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Rinconcito Ecuatoriano: Typical Ecuadorian food in clean, colorful surroundings School, liked the United States, and decided to By Jananne Abel Ecuadorian-born Jimmy Kanlong is the third stay. While he now lives in Bridgeport, Conn., his person in his family to open a restaurant in Port heart is still in Port Chester. His Ecuadorian-born chef, Maria Matamoros, Chester. Rinconcito Ecuatoriano Restaurant opened May 19 of this year at 150 North Main lives in Port Chester. Rinconcito means “gathering spot,” said St. after brother George had sold George’s CaféRestaurant at 118 Westchester Ave. Jimmy’s Kanlong. Even without a liquor license, this sister and her husband still own and operate Los restaurant appears to be a place where EcuadorRemolinos, a Colombian restaurant and night ians and other native South Americans gather spot on North Main Street at its intersection with for good food at reasonable prices with ethnic music playing from a juke box in the backWillett Avenue. Kanlong claims that his is the only Ecuador- ground. While all of the wait staff doesn’t speak ian restaurant in the area, but Mi Casita, which English, Jimmy, his wife and son George can took over the eatery his brother used to own on help explain dishes on the menu that aren’t Westchester Avenue, also serves Ecuadorian translated at all or aren’t clearly conveyed. The menu lists an array of interesting dishes cuisine. Rinconcito Ecuatoriano, a long, narrow space representing Ecuador’s extensive cuisine. Not all that was once Pip Printing and then briefly a of them are available every day. “We try to make fruit and vegetable market, has been transformed everything fresh every day and that’s why we into a bright, colorful eatery featuring mostly have people coming from all over,” said Kanlong. Ecuadorian food as well as a few dishes from Dinner for two other South American countries. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in spotless At the suggestion of an Ecuadorian friend, surroundings. There are attractive wooden tables on our recent visit to Rinconcito Ecuatoriano, and chairs with cushwe started our meal ioned green seats. with ceviche, a seaTables seating a total food cocktail we’ve of 80 people are set eaten at other Latino with dark green tablerestaurants. However, cloths draped with here it is more than a smaller maroon cloths cold appetizer; it is a accented by placemats hot meal. We chose in pinks, blues and the Ceviche Mixto purple under glass. ($10) in which clams, Large, colorful framed shrimp, calamari and oil paintings of wellfish are cooked in a known Ecuadorian delicious tomatoathletes and a singer based broth seasoned line one wall and prowith cilantro. It is vide a focal point. The served with fresh lime restaurant is brightly and a very hot sauce lit with fluorescent made with two kinds ceiling lights, the only of peppers which can reminder of the be added to taste. This space’s days as a printdish is also prepared ing business. There are with just clams or just lots of plants in the Javier Salcedo of Summer Street, Port shrimp for $8 and front window includ- Chester, eats a hearty bowl of caldo de bola, $8.50 respectively. a special beef soup served only on Sundays. The ceviche in itself ing a huge palm. A bar in the back gives reason to return of the restaurant, which has a tile canopy and bar to this lovely Ecuadorian restaurant. Kanlong stools matching the rest of the furniture, is said it is served warm in some regions of Ecuacurrently only used for making the variety of dor and cold in others. tropical fruit shakes and other native drinks The Chaulafan ($9), a house special fried blended here while the owners await first their rice, is ordinarily made with chicken, shrimp beer and wine license and eventually a full and pork, but any of the ingredients can be liquor license. A variety of Ecuadorian plates eliminated upon request. We chose to forego the and knick-knacks cover the wall across from the pork. A large portion of tasty rice chock full of bar in the back of the eatery. shrimp and chicken as well as scallions and Rinconcito Ecuatoriano is a family opera- pieces of scrambled egg proved filling and not at tion owned by Kanlong and his wife, Aracelly, all spicy. who waits on tables. Son George, 23, the youngCaldo de Gallina ($4.50), chicken soup, is a est of the Kanlongs’ three children, is the man- meal in itself as the soups generally are in Latino ager and George’s wife is also a waitress. Jimmy restaurants. Our portion came with a chicken leg helped his brother George out when he opened plus a large piece of white meat, potatoes, carhis restaurant several years ago and George rots and spaghetti in chicken broth flavored with reciprocated here. His sister also provided assis- cilantro. tance. Although Jimmy and his sister are comAside from the ceviche, which we devoured, petitors in the local restaurant business, her both of the other dishes provided food for the place is Colombian, his is Ecuadorian “and we next day. have all different ethnic groups coming in,” he There are no desserts at Rinconcito said. Jimmy was a mechanic before going into Ecuatoriano, but I couldn’t pass up one of the the restaurant business. tropical fruit shakes. At the suggestion of our Jimmy Kanlong came to Port Chester with waitress, I went for the naranjilla variety made brother George from Guayaquil, one of the largest with milk ($3). A naranjilla is a sweet round fruit cities in Ecuador, when he was 18, almost 30 from South America similar to a passion fruit, years ago. He briefly attended Port Chester High which blended into a pleasantly refreshing drink.
The bright, spacious, spotless interior of Rinconcito Ecuatoriano Restaurant at 150 North Main St., Port Chester, features large oil paintings of Ecuadorian athletes and a musician. These shakes may also be made with water for fast. Among the several listed on the menu, there 50 cents less. Other varieties include papaya, is always a beef and a chicken soup available as mango, banana, guanabana, mora and maracuya. well as one other variety. On Sundays only you Our total bill without tip came to $28.28. can get Caldo de Bola ($6.50), a beef soup with Service, provided by Aracelly Kanlong, was plantains, eggs, raisins, onions and celery made friendly and efficient. She did her best to explain into a ball. Caldo de Torrejas is filled with the dishes we weren’t clear about to help us patties made with chopped meat and fried egg. decide what to choose for dinner. Caldo de Pata is made with cow’s feet and a type On this Saturday night a vendor circulated of corn called mote. There is also a seafood soup through the restaurant selling bunches of flow- and a fish variety among others. ers to interested customers, not the first time The Empanadas de Verde ($2.50), an appewe’ve seen this practice at a downtown Port tizer, are made with fried plantains and beef or Chester restaurant. cheese, different from the Colombian variety we’ve eaten elsewhere but just as good. Extensive menu There are lunch specials served Monday Besides the ceviche and chaulafan, both of through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $7 in which we happened to try before meeting with addition to salads such as vegetable, chicken, the owner, Kanlong recommended the Bandeja shrimp, crab and tuna ($4.50 to $12) and two Paisa, a popular Colombian plate of rice, beans, sandwiches, Sandwich de Pernil (roast pork sandwich) or carne con two eggs, avocado and aguacate, lechuga y a piece of pork skin tomate (beef sandwich with a little meat ($8). with avocado, lettuce Encebollado de and tomato), both Pescado, fish with $5.50. yucca and sweet planFor breakfast you tains ($7), is also popucan get omelets, a valar, as is the Filete de riety of egg platters, Corvina Frita ($8.50), and bolon de verde (a fried fish filet served plantain ball) priced with French fries or from $2 to $8. fried plantains. Besides the shakes, Once a week the a variety of native bevchef cooks up a fish casserole called Owners Aracelly and Jimmy Kanlong be- erages can be ordered including Manzana, an Cazuela de Pescado hind the bar at Rinconcito Ecuatoriano. apple soda, or Tropi($8) made with mashed plantains, also recommended by our cal, a strawberry soda, both served in cans. In addition, you can try morocho, a home-cooked Ecuadorian friend. Bisteck Ecuatoriano ($7.50) is a thin juicy steak drink made with milk and raisins ($2.50), or sautéed with onions, tomatoes and peppers. The quaker ($2), passion fruit boiled and strained Carne a la Parrilla ($10), a large T-bone steak served and mixed with water. Kanlong said there are no desserts served at sizzling on a platter, was popular among customers his restaurant because “people get too full.” on our Saturday night visit. Llapingachos ($7.50) is a typical dish from With the hefty portions served here, that statethe mountains of Ecuador featuring mashed ment is certainly true. However, I wouldn’t have potato patties with a sauce of peanuts and minded sampling an Ecuadorian dessert or two. Rinconcito Ecatoriano Restaurant is currently chopped onion, Italian sausage patties with cheese and lettuce, all topped with two fried open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Once the establishment is granted a liquor lieggs. Tallerin con Mariscos ($10) combines spa- cense, Kanlong intends to keep it open later, probably until 3 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and ghetti with shrimp, clams and mussels. On a Sunday afternoon the soup was going Sundays.