The Archives

Greenwich Village, Street Eats
A Dilemma at the Dosa Cart – NYC
09.04.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Since I heard about NY Dosas (a.k.a. the Dosa Cart) in Washington Square Park five years ago, I’ve been on the hunt for the cart. For some reason or another, Thiru Kumar’s cart has always eluded me. It was either I went the wrong day (he’s there on Saturdays, not Sundays), or the wrong time of the year (he sometimes vacations in the summer in Canada, and in the colder months he doesn’t always make it to the city). A few months ago, I was on the way home from jogging on the Williamsburg Bridge, when I happened to see a car just getting off the bridge with the dosa cart in tow. I was tempted to follow the car like a mad dog, but I was suspicious it would be another wild goose chase, so I headed home instead. I have to maintain some dignity, or at least pretend to, after all. But a month ago, I decided to chance it again, and left to the park on my lunch break, and BINGO! It was dosa time! MORE »
Jackson Heights, Restaurants, Small Shops
A Late Lunch at Thakali Kitchen – NYC
08.28.09 | Permalink | 1 Comment

For the longest time, my friend Simrit had been telling me about Thakali Kitchen, a Nepalese & Tibetan restaurant in Jackson Heights. I’ve had limited experience with Tibetan food; once in Vegas at Himalayan Cuisine for flavorful lamb momos (dumplings), and once on Houston Street at a tiny restaurant for bland watered down curry. The former was good, the latter, not so much. But since my Vegas memory was more recent, I happily made my way to Jackson Heights from Times Square, and got there only one hour late. (Thank you E train for failing so miserably and so consistently every weekend!) MORE »
Murray Hill, Restaurants
Dinner at Chinese Mirch – NYC
07.16.09 | Permalink | 10 Comments

Taste is highly subjective and often influenced by nostalgia and fond childhood memories. For example, my brother loves General Tso’s chicken, the pervasive dish found at most Chinese take-outs in America, but found nowhere in China. Me, I wouldn’t order it unless it was the only thing on the menu at the last restaurant left standing after the apocalypse. That said, to a certain extent, I like similarly battered, fried, and viscous sauce-coated foods at Korean-Chinese restaurants. [Ganpoog sehwoo (깐풍새우, fried shrimp in a spicy soy ginger sauce) is my favorite, but tangsooyook (탕수육, sweet and sour beef) reminds me of eating out when I was a kid. We used to order it a lot because my brother liked it.] It is what is. Chinese fast-food interpreted for another culture. If you don’t expect an authentic gourmet meal, you won’t be disappointed.

This was the case when I went to Chinese Mirch (an Indian-Chinese restaurant in Curry Hill) with Simrit, one of my besties from Parsons. She warned me in advance. “You won’t like it, it’s something Indian people crave because they grew up with it” she said, but I didn’t really understood until a few bites into the meal. MORE »
Midtown, Street Eats
Chicken Kati Rolls at The Biryani Cart – NYC
06.12.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

King Koti Roll @ The Biryani Cart

“I’m here for the world famous kati roll.”

This is what I heard behind me as I stood engulfed in a sea of nondescript dress shirts and khakis. No, they didn’t start selling kati rolls at Banana Republic, I was waiting in front of the Biryani Cart a week after they were mentioned in the New York Times. Not sure what I was thinking, but hunger sometimes clouds a otherwise sensible mind. About twenty minutes later, I got my order and I was off with two kati rolls in tow. MORE »
Announcements, Murray Hill, Small Shops
Jalebis at Curry in a Hurry & 3 Buck Bites – NYC
05.05.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

After a mouth-scorching meal in Curry Hill, I always crave something sweet, something intensely sweet to counter the fire burning in my belly. My favorite Indian sweets are jalebis. At Curry in a Hurry, these sticky saffron-hued coils of fried batter are crispy on the outside and soaked with sugary syrup on the inside. Sold by the pound, around eight to ten jalebis — more than a sane person can eat in one sitting — will cost you about $2.38 ($7/pound). Jalebis are great paired with a cup of hot masala chai, but I gobbled these down with a disgusting chai latte at the Starbucks in the Union Square Barnes & Nobles because the BF wanted to read. The things you do for love. MORE »
Chinatown, Midtown, Street Eats
Summer Cravings – NYC
07.24.08 | Permalink | Comment?

Chicken Biryani from the Biryani Cart

Summer cravings are a strange thing for me. I never know what I’ll crave. Usually it’ll be something really flavorful, because when it’s so hot out, I lose my appetite and I need something strong to awaken my taste buds. Last year, all I ever wanted to eat was chicken biryani from the biryani cart on 46th Street. Delicious dark meat chicken and basmati rice flavored with chili peppers and heavy on the cardamom, what more could you ask for? Maybe some of the mango pickles they throw in… MORE »