[Pigging by Wilfrid: October 5, 2007]
You know when it's dumb to go to DUMBO? Saturday night of the DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival - that's when.
Unless, of course, you're showing or networking. But to eat? Well, there are only a handful of options.
So of course there'll be a line out the door at Pedro's. I should have known the arts festival was on; I had a craving for some Pedro's partying; my brain just didn't line the data up. A great weekend for Pedro's cash register, though.
Pedro's Spanish American mostly flies under the radar. I had noticed the mock adobe low-slung hacienda with a sombrero sign, just downhill from the York Street F stop, but had never thought to go in until I read praise from that bard of the blue-collar dive, Charlie LeDuff.*
Not only is the facade unprepossessing: the outdoor tables, of which there are a few, usually host clusters of young local hipsters with their tight bijou caps and interesting facial hair. Not my crowd. Inside, down in the basement, is another story. Usually it's a crowd of locals, long-time regulars - Latino, Asian - hospital workers, hungry office people, steady drinkers. Behind the bar, Mary mixes her punchy variations on margaritas and mojitos; salsa and meringue videos crackle on the TV screen. Hungry?
The bar is on your right, on your left a couple of tables, then the buffet. Get in line. The menu is long, long, and just to tempt you further, the walls are stuck with cardboard signs recommending yet more dishes. Portions, weighing down paper plates, are substantial, prices low.
Pedro's, in one form or another, has been around for decades (according to LeDuff, named for former owner Pedro Perez). Who knows? Perhaps it once boasted a Mexican chef and served authentic regional delights. Do not go today expecting specialities of Oaxaca. Do not search the menu for huitlacoche or nopales. Pedro's, now a Dominican-Puerton Rican operation, has a cheerful pan-Latino take on Mexican food. It's not overly spicy (there's hot sauce), but it's home-cooked, long-cooked where necessary, tasty and satisfying.
(Your hosts.)
This is not particularly unusual: restaurants around the Lower East Side boasting tacos and burritos usually turn out to be Dominican-run. Pedro's has burritos and tamales and quesadillas, for sure - even tortas, or "Mexican sandwiches" as they're called here. It also makes a killer Cubano, and offers plantains several ways.
Like I said, I managed to pick a night when artists and the young underlaborers of the DUMBO art world formed a line from the buffet, right out the door. Before I knew it, the grand plates of nachos, available with heaps of chicken or pork, were gone. I settled for a few tacos, $2.50 a shot.
As you can see, the tacos are piled so high with good stuff, that rolling and eating them is a challenge. To your left, the pork, to your right the chorizo, with all the fixings, and plenty of sour cream. The pork for the tacos and the Cubano sandwich is fresh cut from a picture-perfect roast pork shoulder, pernil al horno. Two tacos make a dinner. But having come all that way and stood in line, I thought a quesadilla was in order.
Forget the light, crispy snack of tortilla topped with meat, tomato, melted cheese. At Pedro's, chicken is indeed smothered with cheese, then rolled in a big, soft wrap, painted with sour cream, and sliced. A little salad on the side.
Drinks? Negro Modelo (Mexican), Presidente (Dominican) and, of course, Corona with a bit of stuck in the bottle are popular choices. There's a small range of other bottles, as well as the cocktails. I recommend sitting at the bar: it's the best view. I also recommend going whenever there isn't art under the bridge. Split your pants for about twenty bucks.
(Pedro's has almost no web presence, so no links to offer on this occasion, except to a photographer's view of the place by day.) Here's Pedro's by night:
*"Before there was Dumbo there was Pedro's" in Charlie LeDuff, Work and Other Sins (New York, 2004).
