In a world obsessed with the romance of expertise, five minutes with Jeff Orlick is as refreshing as a king-sized horchata. Jeff has spent the past two years cultivating an intimate understanding of the foods that make Queens the most diverse dining destination in the country; yet, when confronted with questions of taste, his response tends to end with a shrug. It takes a certain type of food blogger to single-handedly organize a two-mile street food crawl, research and lead a five borough pizza tour, and successfully launch a no-frills, education-based diners’ club – then punctuate half of his statements on food with the words, “I don’t know.”

The only phrase I’ve heard Jeff utter more often? “I am in.” Preceded by explorers of the edible like Joe DiStefano and Dave Cook, he is a stubborn loyalist to the experience of food, exposing his readers not only to his meals but to the spirit of exploration behind them. His blog, Jeffrey Tastes, reads as an open invitation to the uninitiated, making few assumptions and offering an opportunity to get up and eat something new with every post. In Jeff’s world certain types of restaurants are categorically irrelevant. The source of food goes beyond that which is bought and sold, and the best bites are wrapped in histories both local and far-flung. Conversations gravitate away form what is best and towards what is, what has been and what can be.

It makes perfect sense that Jeff would hold the final meeting of his richest project, the Jackson Heights Food Group, at a nondescript Mexican restaurant in the relatively glamor-less neighborhood of Corona. Avoiding the clean, proven, English-speaking services of Corona’s superstar restaurant, Tortilleria Nixtamal, he welcomed twenty or so adventurous eaters to El Globo (formerly known as La Nueva Espiga), Nixtamal’s grittier, grimier cousin.

This decision was par for the course. The Jackson Heights Food Group, as a rule, was more about bringing people together than bringing them to an unforgettable meal. Most of all, it was about reviving the connection between people and the neighborhoods they inhabit, rejecting cosmopolitan consumerism in favor of something closer to the ground.

Jackson Heights Food Group meetings, which bore absolutely no likeness to the supper clubs and tweetups that too often erase the line between social gathering and a pool of self-promoting sharks, were remarkable for their diversity of age, ethnicity and experience. When was the last time you showed up to a food event to be schooled by a 70-something Swedish woman in the ways of Burmese food and 2-liter jugs of white wine? If you lived in Jeff Orlick’s Jackson Heights, you’d have a happy answer.

The path to El Globo began at the 7 train stop facing Queens’ most regal Pollo Campero, crossed a Colombian street celebration, a handful of taquerias and two Mexican bakeries before setting us upon the boldest of carnitas tacos. Chopped from pork shoulders that were apparently braised in a massive metal wok at the front of the restaurant, they were a juicy, savory and soft combination of carnitas and chicharrones.

Instead of frying their pig skin (or was it simply a layer of pork fat?) to a crisp or serving it in tough, rubbery, slices, El Globo cooked it to a state of fatty creaminess and chopped it into their carnitas in a 1:1 ratio. The extremely rich result was the most interesting form of carnitas I’ve had the chance to try, but they left me wondering how incredible they would be if El Globo threw them on the grill or in a pan full of oil.

El Globo’s other tacos, priced at $2.25 each, were just as enjoyable, thanks in large part to the delicate texture of the joint’s homemade tortillas. Pastor, dark and greasy, was a solid choice. Barbacoa de chivo (roasted goat meat) seemed especially dense and fatty, and was not for the faint of heart. My favorite of the day was the taco arabe, a rolled taco made with a fluffy flour tortilla, peppery bits of grilled beef and a tangy red dressing that resembled barbecue sauce more than the yogurt that supposedly accompanies this traditional form of Middle Eastern/Mexican fusion. To the credit of the Food Group, El Globo’s was my first taco arabe, and hopefully it was but the first in a long line.

Even better were El Globo’s quesadillas, which wrapped thick, freshly grilled corn tortillas around a variety of fillings and queso blanco. Chorizo con papas (spicy ground sausage and potatoes) was a no-brainer, and the vegetarian flor de calabaza (squash flower) made for a delightfully mild blend of sweet, savory, soft and chewy.

More intense but not as recommendable was the super cemita, stuffed with an overwhelming pile of queso blanco and stacked with milanesa de res, jamon and carnitas, but lacking papalo and chipotle. Enchiladas mole, which I tried on a repeat visit, were similarly average. El Globo’s gritty mole poblano is dominated by earthy chocolate flavors and could stand to be more refined; however, when used to soak the restaurant’s chicken enchiladas, it gets the job done.

As diners began to drift out of El Globo, those who remained strolled through the Italian part of Corona to Spaghetti Park, where we closed out the Jackson Heights Food Group with the ceremonial beating of a Mexican piñata. Summer rainfall drove us into the shelter of Timmy O’s for a tasty Corona custard, and once everyone had cooled off we made our way back to Roosevelt Ave. In a rarity of my New York life, I enjoyed the breeze of a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Moments later, the doors of the 7 train slid shut, and it was over. With taste buds inspired by my first trip to Corona, I realized that I would have to write this story before I could really begin exploring my new Brooklyn backyards. The Jackson Heights Food Group may have outlived its original purpose, but the mission it represented is no less vital – and though I am not a resident of Queens, I am most certainly in.

El Globo Restaurant (La Nueva Espiga)
42-13 102 Street
Corona, NY 11368
718.779.7898

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 5:57 pm and is filed under New York.