La Fogata BBQ opens in Williston Park
Grilled picanha steak, with rice and beans, at La Fogata BBQ in Williston Park. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Barbecue has long been a cultural artifact of the American South but, on Long Island, at least, it has been moving steadily southward. Our newest barbecue restaurant, La Fogata in Williston Park, takes its cues from the cuisine of Ecuador.
Certainly we’re familiar with the Brazilian barbecue tradition, as practiced by outposts of the chains Fogo de Chão (Carle Place and Melville) and Texas de Brazil (Lake Grove) as well as the independently owned AG Steakhouse that opened last year in Westbury.
The menu at La Fogata ("the bonfire" in Spanish) checks many Brazilian boxes, with picaña (top sirloin cap), skirt steak, T-bone and pork or beef ribs grilled over live flames. Steaks range from $18.99 to $28.99, whole chickens are $22.99.
The modest restaurant isn’t set up for rodizio (all-you-can-eat), but you can order a bandeja a la parilla, grilled meat platter, $80, that will easily feed four. Side dishes include rice, beans, french fries, sausages, plantains and fried eggs.
There’s a small selection of seafood dishes (ceviche as well as grilled and fried), empanadas and the distinctively Ecuadorian fish stew, encebollado.
La Fogata BBQ, 332 Hillside Ave., Williston Park, 516-962-5958, la-fogata-bbq. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
