Sumatera

Most of New York's Indonesian cooking comes from Java. This tiny room by the Long Island Rail Road tracks in Elmhurst looks further west, to Sumatra and to the Minangkabau kitchens of Padang, whose food travels across Indonesia in banana-leaf parcels. The space has held two Indonesian restaurants before this one, and it still feels like a family living room: a wooden model schooner, a map of the archipelago outlined in gold, a few tables, the smell of coconut and chili.

Start with the beef rendang, braised until nearly dry and dark with spice, or a nasi padang plate with its spread of curries and sambal. Nasi ayam kapau — fried chicken from West Sumatra, served with a creamy chicken broth for dipping — is the dish regulars talk about, and the beef tongue satays under a yellow candlenut sauce are worth the detour on their own. The menu runs long; ask what came out of the kitchen that morning.