Bites Nearby: Merengue Dominican Restaurant

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, New Hyde Park Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

During lunch time at Merengue, a steady rush of customers comes in to get their fix of Latin Caribbean specialties. Piled high on each plate thick stews, tender meats and spoonfuls of rice topped with soupy red beans rapidly deplete from the steam table display as each hungry patron gets served.

Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, those looking for “fresh food, big portions and cheap prices,” will find it at Merengue says Tony Ramirez, who co-owns the restaurant with partner Johnny Lora.

If it isn’t the portion size or prices that sell you, the authenticity of every preparation surely will. With dishes like Rabo Guisabo or ox tail stew and Mofongo—garlic mashed plantains with meat or fish, a plate of food at Merengue will take you straight to the Dominican Republic. In fact, it is the closest you will get to the island here in the New Hyde Park area.

According to Ramirez, “The flavor of the food is something that [customers] won’t find anywhere within a 10 mile radius.”

In the morning, along with egg platters and sandwiches, Dominican breakfast dishes are also offered; in the preparation called Mangu, green plantains are boiled until tender and mashed with butter, garlic and spices, and served with slices of salami.

Bandera, which literally translates to “the flag,” is also a typical specialty of the culture served at Merengue. The meal is made up of white rice moistened with beans on top and completed with tender beef stew in red sauce with carrots and potatoes.

Classic Dominican soups, and Mondongo, beef tripe soup, quickly go by the ladleful.

Pernil Asado or roast pork wins the popularity contest among customers. Seasoned and cooked in the oven for eight hours, the slow roasting process produces tender, succulent meat which is then served with a special wine sauce to keep it juicy.

“It is definitely our biggest selling dish,” Ramirez said.

Other specialties include the tender baked chicken and Bistec Encebollada, thin top sirloin steak sautéed with onions and served in a wine sauce. With a side of sweet plantains, a big scoop of rice and beans, or yuca (cassava), you’ve got a Dominican feast.

Order from the counter at breakfast and lunch; table service at dinner. Takeout, delivery and catering are available.

Merengue Dominican Restaurant, 2164 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, (516) 279- 2944. Monday-Sunday, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.