[ad_1]
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — There always is more to a grocer than meets the eye on Staten Island, something at which to marvel particularly on Port Richmond Avenue. In the instance of Plaza San Jeronimo Deli at 465, a casual little restaurant thrives at the back of the store. And upon becoming familiar with this vibrant tienda, the connection to another wonderful food destination on the strip becomes solidified — the sit-down, family-style Tex-Mex San just a few doors away at 461.
The spots are connected by their familial ties.
The decade-old corner market and its handful of tables is operated by Demiano Sanchez — 465 Port Richmond Ave., Port Richmond; 718-273-7711. The staff delivers Island-wide with a $20 minimum and offers a few tables and chairs for supping. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily year round. Cold beer and soft drinks are offered near the seating section.
Hot beverages can be found in a self-serve station near the entrance — leche de arroz (rice milk), cafe de olla (cinnamon coffee meant to be sipped black), coffee and champurrado (a rich and creamy hot Mexican chocolate thickened with masa cornmeal.)
The more formal, year old San Jeronimo Restaurant, on the other hand, is run by Demiano’s niece and brother-in-law, Antonio Marquez and Sarahi Marquez-Sanchez. The contact information for this spot is 461 Port Richmond Ave., 646-982-8665. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There are both a full bar and soft drinks in the beverage inventory.
SAVORING THE PLAZA SAN JERONIMO
Now, we’ve visited a Mexican spot at Oaxaca Deli in West Brighton on a prior broadcast. But the food at both San Jeronimos takes on a different, decidedly regional twist. The owners of both hail from San Jeronimo, explained by Demiano as a small town in the state of Puebla in East-Central Mexico.
The ladies in his kitchen — on this visit Gabriella, Francesca, Claudia, Marianna — craft corn and flour tortillas from a hand-press continually in motion. These can be the base of sopas, burritos, gorditas and enchiladas. Other eats on the menu board are huaraches (masa dough/cornmeal in a sandal shape with a mash of pinto beans) and stick-to-your-ribs pozole made with hominy and chicken.
TAKING ON THE TEX-MEX
To create a more family-friendly environment, Sarahi and Antonio offer a comparatively massive menu at San Jeronimo, the restaurant. While there are trios of tacos to an order, gorditas, fajitas, nachos, tamales and other traditional bites, rather fun items include dishes from the Platillos or main course section of the menu.
Take note of presentations like a beer served in a tomato-based consomme with avocado and shrimp plus a molcajete (pestle) hung with several proteins — chicken, fish, shrimp, chorizo and beef.
Also of note: the restaurant bakes some of its own concha or sweet breads.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE SAN JERONIMO VIDEOS
To tackle the task of dining at multiple spots in a single hour, I have parsed the San Jeronimo broadcast into two on our Advance/SILIVE.com Facebook Live stream. The dual presentation served more practically as well as the WiFi signal would be disrupted walking from one storefront to the next, about 20 feet away from each other. I hope you enjoy both places in your travels around the borough.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
Editor’s Note: This is the tenth installment of the “Eat Around the World on Staten Island” series, which explores the incredible breadth of delicious dining possibilities on the borough. Plus, viewers can get a peek into some amazing kitchens to see how some of the meal prep happens. Food expert Pamela Silvestri picks the borough’s top tastes you won’t want to miss. Stops so far: up first was the best Lebanese eats, then it was a taste of Sri Lanka. Travels also took us to Peru and South of the Border to Oaxaca. Pierogi-making unfolded at a Polish restaurant and a robot served house-cured salmon and dumplings at an Armenian spot. Additionally, vegan and Haitian fare can be found amidst German, Japanese and Italian eats in a one neighborhood’s restaurant row where food enthusiasts can do a DIY dining tour for lunch or dinner on weekends. Food tourists should take a taste of dim sum, ironically a rarity in a hometown that has a booming Chinese population.
Catch Up with the Series:
Best global eats on S.I. with Cantonese food and dim sum
Eating around the world without leaving this great borough | Pamela’s Food Service Diary
Best global eats that’s spicing up Staten Island – with a Haitian Creole twist
A one-stop shop for Armenian, Georgian, Russian and Belarusian food
14 kinds of pierogi straight from the factory
Taco time and Mexican Pizza, Oaxaca-style
[ad_2]
Source_link
