Thanks for the report on Panchagna. I had a feeling it might be a little . . . "precious"?
My coworkers who live in the neighborhood and are Guyanese and went to Phagwah had a great time. They said there were a lot of "white people" (their words) there too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/dining/23phagwah.html
― Virginia Plain, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 16:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I hate '# of white people as judge of authenticity/goodness'
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 17:02 (thirteen years ago) link
http://gothamist.com/2011/03/23/queensboro_bridge_could_be_koch_bri.php
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 17:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Our man Jimmy Van Bramer is fighting it
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 17:19 (thirteen years ago) link
he seems like a decent guy actually
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 17:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Totally. I've barely ever noticed who my council member has been while living in NY, but this guy is fighting the good fight and getting out there for sure.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 17:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Biting my tongue r.e. JVB.
― Virginia Plain, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:39 (thirteen years ago) link
So we should guess why you don't approve?
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I want to hear queens library gossip!
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:48 (thirteen years ago) link
also can you hack the queens library computers and get rid of my $9 of fees
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:51 (thirteen years ago) link
His politics are in the right place.
x-post: I could do that, but as long as it's under $15 you can still check out stuff, so you can just carry that balance.
― Virginia Plain, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 19:55 (thirteen years ago) link
hmmm that is good to know. I was worried about the fines getting bigger if I didn't pay it off quickly. I dunno how it even got to $9, I was just a few days late w/ 2 DVDs...
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 21:21 (thirteen years ago) link
DVDs are $3 everyday they are late, is why. Fines don't accrue after you've turned something in--only when its still checked out.
― Virginia Plain, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 21:35 (thirteen years ago) link
damn I had figured it'd be closer to book late fees.
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 21:47 (thirteen years ago) link
Ed Koch bridge official
― iatee, Wednesday, 23 March 2011 21:48 (thirteen years ago) link
http://gothamist.com/2011/03/24/census_says_nyc_population_barely_b.php
I would guess this has something to do w/ the fact that there's a decent amount of not-entirely-legal immigration in queens? I haven't read anything else or looked at the data but according to that graph the core astoria area lost more people than any other hood in nyc over the last 10 years.
― iatee, Thursday, 24 March 2011 20:35 (thirteen years ago) link
including the other sections of astoria would suggest min 15,000-20,000 people left according to that graph??? could that really have happened unnoticed?
― iatee, Thursday, 24 March 2011 20:43 (thirteen years ago) link
annual boarding stats at the astoria-ditmars station
2000: 4,534,284 2001: 4,684,867 2002: 4,774,750 2003: 4,662,751 2004: 4,706,455 2005: 4,794,029 2006: 4,941,924
2009: 5,033,498
― iatee, Thursday, 24 March 2011 21:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Bloomie's not happy about the census results.
In other news, "cult coffee" comes to Astoria:
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/03/queens_kickshaw.html
― Virginia Plain, Saturday, 26 March 2011 18:29 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/27/new.york.census.challenge/
officially challenging it
a lot of results in big cities outside of nyc are also borderline-absurd
― iatee, Monday, 28 March 2011 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
dan (et al) have you been to the ganesh temple canteen? it's near southern spice in that part of flushing.
I had friends in town and one of them wanted to go (partly cause bourdain visited in his outer boroughs episode)
it's good, cheap and very home-style.
we took a wrong turn on the walk there and were in this residential/industrial/warehouse-y area (everything south of roosevelt and east of main street.) I'd never been in before - converted garages w/ asian small businesses selling nothing but fedders-esque housing materials. (lots of places selling *nothing* but chrome porch stuff etc.) it's a bizarre little world.
― iatee, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:40 (thirteen years ago) link
er west of main street*
oh also 'salt and fat' opened up about 30 seconds from me and every time I walk by it's very busy. also very...brooklyn.
I try to keep lolkosher so I probably shouldn't have even stepped foot in a place that seems so dedicated to the bacon fad. gf does not keep lolkosher, also wasn't impressed w/ the bacon popcorn and small portions.
― iatee, Saturday, 9 April 2011 17:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Haven't been to any of those temples. There's one or two right here that aren't as well known that apparently serve food similarly.
Funny/typical white person in queens story. Went to Mustang Thakali Kitchen in JH a few months back and had an amazing meal, including this really spicy beef jerky dish I kept thinking about. Went back recently and ordered the same thing and it was great, but something was missing. It was definitely less spicy. I'm not a spice-hound, actually pretty wimpy, but certain dishes really ask for it and it becomes a big part of the pleasure. We also got the usual veggie momos and the 3 condiments they bring which are awesome, but one of them was missing and replaced with some kind of ketchup.
When the bill came, under my dish it actually had typed up "no spicy" so I called someone over to ask about that. She said, in the nicest way possible "sometimes when people...from other areas...come, they don't want the spice". I was nice but gave her a bit of a hard time about it.
Went to Sigiri in the the east village the other day, the Sri Lankan place, at least they specifically told me it was going to be spicy and asked how I wanted it!
― dan selzer, Saturday, 9 April 2011 18:10 (thirteen years ago) link
haha
my indian-from-indian friend lost a spice duel to sripraphai the other day
― iatee, Saturday, 9 April 2011 18:15 (thirteen years ago) link
from-india
http://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/05/02/queens-commuters-growing-impatient-over-court-sq-transfer/
so the station is done and now it's just legal issues? annoying
― iatee, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 00:43 (thirteen years ago) link
(had to do the outside transfer a handful of times this week)
― iatee, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 00:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Have you heard El Shater got priced out of Sunnyside? And the Bliss guide sold "basmati table" to a local owner of multiple indian restaurants who offers "indian food for the american palette"
Go Sunnyside!
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 01:38 (thirteen years ago) link
actually update was el shater dude's brother is gonna take over and redo it, sounds sorta promising actually.
also bliss and basmati table weren't good, so...
― iatee, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 01:39 (thirteen years ago) link
still commercial rent prices seem like they're going crazy high
― iatee, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 01:40 (thirteen years ago) link
went to cannelle for the first time in a while this sunday and it was as if it was magnolia bakery or something, line was just crazy.
― iatee, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 01:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Exciting news in Woodside! The empty space on the corner of Roosevelt Ave and 61st st under the 7 and LIRR train is set to become a Nathans!
And a few blocks away, in what used to be the dusty old "Woodside Delicatessen" we're getting a Crown Fried Chicken and Lite Ice Cream place.
Who needs M. Wells?
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:01 (thirteen years ago) link
whatever happened to that pub The Porter House formerly The Curragower? it was right at the subway entrance on Roosevelt
― Michael B, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:15 (thirteen years ago) link
Dan - which side? the corner next to the elevator or the spot that was an h&r block?
― iatee, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:26 (thirteen years ago) link
also a new hamburger spot is opening up across from the meat market on woodside ave. woodside is getting its share of 'American food' eh?
― iatee, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:28 (thirteen years ago) link
The h&r block is what's becoming the Nathan's. As well as Pudgie's Chicken, whatever that is.
The hamburger spot opening up across from Otomanelli's Meat Market is going to be Ottomanelli's Hamburger Restaurant, which may actually be good.
I don't know about any pubs called the Porter House or Curragower in the 5 or so years I've lived there.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
that's a good spot for it
― iatee, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:14 (thirteen years ago) link
it'd be nice if something opened up in the elevator spot too tho
― iatee, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:17 (thirteen years ago) link
we went to claret for the first time last night and had to wait foreverrr to get served by the snooty gay jamaican (?) server wearing huge sunglasses.
not going back. why are all the brooklyn-esque places in queens so bad?
― iatee, Thursday, 26 May 2011 14:57 (twelve years ago) link
I think we need some kind of Queens dinner FAP. Also, NYT had a feature about LIC/Astoria eats yesterday.
I walked past a new Manhattan branch of Jackson Diner? in the EV?
― the gay bloggers are onto the faggot tweets (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 26 May 2011 15:06 (twelve years ago) link
apparently the Jackson Diner is the same owners? didn't know about that either.
I've actually never been to a FAP but I'd be up
Sripraphai?
Tortilleria Nixtamal -> Lemon Ice King of Corona / Timmy's is fun if people were willing to do deep(er) Queens.
― iatee, Thursday, 26 May 2011 15:19 (twelve years ago) link
Guys, I'm going to be working in Corona so I can come to the food faps and also make it to mets games after work.
― Virginia Plain, Thursday, 26 May 2011 16:28 (twelve years ago) link
Timmy's is gone. (sad face)
There have been downhill complaints about nixtamil since they've opened a satelite in manhattan supposedly.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:03 (twelve years ago) link
I always wonder how those ice cream places survive the winter. someone on yelp says that he plans on re-opening elsewhere in queens (hope it's closer to a subway...)
where is the nix manhattan? I feel like their food would be hard to fuck up
― iatee, Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:13 (twelve years ago) link
okay I checked, it's like directly next to the Brooklyn bridge. weird spot.
any other fap ideas?
― iatee, Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:17 (twelve years ago) link
man Tortas Neza has changed everything for me in Woodside. their meat / chiles are for real
― HPSCHD, Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:18 (twelve years ago) link
i went there for a second time today. First time was just ok, this time was much better. Just tacos but good meat, and lots of it. Nice lady making it. I haven't had their tortas yet. Hope it sticks around, that spot has been cursed.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:25 (twelve years ago) link
I haven't been but I'm tempted now
you live in woodside, HPS?
― iatee, Friday, 27 May 2011 00:51 (twelve years ago) link
I only ate at Timmy's once, but I wasn't that impressed. Maybe I just don't like custard that much. I want to eat at Leo's Latticini, but it's always closed when I go there.
Oh, and this summer I will eat at Rockaway Taco if it kills me.
I'm into Nixtamal or Tortas Neza or . . . ? Then we could go to Lemon Ice King and then to the park to watch the bocce ball players (this is what I plan to be doing all summer anyway).
― Virginia Plain, Friday, 27 May 2011 14:51 (twelve years ago) link