Jackson Heights Life

The other day my wife and I had an interesting lunch at a restaurant on Junction Blvd south of 35th called Hola Namaste (sometimes given as Holla Namaste). It's a nice place run by a young guy named Vikram who is from Nepal and cooks an interesting selection of Indian, Nepali, Mexican and South American dishes under one roof. We started with chicken livers in a crisp, deep fried taco shell smothered in spicy cole slaw, which was very satisfying. Then there was a plate of momos, shaped more like Szechuan dumplings, that came with two dipping sauces representing the two poles of the restaurant's cuisine: a ramekin of creamy guacamole and another of peanut sauce. These were as good as any momos I've had anywhere in the neighborhood. After that we had "chicken soup," a pot au feu style thing consisting mainly of chicken legs, sections of corn cob, carrots and other vegetables with a little rich broth and a big side of rice. This was good too. With tax & tip, $34.

The menus (one Asian, the other Latin American) and the "specials" on the wall encompass a panoply of appealing stuff including many standards (palak paneer, salchipappa) and creative items such as guacamole tempura. It's not exactly cheap, given what you might expect, but you can get a taco combo for two (if you ask) that is a good deal. And we enjoyed the food. No idea how Vikram stays in business; nobody seems to eat there, pricing is weird (cup of coffee: $5), and the location seems off for what he is doing. Nonetheless I plan to go back, and for those who like takeout (I don't) it might be an interesting option because you can satisfy a variety of preferences. Or maybe go with the kids; they can eat tacos while you head for the Indian subcontinent. If you go, by all means say hi to Vikram.

PS--Apologies if this has place has been covered here before; I searched and found no sign of it.

I need to send an electronic keyboard/piano type of thing from Jackson Heights to Philadelphia. If you are planning such a trip I'd be happy to pay you for your trouble. It wouldn't take up much space in the car and schedule is flexible. Thanks.

At the risk of raining on somebody's parade, I want to register a note of dissent on all our never-ending neighborhood flea markets. The Methodist church at the corner of 81st and 35th Ave. has a vast flea market every single weekend that takes over the entire block, wraps around the corners, blocks traffic with double-parked cars, and leaves trash all over the place in the aftermath. These institutions are not zoned for retail; they are houses of worship. Nobody objects to an occasional flea market, although I'm not sure who benefits beyond the vendors. But churches and schools in residential neighborhoods should not be turned into open air bazaars on a continual basis, at least not without a change in zoning (which I can't imagine will be forthcoming). These aren't retail establishments, nor should they be. The one at the Methodist church in particular has become a reliable weekend blight. Enough already.

We need someone to re-install a couple of wrought iron rods that have come off the metalwork on our outside door. Can anyone recommend a good local welder? Thanks.

I've noticed that a number of the buildings in JH have garages but there is invariably a wait for a parking space. I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into just how long this wait typically is. Are these spaces desperately coveted? Does the wait extend for years? My sense is that for some reason parking in buildings throughout Queens is grossly underpriced, leading to excess demand and (in effect) subsidies from non-parkers to parkers. Thanks for any insights!