a very "Brooklyn" experience and what not.
However, the tacos just aren't that great.
I know I'm new here, and I haven't posted a ton (yet) but I was just disappointed with the quality of the tacos. The meat tasted pre-cooked. The tortillas too. I had a hurrache, and I know that its shell was pre-cooked, as well as the chorizo. The tortilla tasted especially dry, and half disintigrated when I tried to pick it up.
Some of the other vendors were alright. The ceviche was decent. I didn't have a chance to stand in the line for an elote, but it looked good as well.
I'm happy I went out to support the cause. I hope that they stay in business for a long time. However, if I want a good taco, I'll go elsewhere.
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Since someone flagged my review of Red Hook, despite it being only a park, and also despite the fact that I worked for Yelp at the time - I will post it again.
I WENT TO THIS PLACE IN MAY. It was raining, and the food stands (the only reason why I trekked all the way out there during my 24 hour stay in the Big Apple) were closed. Thus, 1 star.
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Sometimes, you forget about the bigger picture in life. After all, we have billionaires that we are trying to compete with for dinner reservations (okay, who am I kidding? They don't need reservations). We have models serving us food/drinks at the in-spots reminding us that we just don't genetically have that kind of cheekbone structure. We gaze in envy at people wearing the newest Marc Jacobs coat or wide leg pants. And it just makes you forget what's really important in life (dinner reservations of course).
The ball fields bring everything back in perspective. This is a little park in the middle of Red Hook where South American families (and all of us who have found out about this place) come on the weekends when it's warm enough for them to spend the day outside. These are families who enjoy their lives and their weekends. They pack up their families into big vans, drive to Red Hook and the moms spend their days selling food while the dads play football. Kids are allowed to run around and get dirty and at the end of the day, everyone's enjoyed themselves. Including yours truly.
Music is blasting onto the football field. The food smell is intoxicating. There are fruits that perplex the mind. The variety of foods available is dizzying in its arrays and flavors. Even the most disciplined person will end up overeating. And happiness is in the air..
I can't even begin to comment on the food b/c there is just so much that I haven't been exposed to. After all, what makes a pupusa made from the peruvian stand different from the one from the columbian one? What makes it better or less so? The names of the dishes themselves were something I'd never seen in any of the restaurants I'd been to. How was I to prepare for something like this??? The smells, the noise, the lines all assault you and leave you feeling completely unable to decide what you should have.
And then you take your plates of food and sit on the grass (don't wear your Marc Jacob look-alike pants), listening to the music, watching the football match and smiling as though you'd just scored reservations at that restaurant you've been dying to try. And in that minute, you forget everything else..
Oh, except the fact that there's still the sweet corn and the strawberries with fresh yogurt (best yogurt in the NYC area) to try. You've also spied someone's else plate and that just looks so good. And before you know it, you find yourself right back in line trying to figure out what to order next..
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Worth the trip.
Pupusas, tacos, horchatas, elotes, quesadillas, and eleventy million other things I can't even pronounce. This place has everything I want: lots of cornmeal-based snacks, lots of cheese, lots of jalapenos, lots of salsa, fresh fruit for dessert (mmm, mangoes with hot chili sauce), not to mention the friendly service and great prices.
My only regret was that I didn't bring a second stomach, because there was so much more that I wanted to try, but I was too full for a third plate. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to come back.
I am so full. I just got home from the Red Hook Ball Fields. I knew there was a Yelp thing there today, but I heard from Ro Ro that it was better to get there before 1 pm.
I arrived there with my friends Rob, Amanda and baby Mina around 1:15 and it wasn't too crowded. The weather was unusually good as we lurked around the dozen or so food booths from Central and South America.
There was a much longer line in front of one of the Pupusa stands than the rest. I took this as a good sign and queued up while Rob went to scope out some shade for Mina and Amanda went to seek out other food.
Amanda brought me a Pork Taco while I waited in line. The taco was the best I ever had on the east coast and rivaled those of Mexico, LA and San Francisco. While in line I saw and called out to Yelpers Ro Ro and Theresa X. They got in line for pupusas as well.
After being on the Pupusa line for 25 minutes I finally made it to the front. I had ordered 3 Meat and Cheese, 3 Jalapeno and cheese and 1 Loroco Flower and Cheese Pupusas. The nice lady at the grills helm kept asking me what I ordered, but never seemed to quite remember. Finally I got our Pupusas and went to sit down with my friends and eat.
The pupusas where wonderful. I never had them before, but I assume that they couldn't get much better than these. They are like a corn pancake stuffed with cheese and meat, or other ingredients. I tried the Plantainos with sour cream. They too were delectable, but I think I felt an artery clog as I chewed.
Then there was corn. Ro Ro and I went back and waited together in line for 15 minutes and we got corn with lime, paprika and cheese for everyone. This crazy concoction was also delicious.
One more walk around the stands bore three Chicken Tacitos. These are chicken rolled in corn tortillas and deep fried, then smothered in hot sauce and raw onions. My least favorite of the day, but still amazing. Ro Ro and Theresa left and I went back over to Rob and Amanda and we watched what seemed to be a semi-pro soccer match.
Though little Mina couldn't try the pupusas, she laid on the grass smiling up. It was a good day.
UPDATE: I brought home two pupusas, a corn and a tacito and heated them up in my convection oven (yeah, I got a convection oven, bitch). They were still absolutely delicious. Now, very sleepy.
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I am not sure how new you all are to Red Hook, but this was an every Saturday tradition before the restaurants were forced into the park.
Since before I was born, my parents their friends practically lived here and often played soccer for teams here. Here I learned to hone my skills, eat street meat, play in dirt, piss on trees, and maybe other proficiences that lasted with me 'til this day (I've since given up on the pissing on trees thing).
As for the food, there were really only one or two trucks back then (currently, the Colombian table is run by the owners of said truck). Here is where my cheap dad would load us up on food, then buy us one soda to share for all our hard work (we didn't know the difference back then and he now says we should have thanked him because none of us are fat LOL).
About two months ago, I came by Red Hook to see what all the new buzz was about. I was totally impressed. Sure, it looks like shit (as usual), sure it's probably not the cleanest place on Earth, sure they allowed you other mongrels from other countries to represent the rest of South America, but for sure the food is still as good as it ever was.
I was also surprised to find out that the city spent some money making the parks there look a little better. The city pool is no longer a good place to get stabbed either (I've gotten close to getting my ass kicked in there many times by project kids).
So, I'll leave you guys with this:
1 - Us colombians really do make better food;
2 - Using a dirty paper plate to write signs on tables really works;
3 - Soccer needs to be bigger in the United States;
4 - Peeing on trees sucks for all parties concerned;
5 - The grey factory that is viewable from the BQE is not haunted, though we all believed that it was when we grew up;
and finally, to those residents and corporations who wish to take away my old memories and the new memories of those fresh to Red Hook... they will surely find my size 12 shoe (along with the shoes of those in my network) up their fucking hating, greedy asses.
If anyone knows where we can petition against this (provided that the rumours are true), then please let me know.
Now serving: Corporate shit stains on the tip of my feet. Enjoy!
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Mami, yours is better. Te lo juro. I swear it!
Caray, que montonazo de comida!!!! I think I ate myself silly today. I went straight for the Guatemalan and Salvadoran stands. I guess I lucked out, because the lines were not too long, even though this was the "city is not closing us down yet" celebration. I had quite possibly the best tamal I've ever had in my life, an excellent pupusa, chorizo, yuca and platano with cream. Delectable! And special thanks to Jessica for the water.....
It also did my heart good to see that there is a bigger Guatemalan community in NYC than I thought, and a surprising amount of Garifuna (descendants of black slaves who live mostly on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala). Guatemalan flags all over the place. Great to see. September 15th is Guatemalan independence day and is for most of Central America. Yup, I had forgotten. Shame on me.
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