Kabab King Ambassador Dinner

If the Ambassador Dinners are supposed to open our eyes to cuisines that some of us might have limited familiarity with, with the ambassador of the night ordering the food and treating the diner to a bit of cultural and culinary history , than Joseph Aranha of the Asian Arts and Cultural Council, and the Pakistani Ambassador Dinner, succeeded beyond my expectations. Before we sat down at one of the many tables in the private room upstairs at Kabab King for our dinner last Saturday, August 14th, Jeff Orlick, organizer extraordinaire, handed each of us a program, and we were off.

Menu for the Evening

Rose Milk with Spices
Paratha with Lentils and Salad
Quail
Liver Fry
Haleem
Mutton Biryani
Brain Fry
Gulab Jamun
Spiced Tea

Just seeing the words "brain" and "fry" together on a page as something we were about to eat provoked at the very least a few giggles, but mostly curiosity and excitement for those of us who have never had a dish with brain as the main ingredient. As people walked in and took their seats, the waiters came around and placed plastic glasses full of the pink-tinged drink that would begin our night, the rose milk. It was sweet, but not overly so, with a subtle rose flavor. Then plates of salad appeared.

Once we were all in place, Joseph introduced himself and began to explain how we should approach the meal. We must taste the food, no gulping allowed. It would be family style, one bowl of each item per table of four, so as not to get too full, and if anyone were still hungry after the many courses he would take it upon himself to buy them dinner downstairs. There was a brief lesson on bodily functions and natural cleansing. The meal would start, as many meals do, with bread and lentils. Waiters appeared with bowls of lentils and platters of parathas, sliced in four pieces.

The paratha was stuffed with a spiced potato mixture, and I could've eaten the whole thing myself, but I resigned myself to one slice and shared the rest with my table mates, scooping up the lentils with tiny bites of bread. The lentils were soft and mild, but bits of the sliced raw ginger garnish added crunch and spice to the dish.

Joseph then asked us to open the large map of the Indian Subcontinent that he had placed on each table, so as to get a better idea of Pakistan's location.

It was a very large map.

Next, and one of our table's favorite dishes - the quail, along with some chicken kababs.

A closer look at the quail, with crisp, charred wings, and tender, smoky meat.
There were two per table, and the four of us wished we had more. The two types of chicken kababs that accompanied the quail on the sizzling plate were red, spiced chunks of chicken breast, also moist and flavorful, and a ground chicken mixture, also red, spicy, and very good. While we were enjoying our kababs, Joseph made sure that everyone listened to a small lesson on the history of Ramadan and its traditions, told by a very friendly man from Joseph's group, who went from table to table. It was somewhat difficult to concentrate on the concept of fasting while biting into a tiny quail leg, but I appreciated the learning experience.

Next came the liver fry, and haleem.

Large chunks of beef liver, again topped with freshly sliced ginger and cilantro. Some of the chunks some were a bit dense and tough, but the pieces that were at the bottom, absorbing the oil and liquid in the bowl, were softer. They had a nice flavor, milder than what I was expecting.

Haleem, a Pakistani specialty that I have never tried before, was very interesting. The mixture had a glutinous, paste-like consistency, with pieces of beef throughout. I don't know how to describe it or make it sound appetizing, but it was like a spiced porridge with bits of meat tossed in. To quote Elyaqim Mosheh Adam, table companion and map holder, the haleem at Kabab King "has the mouth-feel of shredded beef in split pea soup". It went over big at our table, particularly when we discovered that dipping the liver into the haleem somehow made both of them taste even better.

And there was more.

The mutton biryani did not have much mutton at all, but that was acceptable since the rice was tasty, and it was accompanying the brain fry.

Or brain masala, as the waiters called it when they placed the bowl on the table. The sauce was thick, rich, and highly spiced, perfect for spooning onto the rice. The brains themselves, goat brains, were yellow and creamy, similar in texture to scrambled eggs. Not an everyday dish, by any means, but I am happy to have tried brain fry once in my life.

After the main dishes, we were served dessert and tea. Gulab Jamun and masala chai.

Although we were full at that point, I definitely could have eaten more than one of these syrup-soaked sweets. The round ball of dough was fresh-tasting, still warm, and sweet enough to cleanse the palate.

The sweet, milky, spiced tea was the perfect end to the meal.
A little more history, a lesson in the main spices and ingredients of curries, and then we got to meet chef Wazir Ali. A group picture wrapped up the dinner and it was over.
I've had a few days to digest the experience now, and was wondering how to sum up the unique experience. Jeff Orlick explains the goal of the ambassador program on his website as this:

...a guide will order for the table and discuss what we are eating and why we are eating it. Not a classroom experience, but more of a familial gathering centered around the food. This allows us diners to let go, eat well, and expand our boundaries for the city, the world and our palates.

The night, for me, reached every one of these goals. We were expertly guided by a man who obviously loves his culture, its food, and his surrounding cultures. Joseph is Indian, not Pakistani, but he is so proud of the fact that, in his experience, the boundaries between countries and religious groups that restrict lives on the subcontinent are basically nonexistent here in America. Everyone eats together. We absorbed his passion through the food that he carefully chose, with the chef, to showcase the cuisine. Our table certainly felt like a family gathering; passing around plates, divvying up the food, eating from the same dishes, laughing. My palate was expanded, I let go, and I ate well.


Kabab King Diner
73-01 37th Rd
Jackson Heights

For more information on future ambassador dinners, here is Jeff Orlick's website:
http://iwantmorefood.com/ambassador-program/

2010 Roosevelt Avenue Street Crawl

We began at 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, and ended in William Moore (Spaghetti) Park in Corona. The 2010 crawl, organized by Jeffrey Orlick, brought at least 100 hungry people together to roam Roosevelt Avenue for the best street food on the last Sunday in June, with a great map and some key phrases for ordering from street carts.
It was hot, really hot, and my camera stopped taking pictures somewhere in the middle. I got it to work again but missed some good shots. Aside from the technical difficulties, I must say walking down my favorite avenue with a bunch of people and eating lots of food is really, really fun. I'm usually by myself when I do my Roos Ave adventuring, so it was a nice change. Our smaller group broke off from the crowds and took our time walking, making many stops for liquids and ices along the way.

First stop: El Guayaquileño. I didn't get anything there, I was holding out for tacos. But I took some pictures of my fellow crawlers' food. The Mexico vs. Argentina game was playing on the flat screen tv, so I watched while they ate.


I didn't eat, and I didn't order, so I don't want to mislabel anything. But that salad topping the fish looks delicious.


Stopped for raspados on 80th Street. The first of many breaks for a little something cold.

Mango (I think?)

Coco and Piña.

Next stop was Mexico Lindo.
Perhaps a bad choice, since it seemed like everyone else on the tour stopped here too at the exact same time. There was a very long line and lots of confusion. But we got our order in the end. Four of us split three items: Tacos de lengua (tongue), tacos de cecina (dried, salted beef) and sopes de chorizo. It isn't easy to split a taco four ways, but somehow we managed.

Cutting up a taco on a mail box...

on the trunk of a car (thanks, Stella), and even with kitchen shears (courtesy of Judy).

This was the lengua, after a slice had been taken out. The tongue was crisp on the outside, beefy and soft on the inside.

Moving right along, we stopped at another Mexican cart, a few blocks down and across the street. The sign says Gorditas, so that's what we got, along with a tlacoyo.

The gordita de chicharron was not the most flavorful I'd ever tried, but then again, we split it between four people, and there might have been better bites than the one I tasted.
The tlacoyo was good. Corn masa stuffed with a bean mixture, then topped with lettuce, cream, and cheese. The beans were smooth and creamy, with a distinct flavor of epazote, which was a nice surprise.

Another stop for shaved ice, this time at a Chinese/Colombian bakery selling Hawaiian shave ice called Vanilla Cafe. Sort of cheating by going inside a bakery, but have I mentioned that it was hot?
Mango and passionfruit. Just like Maui! Icy and sweet.


Tia Julia's. This is where my camera stopped working for a bit, I almost gave up and went home to charge it for a while. We ordered here: tacos de barbacoa (goat meat) and tacos de carnitas (pork). The goat was chewy, as goat usually is, and not too gamey. I honestly don't remember if I even tried the carnitas, I was sort of stuck on my camera. I do remember that I ordered an agua de jamaica (hibiscus) and that they gave me a whole quart container full of the dark red liquid.

By the time we made it to Warren Street with its variety of Ecuadorian delights, we were already full and tired. Crawls are all about pacing, and we did not pace well.

We did manage to get more liquids in though.

Orange Drink.
Fruit cocktail drink. The juice was refreshing, and filled with chopped fruit. The bananas were my favorite part.

We walked and walked, but after the food and all of the drinks, didn't make any more stops on Roosevelt. Once we hit 104th street, we turned off, and headed to Timmy O's for some frozen custard.

Banana custard, chocolate custard, marshmallow sauce and some whipped cream. The banana really tasted like banana.

The last stop was the Lemon Ice King of Corona. I was still eating my custard, so I sat in Spaghetti Park and waited.

The Crawl was great. I drank more than I ate, and had more sweets than savory. But it's ok. I live here, I eat here, I crawl down Roosevelt Avenue every day. The best part was crawling with others.

Mini Picanteria El Guayaquileño
80th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights

Raspado Lady
In front of 80-02 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights

Mexico Lindo Cart
Corner of Gleane Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Elmhurst

Gordita Cart
85th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Elmhurst

Vanilla Cafe
8701 Roosevelt Avenue, Elmhurst

Tia Julia Taco Truck
Benham Street & Roosevelt Ave, Elmhurst

Picaditas La Cacerita Cuenca Ecuador
Corner of Warren Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Corona

Timmy O's Frozen Custard
49-07 104th Street, Corona

Lemon Ice King of Corona
52-02 108th Street, Corona

William Moore Park
108th Street, 51st Avenue, Corona

La Perrada de Chalo, or Fun on Northern Blvd

What a week! I'm so happy it's over. Not enough eating time, yet again, but a good way to end the busy-ness was at this month's JH food group. Although La Perrada de Chalo is not even close to being on Roosevelt Ave, it warrants a post because it was just that exciting. Northern Boulevard is another great street to explore for food, and I'd really like to spend more time there. Someday. But in the meantime I will just visit occasionally whenever I get the chance. La Perrada de Chalo, with its dancing, slightly disturbing hot-dog with green boots logo specializes in Colombian street food and snacks, and the crazy hot dog was what I ordered.

Super Showy- Mortadela, cebolla, piña, salsas, queso, papitas. (Bologna, onion, pineapple, sauces, cheese, crushed chips) $3.35
What can I say about my Super Showy (which was just a showy, as they had no super-sized hot dogs at the time of our ordering, and in retrospect I think that was just as well)? The name is so perfect, I really didn't care what was in it. Do I really need bits of bologna in a hot dog? Completely unnecessary. Cheese? Ditto. Tons of mayo? Nope. But put it all together and it creates something magical. Each bite of hot dog was a new taste experience. The snap of hot dog, plus the soft bun, then the creamy mayo, plus melty cheese, citrus and herb tang from the green sauce and crunchy chips = flavor/texture collision in mouth. Super Showy! I was tempted by the Iraqui, which had hard boiled eggs on top. If I could have eaten another, I would have. But one was enough.
Some other trays. This one had the Super Showy, Al gusto (con todo) (with everything, and they mean everything!), and Hawayano (pineapple, cheese, sauces). I was jealous of the everything. It had eggs and bacon.
This was the mini picada. Crispy parts of pork, beef, chorizo, and chicken over a fried arepa and french fries. Greasy and delicious. $7.15
Pernil sandwich. It looked great, the bread was pressed so flat and thin and crunchy, a huge sandwich for $6.

We then moved next door to El Palacio de lol Cholados for a cholado.
Wikipedia says that a Cholado is a cold beverage common in Colombia. It is made from crushed ice, fruit and/or fruit syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and is sometimes topped with whipped cream. I think that is a fine description. I enjoyed my cholado immensely. Once again, so many textures and flavors. There was the crushed ice on the bottom, then freshly sliced bananas, strawberries, and pineapple, the juice/syrup was not too sweet, which mixed perfectly with the very sweet condensed milk. A sprinkling of dried coconut, and the whole thing was topped with a maraschino cherry. Fun in a plastic cup, for $5. There is even a sign with directions on how to eat it. First you drink the juice with the straw and then eat the rest with the spoon. Good to know. I think I did a pretty good job with that. A beautiful day with nice people eating strange concoctions and taking lots of pictures. Just a normal weekend in Queens.

La Perrada de Chalo
83-12 Northern Blvd.
Jackson Heights

El Palacio de los Cholados
83-18 Northern Blvd
Jackson Heights

Off the Avenue, Down an Alley

Tonight I met with the Jackson Heights Food Group for the first time. I was nervous, with no idea what to expect, especially when the restaurant was a nameless, super secret hidden Bengali place at the end of an alley. José was imagining all sorts of situations (kidnapping? being sold into slavery?) as he walked me there, just to make sure, but I was so excited to meet these people, I was willing to wander into the dark alley and risk it.
So it turned out that yes, there actually is a small place called Chillies, which is located at the end of a small alley on 73rd St. between Broadway and 37th Ave. I lived to tell the tale. The owners (I'm assuming that's what they were) served the 20 or so people who descended upon their counter at 7:20 PM this Saturday night for the JHFG with grace and a smile (well, the man of the couple didn't do much smiling but the woman was patient and friendly) as each person made their way up and ordered, mostly by what looked the best. On display were two fish curries, one with eggplant and one without. There was a hotel pan full of chicken curry, a mixed vegetable curry, yellow rice, and a chicken biryani. In another section of the case there were chickpeas, dal, and other cold dishes, but I never made it over there. Also, a tray full of pakoras and some sort of fried bread sat above the selections on the glass case. There didn't seem to be a menu or dinner special, so I asked for half an order of the mixed vegetables, half an order of the chicken, and the yellow rice, which was piled high and enough to feed a family. After each person ordered, their plates were promptly put into one of the two microwaves behind the counter, first the rice, then the curries. Needless to say it took a while for each person to be served. My meal came to $9, although other people paid anywhere from $12 to $16. I'm guessing they charged more for the fish. I sat down at a table close to the door, and dug in, enjoying the conversation around me, and learning more about the group. I wasn't the only first-timer, but most were regulars, and I was jealous to hear about their various food adventures since the creation of the group. Such a great idea, and I'm mad at myself for not finding it sooner.
I didn't bring my camera but here's a phone picture of the chicken:
I liked it. Slightly spicy. Strangely, some of the pieces were nice and tender, and others were incredibly tough. It was hard to eat with just the plastic fork, finally I ended up picking up the pieces and gnawing on the little bones.

Mixed vegetable curry
Terrible picture, I had already scooped half out of the bowl. Carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, onions, for sure. Dried red chillies for spice. Not sure if I am missing other veggies. It had a great caramel-y flavor, which added depth to the curry. Did they caramelize the onions or was it burned? I don't know, but it worked.

I managed to eat most of the rice, even thought the serving was huge. Should I be proud of that?
It looked great, particularly the long, thin, green chillies dotting the bright yellow. It wasn't overtly spicy, but left a slight tingle on the tongue.
I think I chose well from the offerings. Actually, I chose the only things that I would have wanted to eat, since I am (sadly) not a fish eater. A few people that I talked to who had the fish were not thrilled with it, although I can not speak for everyone. Honestly, I could have eaten the worst meal of my life at the secret restaurant and it wouldn't have mattered. It was great to go out on a Saturday night and be able to walk there and back, even in the freezing cold. It was great to finally meet the founder of the group, the famous Jeff Orlick. It was great to go out to dinner with people who care about food and are proud of where they live. I made a detour off of Roosevelt Avenue and into an alleyway on a cold night, and found the community I didn't know I was looking for. Now, I want more food.

Chillie's Grand Sweets and Restaurant
37-18 73rd Street
Jackson Heights

For some better pics of the event, take a look at Judy's flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/judibean/sets/72157623246683199/