NYC Subway Restaurant Tour, Part VI: A-Pou’s Taste (East Williamsburg)
I n the first two Williamsburg episodes of the NYC Ferry Restaurant Tour, I explored the cultural gulf between the hipster haven in North Williamsburg and the Hasidic enclave in South Williamsburg. That left one more Williamsburg to be explored, farther inland, for the NYC Subway Restaurant Tour: East Williamsburg. Inhaling its diesel-scented industrial vibe, I communed with tractor-trailers and found more massive versions of the neighborhood’s legendary street art. Finally reaching A-Pou’s Taste, I learned the difference between fresh and pickled mustard greens at the knee of a kindly Taiwanese auntie. In later visits, I explored the area’s Latino and Italian offerings: pupusa, thin-crust pizza, and ravioli pomodoro.
The restaurant was located in a small triangle bordered by Grand Street to the south, Metropolitan Avenue to the north, and Bushwick Avenue to the west. According to Google Maps, East Williamsburg does not extend any farther west, though there is an active dining strip on Graham Avenue, just a couple blocks off the left side of the map. I would return to stroll some more and have another memorable meal: my first pupusa.
You’ll have noticed the large body of water in the map above. Newtown Creek is a toxic waste site left over from Williamsburg’s industrial past, which continues more benignly in the present with automotive and other businesses, though the East River tributary is still loaded with millions of gallons of spilled oil, discarded toxins, and raw sewage. I confronted the murky waters from the bridge crossing at Grand Street.
On the way to the restaurant, I found more of Williamsburg’s stunning street art, though the busy truck routes made it hard to capture the largest works in their entirety.
Film is the chosen medium of some area artists. They can get their gear, film, and instruction at Brooklyn Film Camera. For my own part, I didn’t get into photography until digital pocket-size point-and-shoots made it easy, and nowadays I use my mid-line Samsung phone.
The sidewalk offered some good advice.
The area’s industrial and artistic pursuits intersected on some exuberantly painted shops. As I was walking by the Preuss Inc. truck repair shop, which displayed a large presidential-candidate sign inside, a guy who saw me taking pictures called out: “I hope you’re not planning to blow anything up!” “Only myself,” I replied, waving the phone. It was the best I could come up with at short notice but it earned me a friendly grin.
I also wasn’t planning to blow up KM Driveline Inc. The only bombs I toss are verbal ones. And only when I’m grumpy, like a truck that needs a tuneup.
The Asian Bok Choy food distributor was one of several epic murals of which I could capture only a bit.
GT Good Distribution, another wholesale grocer, simply superimposed its signs over the tags, a pragmatic cost-conscious approach, and no loss in any artistic sense.
Colossal Media, with two locations in Brooklyn and one in LA, does hand-painted advertising, public art, and artist sourcing. Prominent at the intersection of Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue, just as I was about to cross over the creek, its flamboyantly striped exterior was the star of the neighborhood.
Just a taste of a long and elaborate mural with a misty lavender metropolis overshadowing serpentine shaded lettering. Just, wow.
Parked cars didn’t entirely obscure the restless motion of this long mural.
An intriguing juxtaposition of industrial grunge & color. In spades!
A word to live by.
This was an especially long one, possibly a series of separate compositions, possibly by different artists.
Here’s more, and even that’s not all of it! I didn’t get the rest, but this gives an indication of the sheer sweep and expansive width of these creations.
Managed to get most of this long series of panels. Despite the shadow washing out the color, it’s striking in its mostly unobstructed length, if not as artistically brilliant as some.
There was even art of a sort, a jolly tumble of rounded shapes, enlivening the rectangular solids of local trucks.
Crossing back over Newtown Creek, I realized there were Manhattan skyline views to be had from the other side of the street.
While not as grand as the views available from closer up in North Williamsburg, the big city still made its presence felt.
Far left, the magnificent Chrysler Building. Far right, the Citigroup Tower.
Art or vandalism? The mock-blood dripping down a drinking water sampling station reminded me of the deadly hazards the Newtown Creek may pose to the local water supply.
Williamsburg Eats is a big takeout operation within the triangle of Grand, Metropolitan, and Bushwick. You order at a window; there’s virtually no seating except for a picnic table outside. Options include Cocina del Sur (Colombian), the Jamaican Paradise Restaurant, Best Caribbean Cuisine (also Jamaican), Happy Tuna Sushi & Crispy Rice, and two vegan alternatives, What the Falafel (Mediterranean and vegan), and Plantega Kitchen & Catering (vegan including sandwiches).
The last few steps to A-Pou’s included a little more art. The panorama mode managed to squeeze this one in.
Much of this was fairly abstract and elusive.
This appeared to be a memorial portrait. The rest fell into discrete pieces, perhaps the word of multiple artists.
I liked the macabre sense of humor. One of the few identifiable pieces, this is from Ron English, who likes mixing and matching. The work is called Sign of the Crimes.
Speaking of toothy communication, watch out for the pit bull in the cab of Brooklyns Best in Repairs.
I had circled back to A-Pou’s Taste, admiring the probably soon to be gone outdoor dining shed on the way in. The restaurant start life as a food cart in Manhattan’s East Village.
View from my middle table, looking to the front. Some diners weren’t thrilled to see me taking pictures, a constant concern on these outings. I usually play it by ear. But these folks didn’t mind.
Looking to the back, where a server was busy at the counter. The window into the kitchen was barely visible beneath the wall clock.
What drew me to the restaurant was the trio of dishes with mustard: mustard soup, mustard noodle soup, and mustard pork over rice. I picked the latter, with pork fried rice — doubling down on the pork, a rare treat for the health-conscious senior. A filling lunch at an awesome price. Auntie didn’t pay me to say that.
I figured the mustard would the kind from a bottle with some interesting added seasonings. Indeed, several flavor enhancers were on the table, including soy, the ever-present (because Americans demand it) sriracha sauce, white vinegar, salt, and something in a mystery container.
Ah, that was the chili oil, with what appeared to cinnamon sticks as well as chilis infusing it with complex heat. I helped myself again and again!
My next question was, where’s the mustard? Nothing here was yellow or tasted like mustard. The leading taste sensations were those squiggly things on the righthand compartment, which I transferred onto the rice & pork, dividing my attention among them. The mystery veg was crunchy and had a tang.
I had to know what it was, and flagged down a server, who explained: the tangy squiggles were the mustard. Mustard greens, I asked? No, just mustard, presumably the plant, but not the greens. Auntie, taking an interest in my interest, kindly brought some mustard greens to the table.
In Asian culture, an auntie is an older female figure loaded with wisdom and goodness. She was a beaming, comforting, eightysomething presence (like my maternal grandmother). The mustard greens were definitely green.
Now I had the best of both worlds. Thank you, Auntie A-Pou.
Ready to leave full and happy, and for just $7.99 plus tax and tip (prices always subject to change), I hit the restroom. It was spotless and probably stays that way due to Auntie’s shrewd understanding of human nature. Check the notice at upper left.
The gist of it, gentlemen, is that if you would just get close enough and let gravity do the work, the world would be a cleaner place. Lift the seat and shoot directly into the toilet bowl — unless your “thing” is “too SHORT.” What man will admit to that? I must add, the floor was spotless.
I continued exploring what I’m going to call East Williamsburg, Google Maps notwithstanding, starting at the Graham Avenue station on the L train. I passed by La Locanda, one of my all-time favorite Italian restaurants, and wondered if I should have the cheese ravioli pomodoro again. Would it be as good as I remembered it?
Yes, it would! As always, I used the warm lightly toasted Italian bread to soak up the sweet red pomodoro.
Graham Avenue has two alternate names. Above Grand Street it’s Via Vespucci, name for the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci, after which the Americas are named. Below Grand Street it’s the Avenue of Puerto Rico (or maybe Avenida de Puerto Rico). So what’s your pleasure — Italian or Latin food? I decided to go for both in multiple return visits.
The following is just a smattering. The Neapolitan restaurant Da Francesco used to be La Piazzetta. A former business partner was quite fond of that version and I recall, dimly, through the mists of time, that the food was pretty good. I’ll have to check it out again someday.
Anthony & Son offered fresh mozzarella and catering. Note cool hero-on-wheels in gold leaf and the Via Vespucci street sign…
…and the cool side mural. This was at the corner of Frost Street, where there used to be a Frost Restaurant as far back as (maybe) the 1950s or ’60s. It vanished sometime after I tried it in the ’90s. I’m sure the number of Italian-restaurant ghosts in this area would fill a book, though I’m more interested in the present day.
In the center of this classic row of shingled Brooklyn row houses was Model T Meats, an old-school meat market.
Across the street, The Meat Hook: sleek, retro yet modern, the new wave in meat retailing.
Next to Chip’s Snacks was ChinGoo, offering Korean comfort food.
What would an old-school Brooklyn Italian neighborhood be without its pizzerias? Here’s Carmine’s, a thin-crust specialist.
One of my return trips featured a regular slice, left, and a thin-crust Sicilian, right. How regrettable that I didn’t think to snap the pic until they were more than half gone.
Across the street was Tony’s Pizza, established 1950. Call 718–384-TONY!
Mother’s was a bar & grill serving burgers and craft beer, the sign on the door informed me. I don’t remember my mother serving craft beer, but I like craft beer, so OK.
Brujos Brooklyn Taco Company, with its sexy skull, sat side by side with Mr. Sushi.
As I neared the corner of Graham and Grand, SAGE presented an attractive storefront plus a large and interesting Thai menu. I must return for the SAGE Noodles. I love egg-noodle dishes.
The Familia/Famiglia Mural on a local T-Mobile store celebrated both Graham Avenue’s Via Vespucci side…
…and its Avenue of Puerto Rico Side, where a saucy Puerto Rican lady was pouring espresso for a serene Italian lady. It was a brilliant celebration of both cultures, united by coffee, jointly executed by artists Son-Coro, from Puerto Rico, and Danielle Mastrion, an Italian American (therefore both American citizens). Kudos to the Grand Street BID for commissioning it; read more here.
Below Grand Street the accent is mainly, though not entirely, on Latin American cuisine. Warique Garden is Peruvian. There is no roast chicken like Peruvian roast chicken. (I get mine at Flor de Mayo II on the Upper West Side.)
If you’d like some Spanish home cooking without the formal fuss of eating out, Johan Food will get Uber Eats to deliver sandwiches, empanadas, or quipes. I had to look that last one up: minced beef and bulgur wheat in the shape of a deep-fried football.
I can never resist a mansard roof, even with scaffolding. A real estate site describes this as a single-family home with 20 rooms and 13 bedrooms. I’m guessing it’s more of a vacant apartment building or hotel, perhaps a former single room occupancy hotel, down on its luck. Looks like this Beaux-Arts beauty needs some love. In burgeoning Williamsburg, it’ll probably get it sooner or later. Perhaps the scaffolding is a hopeful sign.
Just opened, Lulla’s bills itself as the city’s first Venezuelan bakery, and is the “little sister” to the nearby Casa Oro restaurant on Meserole Street.
The Win Son Restaurant is Taiwanese, like A-Pou’s Taste, but with evening hours only, reservations required for groups, and notably higher prices.
The Win Son Bakery is across the street and may be more suitable for a casual snack.
In addition to its Latin American offerings, the Avenue of Puerto Rico is well stocked with Asian cuisines. Thai restaurants include Thip Osha, SAGE (above), and Link Thai (not shown).
Indian Kitchen serves classic curries and tandoori dishes on white tableclooths.
New Mexico Place celebrates both sides of the border with Autentica Comida Mexicana.
But my destination was Bahia, a Salvadoran restaurant where I had a hot date with a pupusa.
View from my table toward the back of a spacious, elegantly decorated interior.
The menu told its own story fairly well — and didn’t neglect the pupusa testimonials from The New York Times and Time Out.
Pupusas are fried griddle cakes stuffed with a variety of things: cheese, chicken, pork, chicken, zucchini, “wild exotic flower.” I decided to go crazy with a Pupusa Loca: with everything.
I got it as an appetizer to go with talipua al sartén: sauteed with fresh tomatoes, scallions, capers, and fine herbs.
But if I had known how delicious this little flying saucer of goodness would turn out to be, I’d have ordered three or four of them and skipped the entree! At three bucks a pop, they wouldn’t have broken the bank. This version included cheese, pork, chicken, and possibly one or two other things. It came with red sauce and a no-mayo cabbage salad.
I set about breaking and entering. The cheese was melty, like mozzarella, but with a creamier flavor. An all-cheese pupusa is definitely in my future the next time I come here. The stewed meats added heartiness and more homey flavors. I’ll relish them separately in some future all-pupusa feast.
I’m pretty sure I’ll come here again. El Salvador, you have won my heart. Even your comfort station is comforting.
I entered East Williamsburg from the Graham Avenue station but left from the Grand Street L stop, at Metropolitan Avenue. There was street art to enliven the station, looking a little worse for wear.
But the station was one of only a few in the subway system to be elevator-equipped. If you’re looking to eat well and multifariously, the corner of Grand Street and Bushwick Avenue is a great place to access nearby Graham Avenue, whether you head north or south. I’ll be coming here a lot.
Previously on the NYC Subway Restaurant Tour:
Part I: Lake House Cafe (Van Cortlandt Park)
Part II: Toshkent (Bath Beach)
Part III: Kashkar (Brighton Beach)
Part IV: One Dine (One World Observatory)
Part V: Buntopia (Brooklyn Broadway)
If you’re enjoying the NYC Subway Restaurant Tour, please follow my blog by clicking follow next to my name at the top. Then subscribe to get emails on new episodes. Also don’t miss my Staten Island Restaurant Tour (blogs | ebooks) and NYC Ferry Restaurant Tour (blogs). See you soon!
