Ethnic food recommendations in NYC

[La Niña]

I'll start, of course, with pizza. There is really only one pizzeria in NYC worth venturing forth for - and that's DiFara. It's on Avenue J & E. 15th St., in Midwood, Brooklyn. Less than one block from the Q train stop at Avenue J. There's a thread on DiFara's just a few threads down - so I'll let that thread speak for itself.

More suggestions, and I'll elaborate later (and please everybody, don't wait for me...):

Kabab Cafe - wonderful eclectic Egyptian magic in Astoria, Queens (find the most recent thread on it)

Spicy & Tasty - in Flushing - Szechuan

Waterfalls Cafe - Syrian place on Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

the good Korean grill place in Flushing (scamhi will know the name I can't remember right now)

100 Dumpling House - in Flushing

Banh Mi place - An Dong - in Sunset Park (Brooklyn)

Sripraphai (best Thai in NYC - it's in Woodside, Queens)

Ihawan - great Philipino bbq place - also in Woodside, Queens

Tangra Masala - unusual Indian/Chinese fusion in Flushing

Plenty of Manhattan Chinatown recs, too, if you want those. Good falafel in Manhattan: Azuri, Mamoun's, Rainbow

[Ron Johnson]

The outer boroughs seem chock-full of great ethnic places. Where does one go in Manhattan? Any suggestions there aside from the ones Nina has already named?

[La Niña]

Ron - what kind of food? While one *can* find *decent* ethnic food in Manhattan, it's not going to be as good as the ethnic food one finds in the communities where the people of whatever-ethnicity-you're-eating actually live. The restaurants in those communities are catering to an ethnic population, not to others - it makes a huge difference - not only in food, but in feeling and atmosphere.

Don't be afraid of a 20 minute subway ride. It's no big deal for most of these places - and they're all close to the subway.

I'll be happy to advise you (or whomever) on your transportation, etc.

Edited February 20, 2003 by La Niña (log)

[ajay]

Dimple Chaat used to be quite amazing not only for their chaat items but also for their sarson ka saag (Punjabi style greens) served with maaki ki roti (flat bread made with corn).

Also, Grand Sizuchan (the hell's kitchen branch is the only one i have experience with) is usually spot on and quite tasty. I have not yet made inroads into Chinatown but I plan to. Incidently, I get the sense that the best chinese in the city at least is to be foundin Chinatown rather than the outerboroughs.

[BillSpace]

Thanks for the extensive recommendations, Nina. Much to consider.

Is there a cuisine around I'm not likely to have experienced before? I'm intrigued by the Indian/Chinese fusion idea.

Also: if any of your recommendations are near an attraction that a tourist might enjoy -- trendy shops, cool museums, architectural marvels -- that might tip the scales in their favor.

Thanks again to the whole forum for its generous outpouring of informed opinion.

[Ron Johnson]

The restaurants in those communities are catering to an ethnic population, not to others - it makes a huge difference - not only in food, but in feeling and atmosphere. 

Don't be afraid of a 20 minute subway ride.  It's no big deal for most of these places - and they're all close to the subway.

I'll be happy to advise you (or whomever) on your transportation, etc.

Thats true and is the case in my town as well. I guess I will chance the subway.

My ethnic preferences are Thai, authentic Szechuan, Vietnamese, Korean, Lebanese, Indian, and other middle eastern types.

[Charles Smith]

There's very good Korean in Manhattan- centered on Koreatown in the low 30's west of fifth ave.-

Kang Suh and Mandoo Bar are my favorites. As for outer borough culture- MoMA is now in Queens, PS1 is a great museum in Queens, the Brooklyn Museum is a very good museum. During the day, it's great to take the subways out- a lot are aboveground, with great city views- you really get a feel for all of NYC that way.

Cheers,

Charles

[Joy]

Nina--Tangra is in Elmhurst

[nervousnelli]

Laifood on Prince St in Flushing is also a little known gem among outer borough eateries.

[scamhi]

the good Korean grill place in Flushing (scamhi will know the name I can't remember right now)

That would be Jang Tuh- korean BBQ real coals on 37th Ave in Flushing off Main Street

[ajay]

Ron,

For really excellent Indian (particularly tandoori) I highly recommend Diwan (there has been much discussion on this board). While Diwan does cost a bit more than the average Indian place, judicious ordering (i.e. avoiding beverages appetizers and desserts) can bring the cost of the meal under controll.

I think that those willing to put up with the somewhat austere surroundings of Dimple Chaat are likely to be happy with the food.

An intersting sort of cuisine that I've encountered is that Dosa place in SoHo, Hampton Chutney? where they fill really well made (in terms of batter and crispness) dosas with some nonstandard and quite tasty fillings. Also, the sambaar and rassam are rumored to be good (I'm not a huge daal fan so I typically eschew the stuff when i go out). However, the chutneys leave much to be desired.

[Lex]

Nina, thanks for your excellent suggestions. I've been to Spicy and Tasty a number of times and can vouch for its quality.

I find it a bit ironic that a thread designed to suss out ethnic food in the outer boroughs boomeranged back to Manhattan immediately. I'm trying to figure out why.

My guess is that the overwhelming majority of New York area Egullet posters are Manhattan residents who would prefer to eat in convenient locations. I can't really blame them. The downside is that outside of yourself, postings about outer borough restaurants are almost entirely absent from the site unless they concern one of the regular "restaurant safaris" that you organize or the periodic Peter Luger threads.

Your thoughts?

Edit - spelling

Edited February 21, 2003 by Lex (log)

[ajay]

Well gee, the the thread is titled Ethnic food recommendations in NYC. While La Nina highly recommends the outer boroughs, I don't think the thread is meant to disparage Manhattan. It is true that part of the reason that I don't have more outer borough recommendations is that I am disinclined to get out there, but in a number of cases, I believe the products available in Manhattan are basically superior to those of the Outer Boroughs. I will stick to Indian food because I have some experience with the food available in Jackson Heights (the primary Indian food mecca in the outer boroughs) and based on my experience, I can state that I unequivocally believe the chaat type items available at dimple are superior to those on offer in Jackson Heights (with the exception of Rajbhog Kulfi) and that the cuisine available at Diwan is simply head and shoulders above anything Indian I've tasted anywhere in the States.

So be careful with your anti-Manhattan feelings and read thread titles more carefully in the future.

[La Niña]

ajay, if you're largely inexperienced eating ethnic food in the outer boroughs, I might suggest that you don't know enough to make these comparisons and generalizations.

Dimple in Jackson Heights is better than the one in Manhattan. I also have greatly enjoyed Student Biryani, and the chaat at Maharaja Sweets is very good. There are other Indian places which I will talk about later on. I have heard wonderful things about a new-ish place called Rajdhani in Woodside. Although I really enjoy the food at Diwan, it is quite upscale (both the food and the atmosphere) relative to most Indian places, and does not provide a typical neighborhood Indian eating experience by any means. And if we're really talking about great Indian food away from NYC - that strip in NJ right above Jersey City - some of the best Indian food I've ever had (somebody remind me the name of the town and that main strip...)

I haven't even begun to talk about the Brazilian and Columbian and Ecuadoran places in those neighborhoods...and Astoria - all the middle eastern stuff there...

You will notice that the subtitle of this thread is "outer boroughs strongly recommended."

Edited February 20, 2003 by La Niña (log)

[Lex]

Ajay, I am not trying to start a fight, I was asking a question. Since Nina included the phrase "Outer boroughs strongly recommended" in the threaqd title I thought it was more than appropriate to address this aspect of her post, in spite of your advice to "read thread titles more carefully in the future."

I also said "The downside is that outside of yourself (Nina), postings about outer borough restaurants are almost entirely absent from the site unless they concern one of the regular "restaurant safaris" that you (Nina) organize or the periodic Peter Luger threads."

If you are disputing this, please point out the large number of outer borough restaurant threads that I have missed since becoming a regular reader of this site last July.

[La Niña]

Lex, you're right about most people being in Manhattan and wanting convenience. But a lot of the time, that means that people will justify their desire for convenience by convincing themselves that they're not missing out on better food or experience. I'm used to it. So I go when I go, and take people with me, and c'est la vie. Their loss. It takes 20 minutes from midtown to Sripraphai, for example. But somehow that border to another borough is a psychological obstacle for a lot of people. I don't get it. I'm just grateful that I don't suffer from that particular affliction.

With that...I am off to Sugiyama, a respectable Manhattan establishment.

Edited February 20, 2003 by La Niña (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Re Astoria, it is a given fact that you *cannot* get better Greek food in NYC than certain places in that neighborhood.

Although I lived there for a little over seven years, I cannot recommend any place now as I have not kept up on the Greek food scene there.

I used to be able to recommend S'Agapo (sp), but I'm not sure if they've declined. Uncle Nick's is good only for their lemon potatoes. (Their roast chicken is passable.)

There's a wonderful Greek bakery/teahouse/coffeeshop on the corner of Broadway and either 34th or 33rd Street. It's the one with the glass enclosure and green/silver lighting -- I can't remember the name though. The bakery is adjacent to the tea house itself. I highly recommend their version of spinach pie -- the Greek spelling escapes me now.

SA

[ajay]

La Nina,

I don't disagree with you re Diwan it isn't the first thing that would pop into my head as a purely ethnic restaurant with connotations of slightly cheesey decour and very low prices (but often with a high level of preparation, though often inferior ingredients). However, I believe DIwan is leaps and bounds above almost anything else out there and since as I attempted to argue careful ordering can keep the cost of meal at Diwan to reasonable if still absolutley high levels (i.e. $35 per person sans beverage), I believe it is worthy of inclusion in any serious discussion of ethnic foods.

I'm not trying to disparage food in the outer boroughs, but I think you and I will have to agree to disagree on the quality of some places in Jackson Heights. To wit, (based on an admitedly small number of visits) I believe the Manhattan branch of DImple is superior to the Jackson Heights version. I have not heard anyting about either student biryani or Rajdhani (I'm inclined to give the latter a try just because of the name), I have had too many mediocre to unsatisfying meals at other places in Jackon Heights including Mauriya the jackson Diner Delhi Durbar etc etc. Thus, it is possible that I have not hit all of the gems in Jackson Heights, but based on a reasonably large sample size over about two years, I feel comfortable rejecting it as an excellent place for Indian food. However, I suppose I would not be averse to trying the new places you mention--though I continue to believe my generalization (at least with respect to Indian food) is basically accurate: you can get as good if not better Indian in manhattan without having to go to the outer boroughs.

I will gladly defer to you on all other types of cuisines as you're clearly an acknowledged expert, though again, my sense (apparently erroneous, I guess) was that Chinatown really had the best concentration of truly outstanding Chinese. (DSGG and Sweet and Tart are high on my list of places to try).

Finally, as to the notion of eating good Indian in Jersey, I will readily admit that I am too lazy to consider it. Without a personal vehicle I find getting around in jersey to be an incredible pain in the ass and generally refuse to do it. Plus, based on my experience in Edison, there was nothing that warranted a special effort. i have no idea what area you're referring to Nina, though I would love to hear more.

Ditto on the other types of ethnic cuisine you mentioned.

Lex, sorry about being snappy; I had just finished something for a deadline and was just a bit discombobulated.

[La Niña]

I'm not positive, but I believe Queens has a significantly larger Chinese population than Manhattan (Chinatown), and the number of excellent, authentic Chinese restaurants of various kinds may well exceed Chinatown. And there are several excellent Chinese restaurants in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), which is a Chinese community growing quite rapidly.

And another thing about Diwan: yes, the food is good, but it's an upscale yuppified restaurant. How often does your average guy in Bombay eat a venison chop?

Edited February 21, 2003 by La Niña (log)

[Joy]

Corona, Queens would be worth a visit alone:

Corona Heights Pork Store 107-04 Corona Ave: Chicken Parm Sub is outta this world. It takes like 15 minutes to make and while you're waiting, expect to be plied with lots of "samples." They're real smart there, one taste of anything you try will result in an immediate sale. Also has fresh mozzarella, home made sausages, etc etc.

Leos Latticini--Heros, heros, heros. Home made fresh mozz that I actually prefer to CHPS.

La Espiga, 42-13 102nd Street--Really fine Mexican.

7 Train to 103rd Street--Corona Plaza is maybe 30 min from Grand Central.

[tommy]

my question remains: what means "yuppified"? people in suits who dress appropriately for the restaurant? people in white collar jobs? people with jobs? i just don't get it. not very descriptive to me, and, i'm sure, to others. but it seems to say a lot to some, as the term is thrown around to suggest something bad or negative.

[Joy]

Yuppified is like pornography: you know it when you see it.

Edited February 22, 2003 by Joy (log)

[g.johnson]

Yuppified suggests corrupted or cheapened in some way which Diwan is not.

[=Mark]

Interesting in that the phrase Yuppie originated like 20 years ago as a vaguely perjorative label for young adults that had achieved a certain level of corporate income. You would have to assume that these folks have aged somewhat, and that the folks being referred to these days are likely to actually be "Yuppie Puppies."

They can be identified by their propensity to take out their cell phones and place them on the restaurant table upon being seated...

[tommy]

They can be identified by their propensity to take out their cell phones and place them on the restaurant table upon being seated...

which clearly speaks volumes about the talent of the kitchen and staff.