Chicken n’ Rice- 53rd and 6th

People at work were passionately debating a topic one day.  As I listened, all I could make out was what sounded to me like a compound word, “Chickenrice.”  Back and forth.  “53rd is a classic.”  “No, Sammy’s was voted best cart!”  I’ve only eaten from a couple of Halal carts in the city, and neither were 53rd or Sammy’s.  So last night after work we ventured into the city for Chicken n’ Rice at 53rd (and yes, they do actually have a Wikipedia article).  As we drove from Long Island to the city, I came to understand the importance of 53rd.  My coworkers would drive into the city on the weekends just to eat Chicken n’ Rice, and they’d have it multiple days during the weekdays if they were in the city already.  Jonatan said, “My mom always asks me why I need to go all the way into the city to eat.  When I tell her that it’s Chicken n’ Rice she tells me that she’ll make me chicken and rice.  It is not the same, ma!”

We finally made it to the Southwest corner of 53rd and 6th.  My friends were messing with me.  They said, “It’s like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld.  You can’t say anything to them!  Just kidding.”  We got there somewhat early, around 11pm.  The line was still very short.  $6 got me a large container of rice with chicken and lamb.  It comes also with salad and pita bread.  Sauce is on the side for you to add yourself.  The white sauce went on it without hesitation but I decided not to mess with the hot sauce.  I was warned that it is extremely hot.  It was a hot night, had a long day at work, and the iconic Chicken n’ Rice really hit the spot.

I grew up in California making midnight runs to Little Cesar’s, Taco Bell, and In-N-Out Burger.  If I grew up in New York, you bet I would have made midnight runs to 53rd.  Up next:  Sammy’s in Jackson.  My other co-worker insists on the comparison.  I’m glad he’s coming with me because there are so many Halal carts in Jackson Heights, I can’t tell which one is Sammy’s!

Swad- Just Heat and Eat!

I’ve been living off these heat ‘n eat dishes that I found at the Indian grocery store.  Trader Joe’s has their own brand but the ones I’ve been getting are made by Swad (Micro Curry) and they sell them for a whopping ninety-nine cents!  Peas Pulov, Dal Makhani, Baingan Bharta.  They call Baingan Bharta the Baba Ganoush of India on the back of the package.   Each packet contains 2-3 servings. Hot, spicy, and convenient.  Life saver!  They’re even all natural with no preservatives and Kosher!  Really?!?

What's for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Indian Taj

Indian Taj on 74th Street, Jackson Heights

I had a chance to try the buffet at Indian Taj on 74th Street in Jackson Heights.  I really liked their curry goat and chili chicken.  Great flavor, although I don’t claim to be an experienced Indian food diner.  The fresh nan that they brought around during the meal was delicious as well.  My friend Leigh ordered a Gin & Tonic.  Next time I will order a lassi which looked quite refreshing.  I’ve only tried mango lassi before but I’ve never tried the plain one.  Something to look forward to!

Neighborhood Potluck with Bruce Lee

When I walk into my apartment building at dinner time, I always smell curry on the side where the mailboxes are and fish on the other side.  Even within my building, let alone the rest of Elmhurst, there is an incredible amount of diversity that can be captured with the senses.  I absolutely love the fact that at my apartment building’s potluck we had Filipino meat loaf, Filipino fruit salad, chick peas with broccoli made by and Indian neighbor, KFC, French Fries, pasta salad, baked pasta, fruit, pecan pie and Filipino cakes dessert. I was too lazy and it was too hot for me to cook anything so I just brought some fries from the Chinese place around the corner. I thought about getting plantains from them but I was in the mood for potatoes.  Yes, I know- a Chinese place and plantains?  [See the next post.]  The potluck was a great chance to meet some of my neighbors and I even got a recipe for Indian cauliflower with onion.  Ah, I really need to start learning the names of these dishes!  I’m not very good at remembering names sometimes.  That is why I appreciate the Chinese guy who’s lived in the building for years and knows Kung Fu.  He said to me, “Just call me Bruce Lee.”  Hey, that works!

Feel Like Indian Food? Go to a diner.

Jackson Diner is a fairly well known dining establishment in New York City, specifically Queens.  But, the surprising and fun fact is that Jackson Diner serves Indian Food (because most of the diners in New York are Greek diners).  I have only recently begun to open my palette to Indian food and I learned a little bit about it while dating an Indian guy.  There are so many different states/regions and styles of Indian cuisine.  I recently leafed through a book that broke down the cuisine by region (North, South, East, West, and Central).  In the U.S., however, just like Chinese food, the regional differences go undifferentiated for the most part.

All that to say that I really enjoyed the food at Jackson Diner but I can’t really say much else about it.  The condiments that came with the thin crispy bread (please inform me if you know what I’m talking about) were out of this world.  They brought us sweet peppers made spicy, a sweet red salsa, and a green salsa.  For entrees, we had Chicken Tikka Masala and Saag Paneer with rice accompanied by a thick lentil sauce and a thin yogurt sauce.

Jackson Diner Bread

The Jackson Diner menu and the beautiful Lea

There are a ton of Indian buffets and restaurants on 74th street in Jackson Heights, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, oh yes, and also a great Indian grocery store.  Other places to get good Indian food, I’ve heard, are in the East Village and parts of Jersey, such as the Journal Square area.   There’s a joke that I heard on a scavenger hunt through Watson Adventures that all the restaurants on Little India Row on 6th Street in the East Village use the same kitchen!