The Year is Over/Back to Sunnyside

I intend to dine out at as many restaurants and street vendors that are located under the 7 train in the borough of Queens in the city of New York as I can (and can afford while jobless). This is to take place in the year 2010 and I will write about each experience. The parameters are strict: I must travel from west to east, beginning at Sunnyside, where the train is still over Queens Blvd, and continuing on Roosevelt Avenue, as the street numbers rise through Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Corona, to the final destination of Flushing, where it meets Main Street...The minimum number of meals to be eaten is 60...What I aim to do is expand my own knowledge of food, and write about what I learn.
Look at me, back in January. I had such hopes for 2010. How much a life can change in a year. I didn't make it to Flushing, I barely made it to Corona, but this is an endless, ever-changing project. One thing that hasn't changed is my job situation. Lack of funds was one of the biggest factors for the tapering off of the posts as the months passed, with a few other road bumps thrown in. On the plus side, I ended up with 68 posts, so I did reach one goal. And I expanded my food knowledge, absolutely. Check that one off too. I also met some great people, had some amazing experiences, and ate some really good food. So I'm not going to feel bad about what I haven't done, because I know it can be done in the future. And if it isn't, so what, it's been great so far, and we'll just see where else it leads me. As I was thinking about all of this today, with New Year's just days away, not to mention a ridiculous craving for a burger and fries, I decided to take a trip (my first trip out into the still unplowed streets of my neighborhood) to Sunnyside, where my journey began. Remember this burger?


I first went to PJ Horgan's way back in February, and loved it. Loved the dark pub, the wooden booths, the tiffany lamps, the Irish accents, and the food. This visit was the same, with the addition of pine boughs and twinkling lights, making the place somehow even more warm and inviting when stomping in from the slushy, snow-filled streets. The Sunnyside Burger was just as good as I remembered, and looked exactly the same, except that this time the plate came with three pickle chips instead of two. Again, even better. I won't re-describe the burger, but it was exactly what I wanted. It all felt so familiar, back in Sunnyside, where I spent nearly every day for those first few months of the year, exploring, in the cold. And tonight, for dinner, it was the two of us. Jose and me, sitting in the same booth, nearly a year later, with his favorite Guinness in hand, me stealing fries off his plate once mine were gone, thinking about how much has changed in a place that stays the same. It's been quite a journey. The past year has brought all kinds of joy and sadness, and the year to come will bring even more life changes. For 2011 I wish for more happiness than grief, more love, more knowledge, more adventures, and as always, more great eating. Happy New Year, everyone.

Pub Brunch

Last week in Sunnyside. PJ Horgan's. I was so looking forward to a good burger, and they did not disappoint. I told José that we were going to go to a pub for brunch today, Saturday. A pub, you know, a bar with good food and Guinness. It wasn't a very difficult sell. Even with the mid-day sun shining brightly, and the glare from the snow, it was dark and cozy inside. There were a few people sitting at the bar watching rugby. I liked it already. There was a baby behind the bar. Don't know why. I liked it even more. We sat at a wooden booth under a stained-glass lamp, and were given a brunch menu, as well as the dinner menu. Here's the problem with the brunch menu: the drinks included in the brunch special were the regulars - bloody mary, screwdriver, maybe a mimosa, and then the kicker- domestic beers. Why would we get domestic beers in an Irish pub when what we really wanted was a Guinness? Ok, I didn't really want a Guinness, I was there for the food, but why would we want a domestic beer when José really wanted a Guinness. He loves them. We asked our server just to make sure, and even in Sunnyside, Guinness does not count as a domestic beer. So we ordered from the dinner menu. The Sunnyside burger and Shepherd's pie. It was, as I mentioned, very dark inside, so I had a very hard time getting good pictures. I hate using a flash in a restaurant. My not so great pictures of pretty great food-
The Guinness. No description necessary.

Soda bread. Comes with all entrees. It was delicious. Very moist as soda breads go, with plump golden raisins and caraway seeds. Sweet and salty.

Worst picture ever, so I will describe. Thick patty, ordered medium rare, came medium rare, (which doesn't happen often enough). The burger was topped with cheddar cheese, fried onions (these really made the burger) and Irish bacon, crisp and salty flowers of bacon, a huge garnish on an already piled-high plate. The bun was thin and soft, and the burger was accompanied by lettuce, tomatoes, sliced white onions, and 2 pickles. The fries were good, thick cut, mushy on the inside and crispy on the out. I wish we had thought to order the onion rings, which passed by our table at one point and looked amazing, but we were too full to do anything about it.


Shephard's Pie. Delicious. The potato topping was smooth and buttery, the top crisped perfectly. The ground beef was flavorful and well-seasoned, the peas and carrots were fresh, not frozen. It was a very large portion, and I didn't think I would be able to finish it, but even with the burger, we managed to clean both plates. I shouldn't be proud of that, I know. But I kind of am.We sat, ate, and chatted for over an hour, were not rushed at all, and really felt comfortable in our little booth. We talked about how much we liked the place, and how much we liked the neighborhood. It pains me now to think that just a few months ago, Sunnyside was something that I passed on my way home, never thinking to get off the train. The walk back was a history of my journey so far. Such a nice way to spend a slushy afternoon in February. We left the pub, and the neighborhood, full and happy. A little fatter, a little wiser.

PJ Horgan's
4217 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Off Boulevard Exploring, Part Two

There is not much, if any, Middle Eastern food along the 7 train route that I have chosen. Sad, but true. There happens to be, however, in Sunnyside, a magical grocery/halal meats/bakery/take-out/catering place called El Shater, a block away from Queens Blvd on 43rd Street and 43rd Avenue.
As soon as I walked in, I fell in love. It's small, and dark, and the shelves are not filled to capacity, but there are things to buy that I never imagined I could find so close to home. Hookahs and hamsas and hummus. Fruit and nuts. House-made labne, spices, and olives! Oh olives, you are so wonderful.


I ordered a falafel sandwich. For $3.50! The man behind the counter was incredibly friendly. Behind him, the back counter area was covered with half sheet pans full of all sorts of fil0 goodness. Baklava is always a good place to start, so I decided to get a piece, just to see if it was any good. There was a choice of pistachio, walnut, or cashew. I chose walnut, of course (that's the kind my mom makes). Then he threw in a cashew piece, "on me, so that you come back soon". I was already in love, but free baklava pushed me over the edge. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

I got the food home and unwrapped the cylindrical foil package to find this -
Here is a cross section
By the time I actually ate the sandwich, it was no longer warm, and the falafel was a bit soggy. But. The pita was thin and chewy, the sandwich held 4 large, loosely packed falafel balls, chopped lettuce, tahini, hot sauce, and then the best part: thin strips of bright pink pickled turnip, and long slices of pickled cucumber. Each bite had a perfect ratio of sour, spicy, salty, soft, and crunchy.

Next we come to the baklava.
It was flaky and still crispy, wasn't drenched in syrup. I am not a big fan of overly sweet baklava, and this one was fairly dry, with the flavor of the nuts really coming through. The very nice man also mentioned that all of the pastries are made in house, and I believe it.
Total cost of meal: $5. Free baklava or not, I'll be back.

El Shater
43-02 43rd Ave
Sunnyside

Off Boulevard Exploring, Part One

After my disappointing visit to the Cup It franchise, I needed some lunch, and fast. I decided to break from the route and do a little Sunnyside wandering, to places that I'd read about but hadn't planned on visiting. Stop number one, The Butcher Block. The place to go for the Irish ex-pat, longing for a taste of home, so I've heard. I have a hard time resisting snacks from other countries, so I immediately headed over to the chips and chocolate aisle. I picked up quite a selection of snack-y packaged treats (a packet of salt and vinegar flavoured crisps sounds better than a bag of chips, doesn't it?) plus some orange marmalade for my toast, on sale for $1.69.

I then wandered around to the meat section and saw something you don't see everyday in my neighborhood. Irish Breakfast to go.
Blurry, but there it was.

The deli section looked inviting, I could have gone for the shepherd's pie in the display case, or a freshly-made sandwich, but I saw the sign for soup, and then there was no turning back. Beef barley soup on a rainy day, perfect, not to mention the price: small soup $1.50, large soup $1.99!
Once I got home I was able to see how far that $1.5o went.
A rich, beefy broth, soft carrots and celery, earthy bits of barley, and tender chunks of meat.

I love soup.

I have yet to try all of my snacks, but one delightful discovery: Cadbury Flake is exactly the same as my favorite Israeli chocolate-like candy, Elite's mekupelet: I am not the first person to realize this, I found. There is actually a blog post which pits the two candy bars against each other in a taste test, here. There was no winner declared.

My Flake was pretty good.
Despite disappointment, I somehow managed to make it through the day, and though I strayed from the path, I ate some great soup, and made some very important cultural discoveries. I gotta say it was a good day.

The Butcher's Block
43-46 41st Street
Sunnyside

No Corn in Cup?

My plan today was to finally try Corn in Cup. I've been fascinated by the promise of Corn in Cup, Potato in Cup, even Waffle in Cup, since I passed Old Castle Fresh Farms on 39th Street, the very first day of the project. What is it and why is it here?
I can't answer that question, but I could not resist the lovable yellow creature, or the idea of a cup full of corn. With garnishes like sour cream, and chives.


My plan was to leave this specialness for my last week in Sunnyside, a sweet farewell to a great neighborhood. I was going to walk into that store and declare that yes, I would like to cup it. But, no, that goal was not meant to be reached. At least not today. Despite the fact that the entire storefront is plastered with cup it propoganda, I was informed that they will not be serving anything in a cup for at least another month. I left the store dejected, disappointed and hungry, my dreams dashed. No cup, no corn.

Old Castle Fresh Farms
39-50 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

There is a website about how to get your own cup it franchise. I'm still as confused as before, but the intro video is something else. http://www.cupitfood.com/

Back to the Bakery

I took a trip back to La Vienesa for the pastries that caught my eye at the beginning of the week. I am no expert in Colombian baked goods, but I am up for the research. Here is the dedo de queso. Not what I expected at all. It has the best name for what it is: a salty-sweet, soft pastry wrapped around a column of melty white cheese, and some might say it looks like a finger. A tasty, stuffed finger.

Here is the finger, cracked open.

Trying new things: so much fun, especially when salt, butter, and cheese are involved. I splurged and got a sweet too:
The pastel de guayaba y arequipe. Sounded good, I love guava, and I love any sort of caramel-type substance, be it arequipe, dulce de leche, or cajeta. Or candy milk, if you'd like to call it that. I need some help from any Colombian pastry expert out there. Why was the pastel, which had a beautiful crumbly and crispy outside, only filled with a very thin layer of guava? Maybe I got the wrong one but I couldn't find any arequipe. So confused.
I really really really like guava. Here's a picture I took in Hawaii of guavas on the highway.

That's how much I like guavas.


La Vienesa (again)
3944 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

New Post: Queens on a Plate

Part breakfast, part interview this morning at New Post Coffee Shop in Sunnyside. My dining partner today was Molly, a journalism grad student at NYU who is working on a long term project focusing on the neighborhoods, cultures, and people around the 7 train line. She got in touch with me early this week, and I was happy to meet up and spread some Queens love. I got to talk about my project, have someone to eat with, and meet someone new, all over eggs at 9 AM. Win-Win. So we met and talked. Mostly I talked, and she asked questions. And we ate.
New Post is a regular coffee shop/diner with a twist. They have the usual egg and cheese sandwiches, the 2 eggs-hash browns-toast combo. But they also specialize in Irish breakfasts. Full breakfasts with sausages, puddings, beans, tomatoes, the whole thing. Turn the menu over, and there's a Mexican breakfast section. Chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, huevos a la Mexicana. As each new wave of immigrants came into the neighborhood, the coffee shop evolved and accommodated.

I decided to order from the Mexican side, and chose the huevos rancheros. Molly, after much deliberation, went with a 2 egg special. They immediately brought out the sauces for my eggs.

Note the HP sauce and malt vinegar behind them. As I got my camera ready to shoot the food, Molly took out her camera to get a picture of me taking pictures. We got some strange looks from the counter-staff. It was a little ridiculous.

Huevos rancheros. I've never been asked how I want my eggs any further than the usual scrambled, sunny-side, or over easy, but the waitress asked, very specifically, if I wanted them over-medium. I had to say yes. 2 eggs, 3 tortillas, very creamy refried beans, and Mexican rice. Everything tasted good, but the tortillas confused me a little. They weren't fried crispy, and they weren't soft, they were sort of half-fried in oil, which left them pliable yet greasy. For my huevos rancheros, I like the contrast of a crunchy tostada with the oozing yolk and the soft white of the egg, so I did not quite understand the purpose of these tortillas. Otherwise, the two salsas were tasty, the green spicier than the red, the rice was flavorful and pretty authentic, and as I said, the beans were super creamy, and sprinkled with cotija cheese. Good, and filling, for $6.00.
We both got tea, and there are Molly's scrambled eggs, with cheese and bacon in the background.
It was a nice breakfast, and while being interviewed is surreal, I discovered that I really have no problem talking about myself for an hour. Molly is new to the city, and l was ready to answer her questions. Why the 7 train, she asked, why Queens?
Why not Queens? Why has such a vibrant area been ignored, even looked down upon, for so long? I've lived here for 10 years, and am constantly surprised and excited by how much there is to discover and learn about the place where I chose to make my home, the ever-changing borough. And this tiny coffee shop was the perfect place for us to meet, where we found old and new Queens together on one laminated breakfast menu.


New Post Coffee Shop
40 01 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Chicken and Rice again

I found myself eating chicken and rice out of a styrofoam container in secret again today. It's Tuesday, so why not? There were a few key differences however that differentiate this experience from that of 2 weeks ago. Number one: this container was purchased from a Colombian Bakery. Two: the chicken and rice was accompanied by soup and plantains. Three: I ate it while hiding out in an empty classroom, not at a restaurant. I learned my lesson. Sort of. I am still writing about it at 'wichcraft, while I should be going over Carlyle homework (again!) before my Literature of the Industrial Revolution class. And eating tomato soup while doing all of the above. I don't think that this will be the last time, either.
But let's talk about the food.
I walked into La Vienesa Bakery at noon set on ordering a lunch special. I would ignore the pastries and go straight to the meat. Very friendly cashier started with buenos dias then immediately switched to English. Today's soup was vegetable. No problem, veg it was, and would I like just the soup or the whole meal? Of course I wanted the whole meal. That consists of rice, meat, plantains, and soup. For $6.50. Choice of white or yellow rice I chose yellow. Choice of chicken or beef I chose chicken. Did I want the plantains? Most definitely. I meant to check out the steam table offerings more closely, but as usual I got distracted, and this time by the pastries. There was a long, cylindrical offering in the empanada area of the display case that had me fascinated. It looked so crispy, crumbly and delicious, and it was called dedo de queso. Cheese finger! I was in love. Sadly, I only had enough money to cover my lunch special, and before I could figure out how to get my hands on one, my order was up, and I had to run back up to the train and on to class. Cheese finger, you will be mine and soon. And you better be good. Four hours, and a lecture on Alexander the Great later, I set up my lunch on the radiator of classroom 1025, overlooking a snowy Bryant Park.
Don't be fooled by the word vegetable. This was chicken soup, with vegetables in it.
See, chicken.
There were chunks of potatoes, carrots, and celery. Along with some green beans, a few peas and I even found a kernel of corn in there. Lots of cilantro. Good for a wintry day like today. Except that it was cold when I ate it. The radiator warmed it up some.

The meal: lots of rice, roasted chicken, and two large pieces of platano.
Rice was very simple, not much flavor or enough salt. The chicken was good, a large thigh on the bone. Not sure if the skin had originally been crispy but it was salty and tasty, with flecks of red pepper throughout. Platanos maduros: greasy, sweet, and delicious.

The view.
It was a good deal; lots of food, cheap, and very filling.
I don't know if I would go back for the same meal, but I will be going back for some pastries, and soon.

La Vienesa Bakery
3944 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Thai Special

It's so sunny and nice outside today, and it felt great to be walking around again. I was looking for a lunch special to take home with me this afternoon, and I found it at Dee Thai. The lunch special had six appetizer choices and thirteen entrees, for a total of either $7 or $8 depending on the protein chosen. I decided to ask for something that I never ever order: Pad Thai. Why? I don't know, it just happened. I really don't know what came over me, but I sort of panicked and blurted out pad thai when, now, as I am perusing the menu in the privacy of my own home, I see that there are some tasty sounding options like Kow Ka Moo: Stewed pork leg and steamed kana over rice. What's kana? Chinese broccoli, if the internets are to be trusted. Or any of the flat noodle dishes. Or the Pork Chop Garlic: Grilled marinated Pork Chop with Thai herb in garlic sauce. Why was I so hasty in my choices when I could have said "pork chop garlic" out loud? Oh well. I ordered a pad thai and a green curry. Shrimp and chicken, in that order. Green curry is my first Thai love, so at least that made sense. I asked the man who took my order what his favorite appetizers were. He was sort of surprised by the question and mentioned spring rolls and kyo koong tod, a fried wonton with shrimp filling. I asked for both. Again, not sure why. I think I'll blame it on not having left the house since Tuesday. The food was ready quickly, and I walked out of there and up to the train, remembering to crack open the containers with the fried apps so they wouldn't get soggy on the way home. Pro: heat radiated up from the bag keeping my left side warm. Con: I smelled like shrimp. Also, why was the Flushing bound 7 packed at 12:20 on a Friday afternoon? Anyway, here's the loot.
Spring Rolls were still crispy. Otherwise, just regular old spring rolls.


These were crispy too. Very light. Lots of wonton and very little filling, but that was ok with me.

The curry, a full pint of it, plus rice. A reverse of the wontons, much more chicken and veg than liquid. As far as green curries go, it was on the water-y side, with very little spice. Lots of bamboos shoots, which I love. Not as complex a flavor as a curry that you could get, say, in Woodside, a few stops down.

The pad thai. Still not sure why I ordered it. If the perfect plate of Thai noodles should hit the sweet, salty, spicy and sour notes, this one was more sweet than anything else. For $8 it was a good deal - four wontons as an app, and a container full of noodles topped with four nice-sized shrimp.
This is me still wondering why I ordered pad thai. And enjoying my tea. I didn't go in expecting to be wowed, I was just looking for a lunch deal and that's what I got, and for just under $15 for 2 two-course meals, I'm not complaining. Dee Thai definitely deserves another trip, eaten there, and with some better ordering. But there are more Thai restaurants on the route, so I got to keep on moving.

Dee Thai
46-17 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Diner!

I am a huge diner fan. I have been since I spent my formative years at the lovely Acropolis Dinner in beautiful Poughkeepsie, NY. What else do teenagers do in the suburbs? We had few options, and would spend hours over a few cups of coffee, maybe a plate of fries if we were feeling rich. Either there or Denny's. But anyway, teenage hangout or favorite place to get sunnyside up eggs for breakfast, I am a loyal diner kind of person. When I lived in Astoria, I switched between Michael's and Sanford's. Since Corona, it's been the Georgia Diner. But now, thanks to the project, I am able to expand my range, and the first diner (and there aren't many more) is Pete's Grill on 39th and QB.
My biggest decision, once it passes noon, is do I go for eggs or for lunch. I always go in wanting eggs, but then I get distracted by the platters of fries and sandwiches and soups that parade by as I peruse the menu. So today, we got to the diner around 12:30 and sure enough, I lost my focus and ordered a sandwich. A turkey club, to be exact. Which is one of my top picks in any diner. Something to do with my childhood, perhaps (Jeffrey Markel, if you read this maybe you can elaborate). I got the turkey club, José ordered a chicken club panini. Fancy.
We moved to a corner booth after ordering, once it became free, and waited. The place was packed. Busiest lunch I've hit so far in my month of lunching. Everyone had huge salads or sandwiches on their tables, and they all seemed like regulars. We had a great runner, and José immediately made friends with him, as usual. His name was José too.
So the food:
Turkey Club on Whole wheat. Tasted like a turkey club from a diner! To be expected: mealy winter tomatoes. That goes with the territory, so I can not complain. This is not a local, seasonal kind of place. The turkey was on the dry side, which may not make for the most delicious sandwich but is good in a nostalgic kind of way. Here is where it stood out though: super crispy bacon, and the fries were great. Take a look.
Extra crispy, some with the peel still on. Mmm diner fries.
José 's sandwich was fine, he said. Nothing special.
I had a bite, and had to agree. Bacon wasn't as crispy in the panini as in the club.
Why mess with a classic? There were murals of Greek ocean views on the walls, comfy booths, and bottomless cups of coffee. Diners make me happy. What more can I say?

Pete's Grill
39-14 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

$5 Secret Chicken and Rice

Today would have to be one of the most challenging entries to date, made even harder by the fact that I am trying to write this in the seven minutes I have before I need to get to my next class (I think I forgot to mention in my first post that I am a full-time student as well as unemployed chef etc.). It seemed like a great idea to stop and grab some lunch on my way to school this afternoon from Halal Kabab & Grill on 39th St, thinking that I would have at least 20 minutes to eat before heading in. But alas, that thinking was wishful, and I ended up carrying a white plastic bag filled with chicken and rice with white and hot sauce around with me for the past 4 hours. Through a trip on the 7 into midtown, two and a half hours of gender roles in ancient Greece, a rush on the shuttle and the R train to get down to campus, and then finally to my favorite place to do homework on 8th street, 'wichcraft, where I proceeded to secretly eat this chicken and rice from the styrofoam container within my canvas schoolbag while reading Signs of the Times by Thomas Carlyle for my Literature in the Industrial Revolution class. This resulted in a bag full of rice, a case of indigestion, and a distinct disdain but a longing for mechanization.
That being said, the lunch was pretty good, and for $5 I have no complaints.

The chicken was seasoned well (vague, I know), and it seemed to be a mixture of dark and white meat. Please bear in mind that it had been sitting around for half the day, so I may be missing some of the nuances of a freshly made lunch. The sauce in that time had been completely absorbed by the chicken, so I can't say much about it. The rice was nicely spiced, although it would be difficult at this point to tell you what those spices were, as I shoveled it down so fast in between spoonfuls of the tomato soup that I actually purchased here while trying not to get caught by an employee for eating outside food (it really wasn't nice of me, I know). Each long grain of the rice was separate from the next, in a good way, and it has now become a filling and cheap dinner instead of lunch. Very similar to the Halal carts in JH such as the famous Sammy's, but I am not going to say which is better, as I don't think I can really judge anything that I ate under such strange circumstances. I will try it again sometime, definitely.

Halal Kabab & Grill
39 Street, Queens Blvd (that's what the menu says, I'll get a specific address later)
Sunnyside

Tea Time

After our filling meal at Yeti, I thought it might do us some good to walk a bit and look for a little something sweet. There's not much in the way of bakeries on the way down to the 40th St. stop, except La Vienesa Colombian Bakery, but I didn't want to relive my Buen Sabor experience, so I'll go there when I'm good and hungry. We almost gave up, David and I, but on the corner of 40th and QB there is a place called RA, and I have been curious about it since I made my initial exploratory trip. What could it be? It calls itself a cafe and lounge. Could it be a hookah place? Could I be lucky enough to have an Egyptian cafe on the trail? We decided to walk in. It is not an Egyptian place, and we were sort of confused as to what it was as we sat down on one of the couches. It is definitely less of a cafe and more of a bar. There was a couple sitting at the bar with drinks, and another couple sitting at one of the tall tables in the middle, picking at a plate of fries. The place was dark, the back half was very lounge-y with banquettes, and the music was fairly loud. The bartender came out and handed us menus, and I have not seen such an eclectic menu in quite some time. There were all sorts of items, from turkey burgers stuffed with apples to a falafel platter to their signature dessert: a chocolate mousse pyramid filled with molten caramel. For $7 an order, I wasn't able to solve the mystery of how one might fill something cold such as mousse with something hot such as molten caramel, since I had $5 cash and that was all I was willing to spend after dinner. But there was something so earnest about the place, and it didn't feel right to walk out, so I went up to the bar and ordered two teas. The bartender repeated the order, as if she didn't quite hear right, and perhaps that is the strangest thing possible to order in a place like that, but a few minutes later, a very nice runner came out with two plates that looked like this, and please forgive the picture, which was taken on my phone:It was quite the setup for a cup of tea, and we were both surprised and pleased. Our own pitcher of milk! Plus a rocher! The little things in life. Can a small chocolate and hazelnut candy make someone happy? The answer to that is a resounding yes. We finished our tea and chocolate, and when I walked up to the bar to pay, asked the manager/owner looking guy how long they've been open. Just a month, he said. I need to take a walk past the place on a Friday or Saturday night and see what really goes on. I'm not sure who their ideal clientele are, but whoever they may be, I hope they show up.

Ra Cafe and Lounge
3917 Queens Boulevard
Sunnyside

Yeti of Hieizan Japanese and Nepalese Cuisine

What to say about dinner tonight? David and I met in Elmhurst and walked all the way down to Sunnyside in the snow, and the wind, stopping for a pair of socks for my cold and sockless brother along the way. I was excited. I've never had food from Nepal, or been to a Japanese-Nepalese restaurant in Queens, or a place called Yeti, so it was a first on all levels. As soon as we opened the door, it was another world. Warm, wood paneled, with intimate booths decorated in a strange (or not so strange, considering the name) mix of woven mats from Nepal and Japanese prints on the wall. I had done all kinds of research this morning, looking for advice, dishes, posting on chowhound with little luck, except a warning to stay away from the sushi. Easy enough, the Japanese half of the menu was not what I was looking for. So armed with a few names of dishes that I looked up online, I began to order. First off, samaya bajee, an appetizer sampler, listed on the menu as choila, bhutun, bhatmas, chiura and achar. We didn't know what to expect, but it came out in a bento box looking like this:

Here is the wikipedia definition of choila:
Choila is a typical Newari dish that consists of grilled water buffalo. It is considered a necessary part of the diet among the Newari people along with several other ingredients.
That isn't very helpful, is it? We did not get water buffalo, but we did have beef, cold chunks of it, marinated and spiced with red chili.
Chiura, as far as I can tell, is beaten rice, or rice flakes, "a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes". They are meant to be mixed into things, like the following dishes.
Bhatmas according to Yeti are stir fried dried soybeans/peanuts
They were definitely soybeans, toasted and crunchy, stir fried with a little oil, hot green chilies, garlic, and onions. It was addictive and would make a great bar snack.
Bhutun, say Yeti, are sauteed stomake, intestine, liver, with garlic, onion and nepali herbs. Of which animal? I would have to say mutton. Apparently, 2 of the 3 Markel children like to eat stomake (I'll have to ask my older brother how he feels about it). The pieces of various innards were chewy and crunchy, especially with the beaten rice mixed in.
Achar I'd had before, it was the one familiar thing on the plate, a nice pickle.

Next up, a Nepali Thali. Our guide for the night, our very pleasant waiter, advised us to get a thali if we wanted something authentic. He recommended the beef thali, but then he recommended beef for everything. The man really likes beef. So we got mutton for a little variety.
A pile of rice, potato and string bean curry, sauteed mustard spinach, dal, the mutton, more pickle, and rice pudding. All for $11.95. I particularly liked the spicy greens, David enjoyed the potatoes,and we both were surprised by the very gingery dal, after having been warned that Nepali dal is sometimes lacking in flavor.

A close up of the mutton
The mutton did have a lamb-y taste, but not quite as strong as we were expecting. Lots of bones. We both agreed that we liked it, but the sauce was very rich (butter, I presume), and as it grew colder, got thicker and even richer.
Pickle close up.

We wanted to try all sorts of different things, so we kept ordering.
Out came the soup:
Also endorsed by our waiter friend, who told us that their soups were special since the noodles were all handmade, was the thinduk. We couldn't resist ordering a large bowl full. The noodles were flat and wide, and had a nice texture to them. There were slices of radish, chopped scallions, and more of the greens, plus bits of mutton floating throughout in a mild broth that smelled just like brisket cooking on Passover (and David backed me up on that one).

Lastly, the momo. By the time these came out, the manager had dimmed the lights so much that I couldn't get a good shot. We got the mixed order, although if it were up to our waiter they would have been all beef. He really likes beef. He told us. There were veg, pork, chicken, and of course beef. There was some confusion as to which was which, but with so many sauces to dip them into, it didn't really matter.
David and I were both so happy to be eating something that was slightly familiar but at the same time completely new. With each dish brought to the table, we looked at each other, smiling but hesitant. We had nothing to compare it to, but it was fun. Should we like it, did we like it? The only way to answer that is to embark on a food tour of Nepal. Or maybe Jackson Heights.

Yeti of Hieizan
43-16 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside

Samosas in Sunnyside

It was with some hesitation that I decided to tackle the next restaurant of the route. Sonali Cuisine seemed perfect: it's on 44th street and Queens Blvd, it adds some variety by not being Turkish or Korean, and I'm always in the mood for Indian food, or Bengali as the case may be. Plus there's a huge poster on the window with a glowing review from the Village Voice. Sounds great. However, when I began my customary research on the place, I came across some horrible, really bad reviews. My favorite one ended: "Someone else please go there just to CONFIRM the SUCKINESS" (yelp Oct09). Well, if you put it that way...
There were complaints about the emptiness, the microwaving of the food, the small portions. Chowhounders weren't too into it, only one person on Yelp said it was worth going to, but Robert Sietsema made it sound so irresistible. I can't let a good review or a bad one shake me, though. It's about the route and the experience, and a bad restaurant will only make for a good story, right? Right?
So with slight trepidation José and I went there for dinner on Friday night.
It was empty, aside from a man with his computer and a cup of tea who alternated between nodding off in his chair and checking his email. But it was only 5 pm (earlybirds that we are), and there did seem to be a pretty brisk delivery business. I knew that I wanted the butter chicken, after having read in the VV that it was "unspeakably rich" and made with "gobs of butter". Otherwise, we would leave it up to the staff. Whatever they might recommend, we would get. That was the plan and we stuck with it.

The waitress was very nice, I'm not saying she wasn't, but here were our recs:


Samosas, 1 meat, 1 veg.


I liked the chunkiness of the potatoes, and the green sauce was good. And I do love a good samosa. But there were all kinds of other things on the menu that would have been more exciting. I guess we look boring. I'm ok with that, but I think I need a new tactic.


Butter Chicken. I got it, it was definitely butter-y.

Vindaloo. Her rec for José. I guess she could see in his eyes that he wanted something spicy, because she said the vindaloo was hot, and had chunks of potatoes. He nodded his head and made it so. It wasn't very spicy at all, but it had a touch of heat, thankfully (if it had been for me, who knows?). It was well seasoned, the potatoes were cooked nicely, and the chicken was pretty moist.
The rice was definitely basmati, contrary to one reviewer that said it was just long grain rice.
It was perfectly good, plain rice.

Garlic Naan. Chewy, crispy, fresh. I watched through the tiny window into the kitchen as disembodied hands (it was a very small window) stretched out naan dough, so I knew it was house made. The waitress recommended the garlic bread because "it has a smell to it" and I know she meant that in the best possible way.
The meal was not terrible, and that was a huge relief. Yes, they used the microwave to heat our tea, the samosas, and maybe even the rice. But they do that at half of the snack places in Jackson Heights. And it was pretty empty. And I've had bigger portions at other places. But it was fun. We enjoyed watching the man in the corner fall asleep on his laptop, the staff was very helpful and friendly, although they might want to keep in mind that there are some slightly more adventurous eaters out there in the world, we had a nice dinner, and the bill was around $25. Maybe it's better to go in with lowered expectations, or maybe I'm not being picky enough, but I can not confirm the suckiness.

Sonali Cuisine
44-13 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside