Description
Sol De Quito serves authentic, hearty Ecuadorian fare on the Brooklyn side of the Ridgewood/Bushwick border. The unassuming restaurant and its mirror-and-tile decor is utterly low-key (although there are tablecloths), but the menu is a craftily spiced carnival of big foods--corn, potatoes, beans, and rough hunks of friend plantains make up the foundation. It’s typical for Ecuadorian cuisine to heap combinations of meat and seafood into platos tipicos, and if Sol De Quito's seem a little expensive, that's because the servings are massive enough to fuel a small family on starch and meat-proteins for a week. If the arroz con pollo and cheese empanadas sound too safe, try the chaulafan, a fried rice dish which incorporates most of the meats on the menu. Ecuadorian seafood specialties like black clams (concha) and bagre (a type of catfish) are often available, and on weekends, keep an eye out for llapingachos: stuffed, browned potato cakes. Cheap shakes are blended at the bar in colorful flavors like papaya, passion fruit, and naranjilla or "lulo," a curious, citrusy fruit with green juice that is common in Ecuador. --Alex Spoto
