Latin Kitchen NYC’s Huge Menu Includes Plantain Sandwiches

IMG_4741

Even though they’ve been on the streets for just a few weeks, the Latin Kitchen NYC truck has earned quite a following. I’ve gone by a few times at 47th between Park and Lex (their usual spot) to discover a huge group of people waiting for food. I finally visited when the crowd was manageable and the food didn’t take so long.

IMG_4739

Perhaps the festive Latin music draws the crowd, but I’m betting it was the quality and refreshing food. Sadly, Blend To Go, parked next door, barely had a line. It was bit tough deciding what to order since the menu is vast, featuring over 10 different sandwiches, a handful of appetizers, some specials, and even dessert. The truck proclaims that the Jirabito is their specialty so I settled on that.

IMG_4738

But that’s just the vessel – you also get to choose the sandwich filling. So the sandwiches come with three different possible structures: jibarito, sweet bread hero, or flour wrap. The Jibarito is a Puerto Rican sandwich that uses large fried plantains as bread. Really, what more was there to decide?

IMG_4743

Oh right – the filling. I picked the Cubana and I decided to throw in a beef empanada just in case I didn’t have enough food. The entire thing cost me $11. Sure, it’s above the limit, but it turns out the $8 sandwich would have probably been enough. 

IMG_4746

The empanada was decent with both crunchy edges and a soft bottom (no jokes please!). It was a bit lukewarm yet the flavorful peppery ground beef inside gave it some life.

IMG_4750

I was quite impressed with the Jibarito. It kinda looked like a sandwich, but was very difficult to eat like one. Most of the components fell out when I tried to pick up the two plaintan patties. But the flavors were pretty delicious. Especially the tender roasted pork. I could have had a plate of just that and I would have been happy.

While this was a hefty and tasty sandwich, I did miss the buttery, toastiness of a true Cuban sandwich. It was also difficult to experience all the ingredients in one bite – especially the swiss cheese which was melted onto the piece of ham (as opposed to the bread), which quickly fell to the bottom.

That being said, this was still a hefty and tasty sandwich and I bet some of the other fillings (like seasoned steak and grilled chicken) work even better. Now I understand why the crowds have been lining up.

Latin Kitchen NYC has been parking on 47th between Park and Lex on Tuesdays-Fridays. But check their Twitter feed before you head out to join the crowds.

4 Comments

  • Wow, I want to eat that!!!

    PS You can’t say “soft bottom” and not expect some sort of comment from the masses, so I pre-emptively would like to offer a Beavis-like chuckle. I’m pretty disappointed that my repeated trolling of the commenters has gotten me nothing though :(

  • Patacon Pisao is the gold standard, wonder how this soft bottom compares.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Hello everyone.. My name is Luis. I operate the Latin Kitchen NYC Food truck. Thank you all for the positive and negative comments. If someone isn’t happy with what we served them please feel free to come back to our truck and we will take care of any problem. We are different from others.. we stand behind our product our passion and that is serving our delicious foods. In this business there is always competition. Some comments come from other food trucks that are not true. As for us we are not paying mind to that. To all Our real customers .. If your not happy we aren’t either. Come back to us and we will make it right.. God Bless have a great day !!
    http://WWW.LATINKITCHENNYC.COM

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.