An arepa, the flat Colombian corn cake, comes alongside. An even more baroque pot au feu, from the Guatemalan restaurant Victoria Garden , is de kak-ik, a native Indian name for a pot of turkey drumsticks and rice simmered in turkey broth, served as a sort of reverse soup. Each single order seems enough to satisfy a family of four, plus the dog. It consists of a whole drumstick and a mound of rice from the pot, served on a plate along with an avocado slice and tortillas flecked with fresh herbs. A big bowl of the broth is served alongside.
Diners squeeze lemon and add powdered chile to spice the broth as they like it.
Night crawlers should know about the hot-pot rice dishes at Hop Woo in Chinatown. These warming concoctions of rice, soup stock and meats cook together in a clay pot for about 30 minutes until the flavors permeate the rice and a crisp bottom layer forms. Although somewhat bothersome to cook, the dishes have a devoted following, and so remain on the menu. Hop Woo does hot pots without rice, too, including one with chunks of roasted pork, fried oysters and fried tofu in brown sauce, and the ever-popular duck s web with black mushrooms. A pretty arrangement of chicken pieces, shrimp, pork, omelet, salt-fish strips and other items sits atop a bed of vegetables mixed with clear noodles.