PrintRed Hook Vendors: A Quick Guide for the Uninitiated
Photographs by Peter Cunningham
The Red Hook vendors are slated to open this weekend—almost three months behind their typical schedule, all due to more stringent oversight from the city health department.
What to Expect
New and/or Refurbished Carts or Trucks: The casual tabletop setups for cooking tortillas and pupusas and what not will be replaced by food carts or trucks, as mandated by the city. That stipulation has some vendors in debt up to $50,000 on new equipment expenses. [Brooklyn Paper]
Higher Prices? Roy Edroso makes the not-too-distant leap of logic that food prices may go up to pay for those new carts—and make up for the weeks vendors spent forcibly idle. [Village Voice]
Huge Crowds: Every last blog is blogging about the opening. Every last person who fancies himself a foodie will be on hand. Agoraphobics, this is not your scene.
Hot Weather: Forecasts say 94-degree high on Saturday, 89 on Sunday. And NY1 this morning said humidity will make it feel like it's in the 100s. Bring sunscreen and stay hydrated, eaters! [weather.com]
Perhaps Some Tension: Longtime patrons may be harboring some resentment against gentrifying interlopers. [Eater comments]
How to Get There
Vendors set up at the Red Hook Recreational Area, near the corner of Bay and Clinton streets.
By Subway: Closest station is the F/G at Smith & 9th Street Station. It's roughly a nine-block walk (map).
By Bus: The B61 bus in Brooklyn will take you to "Ikea Station," just a few blocks away. Head away from the water down Halleck Street; follow Halleck, taking a left as it turns into Columbia Street; bang a right on Bay, and walk until you get to Clinton (map).
By Hacking Ikea: We came up with an Ikea ferry and shuttle bus "hack." Ride the furniture store's shuttle bus or ferry out to Red Hook. But be warned; actual paying Ikea customers get preferential treatment.
What You Might Eat
The word is that not all the vendors may show up this weekend—and the Brooklyn Paper has it that at least three have called it quits. But here's generally what's on offer.
Tacos: Not the crunchy U-shape kind you get at Taco Bell. Think fresh, floppy corn tortillas, warm from the grill, topped with carne asada or barbacoa and chopped onion, cilantro, lettuce, and salsa.
Huaraches: "A tasty treat hailing from South-Central Mexico, this flat, oblong cake of masa (moist cornmeal dough) is rolled, pressed, stuffed with a thin layer of black bean, pressed again, and thrown on a griddle until nice and crisp. You can top them with a bit of salsa picante and grated queso anejo, or go the whole hog and pile on meats, chilies, onions, sour cream, and whatever else lies within reach." [Porkchop Express]
Grilled Corn: Ears of sweet, golden corn on a stick, rolled in mayo and sprinkled with lots of grated cheese and chili powder. Simply brilliant.
Ceviche: A citrus-based marinated seafood salad. Wiki-up for more info, or check in at Porkchop Express.
Lemonades, Limeades, Melon Drinks, Horchatas, and Fruit: There are typically a couple of fruit stalls to keep your diet balanced and your body refreshed. You can pick up chopped watermelon chunks, canteloupe, pineapple, coconut.
Some History
If you haven't yet been or are new to the soccer taco scene, you may be surprised to learn that the vendors have been serving up pan-American fare at the Red Hook ball fields since 1974—"in one form or another," says Cesar Fuentes, who represents the vendors.
Last year, the city cracked down on the operation, opting not to renew the vendors' temporary use agreement and opening up the park concessions for competitive bidding, as is done at other city parks. The vendors were forced to apply for a permit, and it looked for a while like they might be forced out. Luckily, a bunch of folks rallied, including Senator Chuck Schumer, who stepped in to help, and the vendors got a six-year permit to operate in the park.
An Awesome Resource
No one covers the Red Hook vendors like Porkchop Express. Stand-by-stand breakdowns, interviews, history, and detailed coverage of the scene. Visit porkchop-express.blogspot.com/search/label/Red Hook
Video
Cesar Fuentes on 'Brian Lehrer Live'
'New York' Magazine Visits RHV with Aaron Sanchez
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11 Comments:
It's pupusa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupusa
Perhaps the most annoying thing about ballfield over-coverage in the "blogs."
Jack_Barber at 11:17PM on 07/18/08
i asked this on another thread but anyone know the parking situation? moved to brooklyn recently and am reeeeeaalllly excited about going next weekend, but i want to drive. is there street parking nearby?
sarahlucy at 4:37PM on 07/19/08
@sarahlucy: You should have no trouble parking there. There's not a dedicated parking lot, but there seemed to be plenty of street parking, especially if you don't mind walking a couple blocks. The streets where the trucks are seemed to be full with cars, but a block or two away there were spots.
Adam Kuban at 6:14PM on 07/19/08
jack barber: what's pupusa? I didn't see them mentioned in this article.
pingarina at 4:45PM on 07/20/08
anyone know what time the majority of vendors start serving?
j at 11:57AM on 07/22/08
@j: I read somewhere that their hours are roughly 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., but now I can't find my original source on that. I'll try to contact Cesar Fuentes for official word.
Adam Kuban at 12:22PM on 07/22/08
Pingarina: That's jack_barber's point - the "tacos" mentioned in the articles are actually pupusa.
zamboni at 4:33PM on 07/22/08
@zamboni, @pingarina, and @everyone: Let me clear this up.
When this post initially published, I had misspelled pupusa as papusa. Jack_Barber jumped in to correct me, and I fixed the typo. I should have followed up here in the comments immediately, thanked Jack_Barber for his great catch (thank you, Jack!), and acknowledged that the mistake had been made and fixed.
@pingarina: Jack_Barber gives a link to the Wikipedia entry on pupusas. It is right there, in the comment you're referencing when you ask him what they are. If you don't want to click through, let me quote from Wiki:
@zamboni: The "tacos" I mentioned in the article are not pupusas. What I describe under the "taco" heading are tacos, unless I've somehow worded it in a strange way that is confusing. If so, let me know, and I will attempt to fix it.
Adam Kuban at 4:58PM on 07/22/08
Adam: mea culpa! I thought I knew what jack_barber was complaining about, but apparently not.
zamboni at 10:46AM on 07/23/08
@zamboni: Don't worry about it. I should have jumped in earlier to address Jack_Barber's correction. So mea culpa on my end, too!
Adam Kuban at 10:58AM on 07/23/08
How long does the red hook vendor season usually last. I read a blog that said it went until 10/28, however that was back in 2007. I want to assume this season runs until about late October????
tbragg at 8:39PM on 09/11/08