SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 7 I BOROMAG.COM 51
BY SEAN CURRY
@THESANDWICHENTHUSIAST
“When I travel, I don’t
book a hotel. I book a
car.”
Henry Mendez is sitting
across the table
from me at Steinway Street’s newest offering,
La Vecina, and explaining his explorer’s
approach to seeing the world. He’s a
lifelong entrepreneur, a born traveler and
an insatiably curious person.
“There was one woman I met in Colombia
who stayed with me,” he said. “She invited
me into her house and just cooked
for us. I’ll never forget it.”
He’s referring to the namesake of La
Vecina, or “the neighbor,” a woman he
met while traveling through South America
who insisted he come to her home and
eat at her table with her family. Until that
moment, Mendez brought profits to other
people. From then on, he had to bring the
neighborly spirit of La Vecina to his home
borough of Queens (being raised in Jackson
Heights himself), and when this real
estate opened up, he jumped on it within
the day.
Mendez, a former business banker
turned purveyor of arepas (fried corn or
flour pancakes with ingredients in or on
top of them), has poured everything he
has into this place. This first foray into the
vecina spirit definitely feels South American,
from the upholstery to the art to the
enormous colorful splash of the continent
splayed across the wall at the front of the
restaurant.
But it’s most apparent in his menu, a personally
curated trip through Ecuador, Colombia,
Cuba, Venezuela and more that he
spent weeks perfecting in conjunction with
his chef. As Mendez said, “We’re in Astoria.
We’ve got to come with flavor.”
First out of the kitchen was Mendez’s
yucca croquettes, a light, punchy, tangy
yucca root fried and served with a lemon
garlic dipping sauce. The panko crust
was delightfully crunchy and gave way to
a meaty, almost potato-like interior that
soaked in the sauce.
Next was a sweet plantain served with
queso fresco and Parmesan cheese, and
while it was certainly sweet, baking the
plantain brought out a certain depth that
I’ve only ever experienced when baking
sweet things. The cheese was incredible —
so much so that my sole complaint is that
there wasn’t more of it. I had never considered
pairing cheese and plantains, but
damn if it didn’t work.
To round out the appetizers, Mendez
brought out salchipapas, garlic fries with
sliced hot dogs, cilantro and Parmesan
cheese. While I’m certainly no stranger
Photos: Bridget Kenny/BORO