Angon

[ahr]

CH's Saint Mina of Bangladeshi cooking is reported to have relocated from Queens to a place called Angon on East 6th Street in Manhattan. There is, of course, debate as to whether she's the real Mina, but the consensus seems thus far to be in the affirmative.

Anyone been?

[Pan]

You're kidding? They've relocated to 6th St.? Thanks for letting me know!

[LJC]

Ate there on Sat. Confirmed it is Mina. Food was fantastic and spicy. Highlights were the fish ball curry and hamil (Lamb and lentil stew, App) but everything we had was great. The service was really very nice and family oriented, meaning that everyone working there was in some way related. They could not have been nicer nor could the food have been better. The only drawback was that the beer was not cold enough but when asked they put some in the freezer all is well that ends well.

The other thing is that is seems that the place has not caught on yet as it was pretty much empty on a weekend night. I wish them the best of luck and I look forward to many delicious returns.

[bpearis]

I was there Saturday as well. They'd gotten some criticism on CH last week for toning down the spicing but I think they got the message loud and clear that people were there for Mina, not for typical 6th street fare. Everything we had was at least good, some was very good. Pani Puri, dal fry, chicken dopeajee and Halim (a lamb dish). The chicken dopeajee and Halim dish were the best things. The staff was very eager to please. LJC is right about it being empty... there were maybe four tables when we ate there at 8pm on Saturday. It's pricier than the average 6th street place and more than double what similar dishes cost at Mina but the quality remains high. I'm looking forward to going back.

Edited August 16, 2004 by bpearis (log)

[snausages2000]

Checked out Angon last night.

Ordered:

Halim - Great lamb and barley stew appetizer. The soupy brown gravy was heavily flavored with ginger. This was the best dish we sampled, and, although only $4.95, was almost as large a portion as the main courses.

Chicken Vindaloo - Not particularly spicy hot, but very well spiced. A bit salty, but the fullness of the flavors made up for it.

Navratan Vegetables (Yogurt Based Sauce) - A nice complement to the vindaloo. Basically a stirfry of brocolli, potato, and lima beans in a tasty pink yogurt sauce. It's hard to imagine a dish feeling more homemade than this.

Overall, a huge step-up in quality from the usual crap served on 6th street. Between this spot and Brick Lane, though, the block has a couple highly worthwhile destinations.

These 3 dishes, plus 3 beers = $50 with tip.

Dining room was half-empty, but, considering it was Sunday at 9pm, we'll call it half-full.

The extremely friendly owner, Milton, was our server. He's clearly aware that people are coming for Mina, as he now brings her out of the kitchen and parades her around the dining room, like an exotic pet, every half hour to meet the customers.

"Hello, I am Mina," she says, tableside, and bows her head.

I asked Milton how Mina came to 6th street. He mentioned that family tension, "politics," between specifically Mina and her sister, led to her departure from her eponymous kitchen.

[ppace]

I'm going to be checking this out ASAP, but have one question. Just what is a "dal Fry" The online menu says ask your waiter. I've seen this dish mentioned several times when discussing Mina.

[Pan]

I haven't been to Angon yet and don't remember whether I had dal fry at Mina, but I'd think it would simply mean dal (dried pulses of some kind or another) that's been fried (perhaps deep-fried), rather than cooked in a pot under low heat for a long time or something.

[bpearis]

The days of Angon being empty on a Saturday night are likely over; it's the $25 and Under this week:

It is further proof that interesting, authentic Indian cooking is not relegated to the outer reaches of the city, which may mean that the hunt for new places is more complex than trusting old truths, more challenging than just riding to the end of the subway line and maybe just a little more entertaining.

[bronihk]

went last night to angon (probably a bad idea since the times article hit same day) and although the food was really amazing (i second the halim as a great choice for an appetizer and would add that the buttery cualiflower is not to be missed), they were sadly understaffed with only 2 cooks. our meal took close to 45 mintues to arrive. they did warn us, as did the times, that it would probably 'take longer than usual' and our server (one of 2) was incredibly nice, obviously trying her very best given the lack of resources but i must say it was damn hard to sit there for such a long time surrounded by all those good smells with nothing to eat. i'll have to go back and try it once the review is but a memory and things are running a little more smoothly as it made it sorta hard to truly enjoy the food given the wait. note: this is not meant to disuade people from going, just a friendly warning.

Edited September 2, 2004 by bronihk (log)

[bpearis]

The biggest complaint about the Queens restaurant was the wait for the food. The two times I've eaten at Angon, this hasn't been a problem but we were always one of maybe three tables in there at the time. I was happy that they got some recognition in the Times, but my first thought was "well anyone who goes there tonight is going to have to wait an eternity."

The wait at Mina was always worth it, but with food more than twice as expensive as the restaurant in Queens (and other places on 6th street) I wonder if people will think the same at Angon.

I'd say give it a week or go early -- like 6pm -- and hopefully they'll work the kinks out. That fish ball curry is out-of-the-park good.

[bronihk]

I was happy that they got some recognition in the Times, but my first thought was "well anyone who goes there tonight is going to have to wait an eternity."

right; kinda stupid move on my part. i'd really been wanting to try it for a while and choose possibly the worst day to go. whoops.

[bergerka]

SarahD and I ate there last night as well. We showed up at 6:10 pm and were one of only three tables (six people total) at that time, and the place did NOT get full and busy until just before 7:00pm.

Unfortunately, we were ignored until 6:20pm, when we finally tracked down a waiter to take our order, and we asked for a wine and beer list at that point. Said waiter then disappeared into the kitchen and never came back - we finally got the attention of one of the two remaining waitpeople to obtain the beer/wine list. Only four of the approximately twelve listed kinds of beer were chilled and ready to drink. No big deal, they were four beers of kinds we liked.

The big problem - it took over an hour to get our food. Remember - there were no more than four tables occupied until 7pm (about ten minutes after us, a group of three came in. When we left, at 7:50, they had still not been served any of their food except for one appetizer, and one of their drink orders was wrong. By that time, the place was full and hopping...but when we and the other group came in it was NOT BUSY AT ALL). We had to ask twice (we asked nicely, with smiles) and finally say "I'm so sorry, but we're going to have to just pay for our beers and leave if our food isn't ready at this point," at which it was suddenly discovered to be ready.

I will say this: the food was delicious. We shared the vegetable curry, which was perfectly seasoned with a nice hot bite right at the end, and one of the chicken kabob dishes - ground chicken with spices formed into patties, which was juicy and flavorful, and the rice was just the right texture and temperature. We also had a puffed bread described as "layered with butter." It was steaming hot and tasted like nothing so much as those wonderful balls of puffy fried dough you can get at street fairs. Yum! The lassi was listed as having rose water, but I didn't taste it - it was a perfectly good lassi, though.

After several minutes of repeatedly (and politely, with a big smile) asking for our check, I finally got up and (sweetly and politely) cornered one of the waiters until he allowed me to pay.

So, to recap: we arrived at 6:10 to an almost-empty restaurant. We ordered at 6:20. The restaurant suddenly became quite busy at 7:00, which should have been plenty of time for us to get our food. We did not get our food until about 7:25 (and we had to remind them about the lassis), with no explanations forthcoming whatsoever, at which point we had to eat fast to get to a concert...and we were unable to pay and get out of there until 7:50. The food, again, is delicious, everyone was very nice, and I recognize that they may have had some problem with staffing. But Angon is significantly more expensive than most of the other places on the block, and for me, seriously slow service is a dealbreaker for an informal restaurant of this type. I will not go back again until someone I trust informs me that this issue has been resolved.

K

Edited September 2, 2004 by bergerka (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I'm wondering if much of the wait has to do with the fact that many of their offerings are prepared from scratch. (or if advance prep is not as much as it could be at other establishments.)

Soba

[bpearis]

I'm wondering if much of the wait has to do with the fact that many of their offerings are prepared from scratch. (or if advance prep is not as much as it could be at other establishments.)

Soba

I think that's exactly it: everything is made to order from scratch (or a lot of it is, at least). That was the way it was at Mina and the wait times could be awful.

[hshiau]

But that doesn't excuse the delays in getting the check.

[SarahD]

Just to add to my $0.02 to Bergerka's post ... I thought the food was really wonderful. The spicing of the vegetable curry especially showed an individual touch allowing some of the more perfumed flavors of cardamom and clove to come through the heat. The pepper papadams served at the top of the meal were nicely spicy, though the accompanying chutneys were the same as you could get anywhere.

The tableware was attractive but the 2 entrees and rice dish crowded us.

There was clearly something off with the service beyond the preparation in the kitchen. On another night I wouldn't have sweat it, but we had places to go!

[phaelon56]

I ate at Mina in Queens ona Friday night when it was unusually busy for them (my dinign partner had eaten there on many prior occasiosn and said this was the first time she'd ever seen them busy. Despite that fact, our service was better than what bergerka is describing at Angon, the wait times were shorter and the food was half the price. Just curious - has anynone here tried Mina since she left and moved to Angon? Some other family members are still there and I'd have to think that the food might still be very good.

[bpearis]

Just curious - has anynone here tried Mina since she left and moved to Angon? Some other family members are still there and I'd have to think that the food might still be very good.

Mina in Queens closed.

[bpearis]

I've been back to Angon about three times in the last month or so and am happy to report they seemed to have worked out most of the service kinks. No serious lag time between apps and mains and the crowds have thinned to a still busy but not overwhelmingly so capacity.

And the food has gotten better too. My last visit on Friday was by far the best. FIve of us had come from seeing a friend's band and we showed up about 10:40 and they sat us no problem, no grumbling. We ordered the Halim, chicken dopagee, the chana masala and then asked our waitress if Mina would just pick two additional dishes that she thought would compliment the others.

She made us two items not on the current menu but were being tried out on a new menu to debut at some later date. Both were fantastic. The first was a shrimp and rice dish -- not biryani exactly, but the sauce on the rice was just great, and nice plump shrimp. The second dish was even better -- beef cooked with pickled mango. I'd never had anything quite like it. Really, really good. The three things we ordered were superb as well, especially the halim (which is maybe their can't-miss dish) and the chicken dopagee (made with lots of onions and spices, not saucy but the meat was moist and tender).

With three of those giant beers, I think the bill was $22 a head including tax and tip.

[jogoode]

I've been back to Angon about three times in the last month or so and am happy to report they seemed to have worked out most of the service kinks. No serious lag time between apps and mains and the crowds have thinned to a still busy but not overwhelmingly so capacity.

And the food has gotten better too. My last visit on Friday was by far the best. FIve of us had come from seeing a friend's band and we showed up about 10:40 and they sat us no problem, no grumbling. We ordered the Halim, chicken dopagee, the chana masala and then asked our waitress if Mina would just pick two additional dishes that she thought would compliment the others.

She made us two items not on the current menu but were being tried out on a new menu to debut at some later date. Both were fantastic. The first was a shrimp and rice dish -- not biryani exactly, but the sauce on the rice was just great, and nice plump shrimp. The second dish was even better -- beef cooked with pickled mango. I'd never had anything quite like it. Really, really good. The three things we ordered were superb as well, especially the halim (which is maybe their can't-miss dish) and the chicken dopagee (made with lots of onions and spices, not saucy but the meat was moist and tender).

With three of those giant beers,  I think the bill was $22 a head including tax and tip.

←

Thanks for this report, bpearis. I ate lunch there several weeks ago and was underwhelmed. The food was not as vibrantly spiced as it was at Mina. But it was still good. I had begun achaar (sweet pickled eggplant) and fish kofte curry (fish meatballs) When I mentioned to Mina (I think it was her) after the meal that the menu had changed, she said she'd be happy to make any dish from Mina's menu.

I'm very happy to hear that it's finding its step. What is Halim, by the way?

[bpearis]

I'm very happy to hear that it's finding its step. What is Halim, by the way?

←

It's a lamb and lentil stew, very spicy, found on the appetizer section -- though it's nearly as big as all the other dishes. It's the only dish I've gotten on every visit.

[jogoode]

For the last few months, I've been going to Angon like it's my job. It's the best Indian food (though Ms. Azad wouldn't call it Indian food) I've ever had. Period. This has all been covered on chowhound, but it deserves repeating. The halim, the biryanis, and the chicken dopeaja are excellent. (The shrimp dopeaja is better.) The vegetable pakora is the lightest, most delicate fried bunch of vegetables you'll have outside of a fine tempura restaurant. If you ask, Mina will make great homestyle dishes like a stew of shrimp, eggplant, squash, and some sort of Indian green bean and a dessert involving squash called doot kadu.

It really feels like you're eating at a friend's house. Whenever I go, Milton Ahmed, one of the owners and possibly the friendliest guy on earth, runs toward the kitchen saying "JJ's here, JJ's here!" He's this friendly with most repeat customers, and he'll stand next to your table and talk about his day job as maitre d' at the Four Seasons, about his four years in Japan (he's fluent), his family...

So why is Angon almost empty on the days I've gone while the generic curry row places are half full? What's going on? It's clear that most diners are unaware of Angon's rep, as it doesn't yet have its press clippings on the door. And unlike the other places on the block, Angon doesn't employ any creepy guys who stand outside and try to pressure passers-by to come in.

Has anyone else tried Angon? Is anyone who hasn't been interested in going? This is a restaurant that needs the support of people who are willing to pay a little more for quality. I can't find the link right now, but Jim Leff gave a convincing plea to that effect on chowhound.

By the way, on Valentine's Day, Mina is serving a special menu for two. For $19.95 you get rose lassis, a special pilao for two, and a special dessert.

[wannabechef]

jogoode, thanks for the report. I've read about this place here and other sites as well and have been meaning to try it for a while. I was wondering if you have tried any of the Indian/Pakistani places out in Jackson Heights? I'm curious to hear a comparison of some of those places vs. Angon. After sampling some of the superb Indian food out in Queens, I have a hard time rationalizing paying 4 x as much at Angon. If the food is better at Angon though, thats a different story.

~WBC

[jogoode]

jogoode, thanks for the report. I've read about this place here and other sites as well and have been meaning to try it for a while. I was wondering if you have tried any of the Indian/Pakistani places out in Jackson Heights? I'm curious to hear a comparison of some of those places vs. Angon. After sampling some of the superb Indian food out in Queens, I have a hard time rationalizing paying 4 x as much at Angon. If the food is better at Angon though, thats a different story.

~WBC

←

To my mind, it's apples and oranges. I haven't had enough experience in Queens to compare any place directly to Angon, but I can say that Angon is an entirely unique restaurant. Not only do you find food far beyond the Indian standards that dominate the menus at most places, but you eat food that is Mina's -- not Indian, not Bangladeshi, but hers. To be honest, now that my schedule is such that I can't trek to Queens for dinner on weekdays, I'm glad that she moved to East 6th. The owners have made it very clear to me that they don't plan to conform for profit's sake, so the main danger in the move is averted. And unless you're paying $5/person in Queens, the prices at Angon are not four times as high. I've only once spent $20/person there. And I'd gladly pay more if I had to. (Well, not gladly .)

[Pan]

If you lived in Jackson Heights, though, would you go out of your way to go to Angon?