El Sitio

I'm trying to catch up on my eating and blogging, since for various reasons, last week was pretty post-less. To remedy that, over the weekend I did lots of Roosevelt Ave eating, starting with lunch at El Sitio, where I got a Cuban Sandwich to go. The lunch menu looked amazing, but it's only offered M-F, so I was out of luck. I sat down at the old-fashioned counter and watched as the waitress pressed my delicious-looking sandwich, brushing it with butter and turning it at intervals.

Secret pictures snapped on phone.

As I waited for my sandwich and stared at the desserts in the fridge behind the counter, I asked the waitress which one was the best. She said the tocinillo del cielo with no hesitation. It was like flan, and I like flan, so I ordered one as well. Once I got the sandwich home and unwrapped it from its butcher paper, it looked like this:
It would have been crisper, what with all that basting, had it not walked home with me. I try to walk to and from as much as possible, even with an unlimited metrocard, since I am eating things like fried chicken and butter-basted sandwiches, sometimes on the same day. It was still good though. The bread was pressed flat and thin, the cheese was still melty, one side of the sandwich was smeared with mustard, and the other with garlic, the ham was thick-sliced and salty, the pork was juicy and crisp, it was an all around well-made sandwich. My only complaint was that there was only one thin slice of pickle. I am pickle-obsessed, and would have liked a little more, for flavor and crunch. Otherwise, very nice. On to dessert.
The tocinillo was creamy and smooth, not too eggy, and lots of caramel. I felt like there was maybe a hint of cinnamon flavor, but I could have imagined it. That happens sometimes.

El Sitio
68-28 Roosevelt Ave
Woodside

Off Boulevard Exploring, Part Two

There is not much, if any, Middle Eastern food along the 7 train route that I have chosen. Sad, but true. There happens to be, however, in Sunnyside, a magical grocery/halal meats/bakery/take-out/catering place called El Shater, a block away from Queens Blvd on 43rd Street and 43rd Avenue.
As soon as I walked in, I fell in love. It's small, and dark, and the shelves are not filled to capacity, but there are things to buy that I never imagined I could find so close to home. Hookahs and hamsas and hummus. Fruit and nuts. House-made labne, spices, and olives! Oh olives, you are so wonderful.


I ordered a falafel sandwich. For $3.50! The man behind the counter was incredibly friendly. Behind him, the back counter area was covered with half sheet pans full of all sorts of fil0 goodness. Baklava is always a good place to start, so I decided to get a piece, just to see if it was any good. There was a choice of pistachio, walnut, or cashew. I chose walnut, of course (that's the kind my mom makes). Then he threw in a cashew piece, "on me, so that you come back soon". I was already in love, but free baklava pushed me over the edge. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

I got the food home and unwrapped the cylindrical foil package to find this -
Here is a cross section
By the time I actually ate the sandwich, it was no longer warm, and the falafel was a bit soggy. But. The pita was thin and chewy, the sandwich held 4 large, loosely packed falafel balls, chopped lettuce, tahini, hot sauce, and then the best part: thin strips of bright pink pickled turnip, and long slices of pickled cucumber. Each bite had a perfect ratio of sour, spicy, salty, soft, and crunchy.

Next we come to the baklava.
It was flaky and still crispy, wasn't drenched in syrup. I am not a big fan of overly sweet baklava, and this one was fairly dry, with the flavor of the nuts really coming through. The very nice man also mentioned that all of the pastries are made in house, and I believe it.
Total cost of meal: $5. Free baklava or not, I'll be back.

El Shater
43-02 43rd Ave
Sunnyside