Geoffrey from New York

About me I travel to discover how people elsewhere live, how they manage living with low incomes in expensive cities, how they grapple with hard times and failing economies, how they deal with ageing or crumbling families and how they themselves age and adapt. Knowing and loving New York comes from having lived through many of its manifestations while witnessing its changes....

Oct 4, 2025

Rincón Melania New York

Ecuadorian outpost

""Rincón Melania" on the south side of Long Island in New York City is an Ecuadorian restaurant with to-the-point cooking; yapingachos, sopa de pata, flan.."

This is where Amazon wanted to insert its HQ2, on the south side of Long Island City where it meets Sunnyside, near the Queensborough Plaza station on the 7 Train. But Amazon couldn't deflect the hoo-ha of people already living there who disagreed with the enormous tax breaks offered to the world's biggest company, with rents sure-to-rise.

Meanwhile, we gotta' eat.

Eat it shall be. Whereas I have mentioned the adroitness of surveilling cab drivers --- to find out where they eat --- tracking UPS drivers hadn't occurred to me until their massing here turned on a light, showed me the way. And, what were they eating?

Andean Yapingachos, pan fried turmeric-yellow potato cakes, the size of a flattened mandarin orange, with melted mozzarella hidden in the center.

Camarones a la Parrilla, a plate of seven or so grilled shrimp, dry (not oily), properly charred, with lime and lemon spritz-squeeze-chunks.

Sopa de pata, a hearty soup made from cow’s legs, tripe, yuca, chayotes, sweet corn, bananas, and green beans.

A dessert of pure, pale home made Flan rinsed in caramelized syrup poured deep enough so that it can be spooned directly onto the tongue, which Susan loved doing.

There is a list of fruit shakes including tomate de arból, (Ecuadorian tree tomato). "In appearance, the fruit calls to mind a ruby teardrop; in flavor, an unpredictable marriage of passion fruit and pineapple, each trying to outdo the other in sweetness." (NY Times).

Take the 7 Train to 33 Street / Rawson, in Queens.

Restaurants

This week 25% off

with the code fall25

*on our yearly membership

About this spot

Queens Boulevard 35-19

Sopa de pata:

US$

Website

7183611905

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