Jackson Heights Life

Sometimes things are so blindingly obvious that they can be hard to see.  Perhaps that's why this Jackson Heights community forum didn't have a thread on Colombian restaurants until two weeks ago, and hasn't had a thread on South Asian restaurants until right now!  There are existing threads for Talk of the Town, Deshi Biryani, Dosa Place, and food from the Himalayan region.  But no place for general discussion of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi restaurants.

What are your favorites? 

Hands down, Delhi Palace. 

I am a regular there every Saturday for lunch buffet, so trust me when I say this.  The Aloo Gobi from there is the only place, Indian or Non (Naan?  Ha ha), that I can eat cauliflower.  The Chili Chicken.  Even staples like Goat Curry.

I've been in Jackson Diner (even when it w s in its old, pre-large location), and the others (the Purple jacket place whose name I cant recall, for example), but hands down for me, Delhi Palace.

I'm either there with my son, or now he began music classes again, reading most Saturdays, so trust that I practice what I preach ... its that good.

I like Delhi Palace better than Jackson Diner too. Delicious bindi masala and cauliflower, and good desserts too. The people there are always friendly and there's fresh masala dosa! I've been wanting to try out Indian Taj as well.

I've also eaten at a lot of the smaller ones, whose names I can't remember. Shaheen Mahal, the 24 hour place on 74th street, has awesome aloo parathas after 11pm (I've been told repeatedly to only come after 11pm for the aloo paratha! Don't know how different it is pre-11pm). The other 24h place next to the 7 train entrance on 74th St has surprisingly good and spicy (and cheap) chicken kebabs - only $1.50. I've eaten at Roti Boti but I'm not very fond of it - it seems outrageously pricey compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

There was once another restaurant on 74th St that had good $1 chai. You have to ascend some steps to get there...it's now another jewelry store, sigh.

Oh, and how can I forget Dosa Diner...quick cheap snack! (Yes, I think of dosas as snacks...)

I haven't really tried the Indian sweets. I don't know what to get, though I've tried some kulfi and some of the chaat.

From the article posted by Prester:

"Stores display saris on old mannequins that look more like Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake than contemporary Indian movie stars..."

I love the look of the retro mannequins!

I like Indian food and went to the Dehli Palace alot to buy the Simosas (sp?).  One time with my cousins visiting we went to eat there and sat at a table.  I went to the rest Room and witnessed two of the waiters in the bathroom.  They both left the bathroom without washing their hands.  I never went back, not even for the Simosas take-out.   Pity..I love Simosas.

I'm not picking only on Dehli Palace.  The company I work for has many consultants from India.  I witness the same thing at work all the time.  I always make sure I use a paper towel when I open the faucets and when I leave the Rest Room.

My favorite right now is Deshi Biryani.  Good food and the owners are so nice.  I've tried Delhi Palace a few times, but it's always way too salty for me.  The last time I ordered from them I ended up throwing out most of the food. 

I haven't tried Nanking yet, but I plan to this weekend. 

One thing I've realized (sadly) since I moved to the neighborhood a few months ago is that I have the palate of a gringo.  I've lived all over the world and love all types of food, but I was shocked to find out that some of these neighborhood places are too spicy for me.  I always thought I could handle spicy food well - it was a blow to the ego to find out how wrong I was! 

Haha, Cafe Drake is funny. What a culinary undertaking!

Has anyone spoken to the owners of Tandoori Palace, the new restaurant that took over Ashoka's spot on 37th Ave? I was walking home around 1am last night and saw them in full force painting the front. Looks like they'll be open really soon.

Just a hunch, but I don't think this is for real.  There was a film crew out front today, and the place was abuzz with activity, so I suspect this is just a set for 7 to the Palace.  It would be great if somebody could snap a picture of this storefront before it disappears!

Tandoori Palace isn't real?! But what about all those signs advertising Himalayan-Nepali-Indian food that's been around for weeks?