Jackson Heights Pig Out Part 2

Bennett Cain July 25, 2017

The "I'm Gonna Pop" Edition

One year and twenty pounds later, my food writing hobby is on pause for now.

Save me from myself. I've written so many Yelp reviews I've been bestowed the dubious honor of Elite Status Queens Expert. So of course I'll try this plate piled high with Brazilian grilled meats and plantains...to write a crucial review of course. Or a late night bowl of pho filled with mysterious cow parts...for "research." And of course, the countless trips to the all-you-can-eat Chinese BBQ and hotpot joint—the ultimate place for gastronomic overindulgence with groups of friends. As of late, there have been way too many soju fueled nights of dunking pig's blood tofu and pickled beef into sesame chili oil sauces. It was fun while it lasted but now my pants don't fit!

So yeah...back to the pescetarian diet that sustained me and kept me in good health for many years before all this madness began. The hedonistic meat frenzy was a true joy but like all good things, it had to come to an end. I've always preferred discipline to moderation. How anyone does this kind of work full time without suffering the consequences is beyond me. More power to the lithe, booze and pork guzzling, indestructible Anthony Bourdain's of the world and the army of aspirational social media clones. May their skinny jeans forever stay skinny.

On neighborhood geography and naming conventions, please refer to my previous post. The food selections in this post are the last crop of neighborhood establishments I deem worthy of sharing. I'm sure there are more. Many more. It's just that finding them is such an expensive and caloric prospect. I have my go-to spots, 20 at least. That's more than enough I'd say. The good news is there's always somewhere to eat close to home! Like I mentioned in my last blog on this—one could spend a lifetime eating their way through this part of New York City. I've spent about five years doing it and have barely scraped the surface.

So here we go in no particular order.

Tawa Roti Dhaulagiri Food, 37-38 72nd St. I've walked past this tiny door so many times but always avoided it because I thought is was a catering place. Upon entry I found that it can actually seat 9 people semi-comfortably. One dines in an open kitchen along with bubbling pots of curry and beef strips hanging to dry under the air exhaust. The place is a real trip. I didn't really know what to expect other than that the food is loosely "Himalayan," i.e., Tibetan, Nepali, with some western Chinese and northern Indian dishes thrown in for good measure. These days there are so many places in J Heights serving this kind of food. Most are mediocre at best. With no expectations, I gave the cook little more instruction than to make me a vegetarian thali. It was delicious.

Yep. Sketchy AF. Like all the best eateries in Jackson Heights.

Tawa Roti's kitchen and dining room is one long corridor-like space. I love the Himalayan mural.

Tawa Roti's veg thali was one of the tastiest things I've eaten in ages. The dal might be the best I've ever had. Half the things on this plate, I don't even know what they are. I love mystery curries and pickles! Though I will not personally be trying, I saw the cook making some tasty looking meat dishes as well. Probably goat. This place rules.

No fresher goat anywhere in the city than Jackson Heights! I warned you this blog isn't like the others. No holds barred here.

Hug Esan, 77-16 Woodside Ave. Thai Town's newest edition is the ridiculously cute, Hug Esan, seriously no wider than a one car garage. Looking at the building, I think it might actually be a one car garage. Well, I love what they've done with the place. Not sure the zoning on this one but it seems legit.

Esan aka Isarn aka Isan aka E-san (you can see the problem of the lack of an official way to romanize Thai language) is Thailand's northeastern region. Being geographically and culturally close to neighboring Laos, it has a cuisine that's a little different than the "standard" Thai we're used to eating here. It's very pork heavy with oinker parts finding their way into virtually every dish. You'll not find any ocean life in this food as the region is hundreds of miles from the coast. Instead you'll find dishes like Larb—a salad of roasted rice, fresh herbs, and of course ground pork or perhaps river catfish. It usually has a heavy mint and shallot flavor and is utterly delicious.

True to form, there aren't too many veggie items on Hug's menu but I had Tom Zabb soup with mushrooms that was so spicy it made my head explode. The heat was well tempered with some grilled sticky rice cakes though, something I've never had before and were a tasty addition to the soup. My cursory assessment is this place is very authentic, a good value, and the service is excellent. I will be back for the papaya salad with pickled river fish and crab.

$7 for soup, $3 for rice cakes! Lots of bargains on this menu.

The Ready Penny Inn, 3707 73rd St. I've not covered any drinking establishments in my writing on J Heights probably because there isn't really one solid watering hole to be found. There are some Irish bars in nearby Woodside and a few places you can get a drink in Thai Town but there isn't a drinking scene per se in this part of Queens. Unless of course you're willing to risk getting knifed in one of the dancing girl bars on Roosevelt.

There was one night early in my tenure; after stumbling off the 7 train in a drunken haze and deciding I needed another (I didn't), I found my way into the Scorpion Bar. After ordering a whiskey and soda in my broken Spanish, I looked around slowly, realizing I was most likely in a gang hangout. I don't know, the inked-up guys in black bandanas scowling at me sort of gave it away. I politely made my way to the exit but still in need of a night cap, I stumbled over to 73rd and that's when I discovered The Ready Penny Inn—the last Irish pub in Little India. And the only proper dive in the entire neighborhood.

The Ready Penny Inn. Where the pros come to drink. Google Images.

If you want to have a drink, go to Astoria, or to anywhere in Brooklyn or Manhattan for that matter. This is not the neighborhood for it. The Ready Penny is a horribly depressing place and I can't recommend spending time here in good conscious other than to appease morbid curiosity. If you want to see late stage alcoholics falling off bar stools, this is the place for it. It is cheap though and if you don't have a lot of $$$ and are looking to tie one on, it can easily be accomplished here. This is no doubt a storied neighborhood institution, but one best left avoided in my opinion.

Raja Sweets and Fast Food, 7231 37th Ave.

On my current veggie kick, I've been looking all over for cheap, healthy options. Raja Sweets has got an unbelievable deal—pick 4 curries from a daily rotation, along with rice, chapatis, and lime pickle—for $8! Everything I've tried so far has been great and the family that runs the place is super nice.

Chickpea heaven for $8. Not much to look at but gets the job done.

Renee's, 69-14 Roosevelt Ave. I've realized there are probably as many Filipino joints in the hood as there are Thai places. I'm not super into this cuisine but Renee's is delicious. The grilled milkfish and garlic fried rice are especially good. I'll try again soon and do a more thorough write-up but I wanted to put it on the radar.

Under the shadow of the  7 train, Renee's Kitchenette & Grill — Under the shadow of the 7 train, Renee's Kitchenette & Grill

Plate of Filipino goodies. Google Images.

Auttharos and Sake Bar by Zabb, 71-28 Roosevelt Ave. Late night, cash only joints that used to be Zabb Elee. I loved Zabb and as far as I can tell the menu is mostly the same. It's Isarn cuisine along with some standard Thai staples...your pad thai, pad khee mao, etc. Everything I've tried has ranged between pretty good and delicious. It is SPICY though. Not for the faint of heart.

Down the stairs used to be Sushi Boy now it's Sake Bar by Zabb. This is a solid sushi joint. Probably the only one in the entire hood actually. They do all the standards plus some fun Thai twists on specialty rolls. Nice sakes on hand as well.

What really sets Auttharos apart though is this mind bending papaya salad. I've had it. It was $50 and I ate it with a friend and we could barely walk out afterwards. It was as awesome as it looks. I've never seen anything like it and if this was their idea, it's a great one.

Auttharos does a lot of these delicious Thai soups in the stainless steel sterno pot. Here is a savory Tom Yum Goong (shrimp). Google Images.

Playground, 71-30 Roosevelt Ave. Conveniently located next door is another late night, cash only Thai joint. This one is much more a fun hangout spot for young Thai expats. Standard fare with some interesting additions like ant egg salad—very good, very spicy, lots of fried rice and fried noodles—if you go with a Thai speaker you can order crazy stuff not on the menu. Thai soaps and music videos are always on TV. A little slice of Bangkok in New York City.

A perfect pile of insanely spicy Crab Fried Rice, the mark of a decent Thai restaurant.

iCook, 81-17 Broadway. Ah, how I love this place. All the hotpot you can eat for $21, all the BBQ you can eat for $25, or all you can eat of both for $32. And it's a proper, cook it yourself joint which makes it way more fun. The menu is extensive—every kind of meat and seafood, every kind of vegetable and noodle, tons of sauces, rice and banchan. Not too mention cheap pitchers and soju. You can hang out in here, indulging and getting blasted for hours, and without spending a fortune. I actually suspect much of the weight I've put on in the past year is because of this damn place. It is delicious and overdoing it is the name of the game. Be forewarned.

"Healthy pot" is however, totally do-able. Above is an order of spicy flounder filet, fried tofu skin, soft tofu, lotus root, tomato, fake crab, straw mushroom, wood ear mushroom, watercress, fermented soy based sauce and sesame based sauce. It's definitely not taking full advantage of the menu but is equally satisfying. Such an order lacking in meat though will most likely be judged highly questionable by your waiter who may feel compelled to point out the available meat options multiple times.

Ah fake crab. One of my favorite fake foods! Hot out of the pot, dipped in sesame chili oil...few things are better.

I've been in here so many times, I guess I got so excited about the spread that I forgot to take tons of photos. I'll get some next time I go with a group. In the meantime, here are some shots of what obscene, all-you-can-eat hotpot and BBQ looks like.

Double Pot - Spicy and Traditional broth. Google Images.

As you might expect with such a bargain, it does get a little crazy in here on weekends so if you have a big group and it's not happening, there's another place nearby that's pretty good. Shell Cove, 83-02 Broadway.

Not as extravagant as all-you-can-eat iCook but if you have your heart set on hotpot, it gets the job done. FYI $10 lunch special. There's a sister restaurant next door called, Chinger (Chinese Burger) that serves western Chinese style lamb burgers. Cheap and tasty.

That's all I've got on this one. Now, I could really use a salad. When is Chopt opening up out here? Kidding. No trendy salad or juice places in Jackson Heights please. This is one of the most unique parts of New York and though the gentrification currently ravaging and homogenizing many parts of the city will no doubt eventually arrive in full force, I'm optimistic that the neighborhood will retain its character for some time to come.

Pig Out at the Crossroads of the World—Jackson Heights, Queens

Bennett Cain September 26, 2016

The Definitive Neighborhood Guide

Just over the East River from Manhattan, the New York City borough of Queens is one the most ethnically and culturally diverse urban areas in the world. Within Queens is a remarkable microcosm at the confluence of Roosevelt Ave and Broadway, made up of bits and pieces of the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Woodside, and Elmhurst. This crossroads is a unique locale even by New York standards — a vibrant and cacophonous transection of the human race that never stops surprising.

So close and yet so far away in the minds of many New Yorkers.

Despite being a mishmash of several distinct nabes, because of the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave transit hub, this whole geography is often referred to as Jackson Heights. For ease, this is my preferred label as well, even if it's slightly incorrect as far as neighborhood boundaries go. Within this one square mile of Queens, more than 65% of the residents are foreign-born and a staggering 167 different languages are spoken. While walking to the subway here, one might pass through "Little India," "Little Colombia," "Little Tibet," "Little Manila," a vibrant gay community, Queens' second-largest Chinatown and countless other little pockets of humanity. To no surprise, all this immigrant culture has resulted in some unbelievably good food!

Though the culinary merits of Jackson Heights are well documented by way of Andrew Zimmern, Joe DiStefano and of course Anthony Bourdain, I've spent a shameful amount of time and money eating my way through it in the time I've lived here. If you're a first time visitor to this part of Queens, Jackson Heights is a kaleidoscope of languages, eateries, vendors and street foods accented by the roar of the 7 train overhead. It's a fascinating assault on the senses that is not to be missed. As a photographer, I find the place endlessly inspiring and, as a gluttonous world traveler, all of my favorite places to eat are within a stone's throw of my apartment. There's no place in New York I'd rather live.

A taco cart next to a Chinese fruit stand next to a Tibetan restaurant next to a Colombian bakery. Welcome to Jackson Heights.

Before we get into the meat of this — what to expect and what not to expect.

First, don't think restaurants, think eateries. You will be waited on at many of these establishments but don't expect stellar service. In the US, the service culture is so ingrained that patrons often get irate if a service person isn't bending over backwards for them. Don't expect anything more than the most basic level of service eating out in this part of Queens. Most of these places are simple establishments that are all about the food and the community and not creating a memorable dining experience. Don't even expect English to be spoken. Instead, you might find yourself ordering your food by way of poking and grunting. A little patience and a sense of humor go a long way. It’s part of the fun of traveling in far-off lands and equally part of the fun exploring the comfort foods of New York City’s recently arrived.

Second, think Asia and South America. While you can get high-quality meals from literally any part of the world somewhere in Queens, in Jackson Heights the two continents currently best represented are Asia and South America. There are a few places for burgers, pizza and other easy American fare but most aren't great. Nearby Astoria has some excellent European and Middle Eastern fare; however, if you want Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, Bhutanese, Indian, Pakistani, Bengali, Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, Salvadorian, Peruvian, Dominican, Colombian, or Brazilian, then you're in the right place.

Third, while conducting this "study" I was looking for three things — authenticity, tastiness, and value. I've traveled in many of these countries so I know what the food should taste like. The real challenge is, can the skill of the local chefs make it taste as good as it should? It shouldn't break the bank either. While many of these places are pretty reasonable, some are a little overpriced for what it is. Expect $10 an entree on average, a bit cheaper than eating in Manhattan or Brooklyn. There are a few real bargains which I'll call out, but the problem is if you're like me, you want to try everything on the menu (for "research") and can easily rack up a $30 tab in no time.

So how to tackle this beast? Let's just dive in and start at the western edge of our triangle and move east from there.

First up is a Woodside proper institution where we'll sample some divine Salvadorian fare at Izalco, la Casa de las Pupusas 64-05 Roosevelt Ave.

Pupusas are soft, not overly greasy, corn cakes, stuffed with cheese, beans or pork and served with pickled cabbage and hot sauce. A plato tipico in the Salvadorian style comes with some beans, rice, avocado, a bit of cheese, sausage, sweet plantains and maybe chicharron. Two pupusas with all the fixings here will set you back $14 and keep you full for most of the day. But we're only just beginning.

Scoot one block north to 39th Ave. skipping Sri Pra Phai (more on that later) and walking a block west to Thailand's Center Point 63-19 39th Ave. The wizard in the kitchen here is a sweet old lady who I've heard will make you any Thai dish you ask for, even if it's not on the menu. That is if you can ask for it in Thai! In a town where authentic pad thai in the Bangkok street style is notoriously hard to find, hers pretty much sticks to the script. However, that's hardly the best thing on the menu. Everything I've tried here is rock solid but my go-to is the Thai 5 Star BBQ chicken with sticky rice. Get this with the soft shell crab salad or crispy papaya salad for an amazing and relatively cheap meal.

Center Point's Dry Yellow Curry and Fried Chicken. Google Images.

Afterwards walk across the street to the Thai convenience store and get a Thai M-150 energy drink because it's going to be a long day. I'm not entirely sure these are fully legal in the US as I've heard they contain some form of liquid nicotine. I can attest that if you drink the whole thing at once you will almost certainly have heart palpitations.

Next it's a short jaunt to along Roosevelt heading east to Little Manila's Ihawan Restaurant 40-06 70th St., one of my favorite spots in the whole hood. This place is hiding in plain sight, tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript residential building on a side street. I'm not super into Filipino food but this is the absolute best I've ever had. Everything on the menu is good — curried oxtail, sizzling sisig — but the best is the banana leaf feast which I recall is about $15 a person.

Ihawan's banana leaf feast for two. Pork BBQ, milkfish, grilled eggplant, shanghai noodles, spring rolls and more. Grab a handful and shove it in your face! — Ihawan's banana leaf feast for two. Pork BBQ, milkfish, grilled eggplant, shanghai noodles, spring rolls and more. Grab a handful and shove it in your face!

The best part about banana leaf dining is that the proper way to eat it is with your hands! Messy, delicious fun. I love this place. Also just as good is Renee's Cafe which is right around the corner and has an extensive menu of cheap Filipino favorites.

Now let's walk (or roll rather?) east towards the intersection of Broadway and Roosevelt, the heartland of the neighborhood. Along the way there are many places to eat. Most are mediocre (Himalayan Yak!) Just because a restaurant isn't mentioned in this article doesn't mean I haven't eaten there. I've sampled the wares at pretty much every establishment in the area and am now disclosing only those that are IMO, the best of the best. Or the worst. Let's keep going.

This is where our trajectory gets a little scattershot but after eating all this restaurant food, surely you're in the mood for some street meat. There are lots of options and no better place than Sammy's Halal Food.

Every New Yorker knows the Halal cart deal. Chicken and rice, lamb and rice, combo and rice, falafel and rice. It's all just some kind of greasy junk on rice covered with a thin mayonnaise and hot sauce. While not overly imaginative and usually hideous to look at, it certainly hits the spot, especially after a few beers. It's also still one of the cheapest meals in NYC and at Sammy's, $6 will fill you up nicely. I don't know what's different about this cart other than the cilantro based green sauce option or why it's so good but it just is. People come all the way out here just to eat Sammy's.

Sammy's chicken and rice. There's 2000 calories looking at ya. Looks hideous, tastes awesome. No better method for late night sopping up of booze exists in the neighbrohood. Google Images. — Sammy's chicken and rice. There's 2000 calories looking at ya. Looks hideous, tastes awesome. No better method for late night sopping up of booze exists in the neighbrohood. Google Images.

Next we cross the street to Potala Fresh Food for Tibetan momo's. Momo's aren't that much different than any other Asian dumpling but these are so tasty and at $5 for eight steamed, beef-filled pillows, this is hands down the best deal in the entire neighborhood.

Tibetan momo's smothered in a mix of black vinegar, soy and chili sauce. $5, unbelievable. — Tibetan momo's smothered in a mix of black vinegar, soy and chili sauce. $5, unbelievable.

While we're doing Tibetan, let's go around the corner to Phayul 37-65 74th Street. There are many Tibetan restaurants in this part of Queens and most them are really just bad Indian restaurants with a few Tibetan items on the menu. Phayul helped me see the light on Tibetan food. This is the real deal. First of all, it's on the second floor and no one inside speaks English. These are always good signs.

Above the eyebrow threading salon and up a seriously shady hallway is the best Tibetan food in New York City. Laphing, wiggly mung bean jelly noodle type things, are interesting but not great. Anything that has beef in it here is delicious, especially the fiery tongue!

Phayul's stir fried beef tongue and cold cucumber salad. Yum.

Back down the stairs and we're in the middle of Diversity Plaza, the epicenter of Queens' Little India and Himalayan community. Indian food around here is a surprising mixed bag. There are a handful of really good, authentic eateries but the first places you're likely to hear about (i.e., Jackson Diner) are tailored to western tastes and aren't spectacular. There are so many buffets and sweet shops on 73rd and 74th that do up the Northern Indian and Pakistani stand by's — meat and veg curries, saag paneer, daal, rice and naan. I'm not crazy about any of them except Delhi Heights 37-66 74th Street.

Heading north one block, we're now on 37th Ave, a very long commercial thoroughfare that while gentrifying, is doing so at a glacially slow pace compared to other parts of New York. Gradually the South Asian sari, paan stands and green grocers are being picked off by Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts and the like. Fortunately, corporate interests have a long way to go here and the street still has a lot of character.

This is one of the few areas of the city where you can get extremely authentic Southern Indian food, which is totally different than what's eaten in the north. They use more coconut instead of milk and cream and "breads" made of lentils and rice stand in for wheat-based naan and chapatis. Dosa Delight 35-66 73rd St is a great place to get a taste. I love this restaurant, the spicy, tropical flavors and stainless steel tableware really take me back to traveling in the south of India. No buffet though!

Your typical masala dosa, a staple of South India. Google Images.

Idlis, smooshy rice cakes, sambar, fiery curry, and cococnut chutney. Very typical South Indian fare that Doas Delight does very well. Google Images.

Now let's take a healthy stroll east along 37th Ave towards the more Latin part of the neighborhood. There's a Rite Aid along the way if you need some Pepto Bismal. Our destination is the La Gran Uruguaya 85-06 37th Ave for a strong coffee, Spanish tortilla and refreshing ensalada de frutas. I hope your Spanish is good because not a soul in here speaks English. This place is just like sitting at a lunch counter in Montevideo. And just like in Uruguay, they have a mate gourd waiting for you if you only ask.

La Gran Uruguaya, A great place to brush up on your Español.

Now a quick jaunt south down 85th back towards Roosevelt where many Latin gut busters await. My favorite cuisine of the lot is Colombian and one of the best places, Cositas Ricas, is right around the corner. The juice counter and the tiny bar with the guy making cocktails gives this place such an authentic vibe. Everything on the menu is delicious but the Super Bandeja is where it's at — carne asada, chicharron, sausage, beans and rice, avocado, fried eggs, sweet plantains and arepas. Similar to an Ecuadorian plato but with different combinations of items. The vinegary Colombian hot sauce is what really sets it apart.

Not a picture of Ricas's Bandeja plate but this is pretty much what it looks like. Google Images.

Heading back west, let's stop at one last Colombian joint for some refreshing sausages before we go to East Asia. Los Chuzos 79-01 Roosevelt Ave, chicken kebabs and sausage with spicy mayonnaise and an arepa or two, washed down with a fresh squeezed tropical juice. Very tasty. Very cheap. This is a mostly a late night place to sop up the booze.

Simple but gets the job done. Google Images.

I don't know about you but I could really use a taco or four right about now. There are so many taco stands and Mexican restaurants on Roosevelt Ave. Most are decent but I have two go-to spots.

If you want a sit-down Mexican meal or any kind of antojitos, Taqueria Coatzingo 7605 Roosevelt Ave is the place but their claim to fame is tacos al pastor. They're the best I've had on the East Coast. Even friends from LA are impressed. There's a spit of roasting meat in there with a pineapple on top and a guy slicing it all up. Totally legit, they even serve it with the little grilled whole onions just like in Mexico. This place will knock your socks off.

A masterpiece of tacos al pastor in Mexico City.

Not Coatzingo's tacos but this is pretty much what they look like. Proper. Google Images. — Not Coatzingo's tacos but this is pretty much what they look like. Proper. Google Images.

How about a few more? Tacos de cecina y lengua anyone?

This is my taco stand. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Roosevelt @ 75th in front of the Chase bank. Is it any better than the two across the street? Hard to say. I just like this one because the ladies that run it are so nice. Everything they make is hot, fresh, delicious and extremely hygienic. It's also ridiculously cheap.

One final Latin spot and also maybe the tastiest. In Brazil, "Por Kilo" restaurants are very popular. They serve tons of different fresh churrasco (BBQ), hot sides and cold salads. You make up a plate, weigh it at the counter, pay and eat. Fast and easy but much higher quality than a buffet. Aroma Brazil 75-13 Roosevelt Ave is the neighborhood's first and only Brazilian Por Kilo joint and it's also a great value. Other than the BBQ, they do a good feijoida a couple times a week which is fun. Along with the juice and desert counter, Portuguese in the air and soccer on TV, you'd think you're in Rio or Sampa here.

Rice, beans and farofa, chorizo and chimichurri, salmon, plaintains, and cold salads. 10 bucks!

We're about halfway through this madness. South Asia and South America — check. Now it's time to explore some East Asian flavors. How's everybody doing? We're a few blocks away from Elmhurst hospital which has one of the best trauma ward's in the city if anyone is verging on cardiac arrest. Let's walk southwest a few blocks towards the subway station for our first eastern cuisine and one of the best represented in the neighborhood, Vietnamese.

Confusingly called Thai Son 40-10 74th Street, there's not a single Thai item on this menu. There are a few of these restaurants around New York City actually but the one out here is IMO, the best. The Canh Chua (sweet and sour catfish soup) and Thit Bo Cuon La Luop (beef wrapped in grapeleaves) are the best things on the menu at Thai Son. They do a good pho too but there's a better place for that.

Canh Chua (sweet and sour catfish soup at Thai Son. If you're not Vietnamese they will automatically give you salmon in your soup but the proper way is catfish. You have to ask for it.

So much more to eat .. From here, let's shuffle our bloated, distended bodies south down Broadway for some incredible Chinese, Thai and Southeast Asian food. Technically, we're now in Elmhurst Chinatown but it's so close I'm including it in the Greater Jackson Heights area. First up, Eim Khao Mun Kai 81-32 Broadway, a place with only one thing on the menu (always a good sign) — Hainanese chicken. Originally from South China, this simple, satisfying dish is now made all over Southeast Asia but the Thais do it best. Perfectly cooked and mildly flavored chicken, ginger rice, chicken soup and incredibly fiery hot sauce. That's all there is to it.

Hainanese chicken by way of Thailand. Gizzards optional. So simple but so good! $9.

A few more blocks to the south is Coco 82-69 Broadway, one of my top five places to eat in all of NYC. Extensive Malaysian menu of hard to find items, massive portions and incredibly cheap to boot. The noodle soups are my fav, their Curry Laksa takes just like Singapore. Close your eyes and you're there. They do a mean Assam Laksa as well. Beef rendang, roti canai and nasi lemak are all divine. I've never had a bad meal here.

Curry Laksa @ Coco in Elmhurst Chinatown. A little taste of Southeast Asia in the heart of Queens.

Below is Ice Cacang aka Air Batu Campur aka ABC, a ridiculously tasty Malaysian shaved ice confection of syrup, condensed milk, sweet beans, peanuts, corn and a few other things. Shaved ice deserts are on the menu at Coco and if you ask for ABC, they'll happily make it for you. A little knowledge and friendliness in this part of town really goes a long way.

ABC about to be devoured in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A true Southeast Asian street food.

There was a Thai restaurant on Whitney Ave that used to be excellent but suddenly went downhill. Not sure what happened but I don't recommend it anymore. It's a shame because they did a phenomenal stewed pork leg with Chinese mustard greens (khao kha moo). Not as good as the Cowboy Lady of Chiang Mai but it was pretty good.

The "Cowboy Lady" made famous by Anthony Bourdain, hard at work on her pork magic in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Google Images.

This is the famous dish, khao kha moo, so simple but so tasty. Chao Thai makes a good one! Google Images.

Thai food in the neighborhood has actually gotten a little complicated despite there being so many offeringts. If you want real hardcore traditional stuff like pig blood soup, offal dishes, fish head casseroles, frog legs, raw shrimp salad, there isn't one place I would recommend as a go-to destination. Rather one place might do one dish in particular really well. You just need to try out the menu and see what you like. Sabai, Playground, Authoros, Boon Chu, and 8 Paet Rio are all pretty good but Ayada seems to be the winner of the current crop.

Ayada 77-08 Woodside Ave. This place is pretty well known in NY and there's usually a wait on the weekends. Everything I've tried is tasty but a Thai friend told me that if the kitchen can make a really good crab fried rice, like good in the way it would taste in Thailand, it's a place worth frequenting. You can get that authentic and super spicy pile of tasty rice at Ayada.

There's an interesting place worth mentioning where you can tick off a lot of boxes in Asian food trying. A strip mall with an actual parking lot aka "Asian Strip Mall." There are no Five Guys or Cold Stone Creameries to be found here, though. Instead there are two Vietnamese places, a Chinese restaurant, pharmacy, grocery and dim sum place, a Thai restaurant and a Malaysian joint. After sunset it's also crawling with street carts hawking Chinese curries and BBQ.

Not even sure what this place is called. Most people just called it "Asian Strip Mall."

The beef pho at Pho Bac 82-78 Broadway is actually slightly better than at Thai Son. This place is also open until 11 for late night noodle benders whereas most places around here close up at 9. They also do a pretty good banh mi. Though if it's open and not too crowded, JoJu down the street is way better.

Pho Bac is the only place I've found that does a really tasty, really authentic Bun Cha Hanoi. This dish consists of grilled pork, cucumber, peanuts and pickled radish drowned in fish sauce. It's served with fresh lettuce, mint, cilantro leaves and the all important cold rice noodles. You put the meat, noodles and herbs in the lettuce, pour on some fish sauce and gobble it up. This is a dish like no other and is insanely popular for lunch in its city of origin, so much so that this is what Anthony Bourdain and President Barack Obama dined on at their chance encounter in Hanoi, Vietnam. Roads & Kingdoms has a good article on the dish.

A proper bowl of pho. Brisket, round eye, navel, tendon, beef balls. Google Images. — A proper bowl of pho. Brisket, round eye, navel, tendon, beef balls. Google Images.

In front of the strip mall are a variety of street carts hawking Chinese foods Juicy, cumin coated lamb on skewers, tastes just like Xi'an in Northern China! At $1.50 for a big skewer, this is another ridiculously cheap and tasty meal in the hood.

"Muslim Street" in China's Xi'an city, One of these best places in the country for BBQ.

Skewers of lamb and chicken sizzling in the Chinese stye. In China you can get handfuls of these skewers for pocket change. Google Images. — Skewers of lamb and chicken sizzling in the Chinese stye. In China you can get handfuls of these skewers for pocket change. Google Images.

So close! The end is in sight. JoJu 83-25 Broadway, this place only does banh mi and fries but they do them lots of different ways. This is a deadly good banh mi sandwich and the addition of fries on the side is a nice touch. My go-to is the classic — Vietnamese ham, pate, head cheese, mayo, cucumber, pickles carrot and daikon, cilantro on a toasted baguette. That and Loaded Kimchi Fries make for a true gut buster that will leave you riddled with guilt if you didn't run a 10k or spend at least an hour at the gym in the morning.

JoJu's Loaded Kimchi Fries. They also do Loaded Banh Mi Fries which are the ingredients of a Banh Mi dumped all over french fries. Disgustingly awesome.

I'm including Taiwanese Gourmet 8402 Broadway because it's something a little different than the average Chinese food in the neighborhood. The food is very authentic, it's cheap, there's parking and the place is open late. If you're already well versed with the standard Mainland fare, this is a good place to try something new. Taiwanese standby's like ginger chicken, duck tongues, pig blood rice cake and oyster omelete are all on the menu.

Famous Taiwanese oyster omelete aka "oyster pancake" Made with potato starch and really chewy and delicious. Google Images. — Famous Taiwanese oyster omelete aka "oyster pancake" Made with potato starch and really chewy and delicious. Google Images.

For the final leg of this outlandish journey, we need to get over to nearby Woodside Ave. It's not far but walking could result in intestinal rupture, so perhaps an Uber is a good idea. Hopefully, no one will explode in the guy's car.

First stop is another of my Top Five's — Khao Kang 76-20 Woodside Ave. Modeled after the night market curry buffet experience in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and other large Thai cities, they cover a plate in white rice and then ladle on three items of your choosing. It's about half the same daily dishes — red curry, green curry, voon sen noodles, bbq pork — and a revolving cast of new ones, so there's lot's of variety to choose from. Have your plate with a fried egg for a true Thai night market experience. $10 for three items and one egg. They also do really nice Thai sweet drinks and desserts. The family that owns and operates Khao Kang is lovely and has given it that warm sense of hospitality the Thai's are famous for.

Load up a plate with Thai curries for super cheap at Khao Kang. Google Images.

Indonesian food, while sharing some DNA with Thai and Malaysian, is definitely its own thing and one of the more underrepresented in the city. Upi Jaya 7604 Woodside Ave is no frills and the lady who runs it is a little grumpy but expect a delicious meal. Have we already had nasi goreng today? I'm dizzy so can't remember. It's Indonesia's take on fried rice but exceptionally delicious and these guys make it superbly. It's best paired with rendang padang, big chunks of beef cooked in coconut and hot spices for ages over low heat. It practically disintegrates in your chopsticks.

Redang padang, a divine Indonesian beef dish. Google Images. — Redang padang, a divine Indonesian beef dish. Google Images.

If you're not on fire yet, you surely will be now. I've saved the most masochistic dining experience for last. Time for some Bhutanese at Ema Datsi 67-21 Woodside Ave, an uncommon cuisine to find outside of the country. From high in the frosty Himalayas comes ema datsi, the namesake dish that's actually little more than green chilies stir fried with yak's milk cheese and served with a hot sauce made from what else but red chilies. This is the hottest food I've ever eaten and it about killed me so what better way to end our food tour than with our actual death?

Below is a Bhutanese set. On the left, ema datsi, the national dish of green chilies, onion and a little tomato stir fried with yak's milk cheese. On the right, cheese soup, fermented chilies, ema datsi with the addition of salted, dried beef and red rice to sop it all up. I lost about 10 pounds in sweat eating this meal. It was $20 for all this food and putting the body through such trauma surely must have some therapeutic value worth far more than that.

28 restaurants and a nice chunk of cash later, the insanity is finally over but you and I live on to keep going with this madness another day, to satisfy an insatiable urge to eat our way through this remarkable part of New York City. I'm of the Anthony Bourdain school of thought that food is the bridge between cultures and there's no better place to cross those bridges than here.

Honorable Mention:

Sik Gaek Korean BBQ 49-11 Roosevelt Ave. In the shadow of the 7 train and a taxi wreck lot is this gem. This is a fun place to go with a big group. Expect for a big bill as well and to wait for awhile to be seated. I can't include it in my list because it's in Sunnyside and quite a ways away from the main action.

The craziest thing you'll eat here is the octopus which is served alive basically. Some guy brings the plump little cephalopod to the table and with a pair of sharp shears, cuts the legs into bite sized pieces onto a plate of raw peppers and garlic. It's not "good" but it's certainly an interesting dining experience feeling the tentacles wriggle around in your mouth as you chew. Order this for friends who don't see it coming for a real sadistic surprise. The "Living Lobster" hot pot is another shocker. Tasty but disturbing!

Sik Gaek's infamous octopus. Google Images.

Taste Good 82-18 45th Ave, is a solid, no frills Malaysian spot with a die hard fan base. The stuffed tofu curry noodle soup is the best thing on the menu.

Donovan's! 57-24 Roosevelt Ave. This is Woodside's proper "Old Man Pub." A little far from "the triangle" but a nice place for a drink or two, brunch on the weekend and the burger is consistently rated one of the best in the entire city. Donovan's is a throwback to Woodside's Irish roots and one of the few places you can get very good American fare around here.

Donovan's prize winning burger. Google Images.

Back in the day, starting with a modest cart among the taco trucks, the famous Arepa Lady now has a brick & mortar restaurant at 77-02 Roosevelt Ave. These greasy, cheesy corn griddle cakes are admittedly delicious but they sit in the belly like a ball of lead. I realize there is a lot of heavy fare on my list but these are just too much for me. I also don't do lactose so that prohibits 90% of the menu. The arepa lady has been around forever though and do a Jackson Heights food blog without at least mentioning her would be sacrilege.

The legendary Queens Arepa Lady. Google Images.

Artery clogging Arepa Lady arepas. Google Images.

Flushing, Queens! If you want Chinese food, just get on the 7 and go to Flushing. The most fun place there is the food court in the basement of the New World Mall. Every stall is a different regional Chinese cuisine. This place has been visited by more food TV shows and personalities than can be counted and for good reason,, there's no place in New York City quite like it.

Flushing's New World Mall Food Court. Google Images. — Flushing's New World Mall Food Court. Google Images.

All the way at the end of the 7 train, the biggest Chinatown in New York City.

Astoria, Queens! 1.5 miles to the west is the bustling, prosperous neighborhood of Astoria. Long established, there are many great places to eat here, especially for the less adventurous or those craving more typical Western meals, Greek tavernas, or Egyptian food. Lots of cocktail bars these days and other nice date night spots which are hardly to be found in Jackson Heights.

Overrated:

All these great places, surely there must be some bad ones as well. Actually way more than can fit on this page. Here are a few that are associated with Jackson Heights that IMO should be looked past.

Ah the famous Sri Pra Phai. Everything served in here is so sweet it could induce diabetic shock. There was a time I thought this place was the best and then I went to Thailand and learned what Thai food is supposed to taste like — the subtle balance and interplay between the five flavor profiles is nowhere to be found on this menu. Go two blocks west to Thailand's Center Point instead.

Another Jackson Heights go-to that just isn't anything special. The Jackson Diner's buffet is a machine and the giant dining hall is usually half empty these days which feels weird when you're stuffing your face at the buffet.

When many New Yorkers think of Tibetan restaurants they sadly think of the Himalayan Yak. This isn't a Tibetan restaurant but rather a mediocre Indian one. The food is not good in any way but the decor is fun and they do a live band every now and again that's pretty cool. If you want Tibetan, restaurants are now a dime a dozen but Phayul is the way to go.

Emoji Burger is a new place on gentrifying 37th Ave that's trying to fill the void for Western food but it's nothing special and if you want a good burger, go to Donovan's or F. Ottomanelli instead.

Kababish, is another place made unjustifiably famous by Andrew Zimmern. This is just a little curry house, standing room only and nothing special. Yes they have a tandoor in the window and the naan is incredibly fresh but the appeal of Kababish has always escaped me.

That's all I've got for this one. I had no intention of writing such an exhaustive neighborhood guide but these projects always take on a life of their own. If you're looking for a great place to eat in this part of Queens and have stumbled upon this article, then the effort was worth it. Thanks for stopping by.

Buenos Aires, meh.

Bennett Cain August 31, 2016

Don't hate me. Surely this somewhat tongue-in-cheek statement is sacrilege, especially among those countless Americans who hold this city to such a lofty romantic ideal. And if a native happens to read this, don't think I'm disparaging your fine city. I feel the same way as you do right now when I read visitor's unfavorable first impressions of New York on Trip Advisor — I got ripped off by a cartoon character in Times Square or NY pizza is greasy and gross (they ate at Sbarro.) It takes time to come to love a place. You can't just blow through it!

B.A. it's beautiful, fascinating city unlike any other in many ways, it just didn't ignite excitement that's overcome me like the electricity of Osaka, the hedonism of Barcelona, or the exhilarating chaos of Mexico City, Istanbul, or Bangkok. Even the first time I visited New York City when I was 15. I knew that I would spend a good portion of my life here. There's just something about these places that my chemistry gravitates towards. You can't spend enough time in a place you love; you just want more, you want to know them, to own them in a way. You start thinking about how you can live there, how to be a legit expat. I think for many visitors, B.A. gets under their skin like that. The decaying fusion of the Old World and New, like Europe from a bygone era is irresistible to some. It has its undeniable charms but perhaps these visitors Spanish is better than mine.

I was here and in the environs for a little less than two weeks. Not a whole lot of time but long enough to drink red wine out of the bottle with strangers in the park, pass the mate gourd around, and eat as much beef as a mountain lion. I tried my hand (or feet and hands rather) at the Milagra, only to exhibit my poorly concealed "gringoness" to new friends, confirming their suspicions.

The Milagra — city squares that erupt into communal tango dancing. For those with rhythm anyways.

A scene from a different epoch in La Boca.

The romantic quality this city is famous for comes from its remarkable texture. Glimpses of the past are everywhere and the shiny and new often seems to be struggling to compete.

Street tango in La Boca. Note the ubiquitous mate gourd in the background.

Beautiful Recoleta cemetery featuring you guessed it, the tomb of Eva Peron.

Newer districts of the city are a sharp and shoddy contrast with the charming older areas with their intricate stonework and Southern European influences.

I stayed at a cheap hostel in San Telmo for the first five nights. I won't call them out because while the hosts were lovely, it was a pretty terrible place. The building was ancient and was once beautiful no doubt but it fallen into almost irreparable dilapidation. There was no power on the entire neighborhood for the first few days so much effort was spent dealing with just trying to figure out how to charge my phone. I rarely travel with a plan which works just fine so long as there's a decent internet connection. Devices go dead and the whole free-wheeling approach pretty much derails.

Ah my favorite thing about hostels and cheap hotels. I travel with a roll of grip tape in case it's the only way to securely fasten the damn adapter into the wall.

In these first few days I was also very hungry as I couldn't find anything to eat. Where are the vegetables? Surely someone here must eat vegetables? Apparently the diet is meat, pizza, cake, gelato, wine, and cigarettes. That's all fine and dandy but my constitution gives out fairly quickly when subjected to such regular abuse. I found this city's signature lifestyle a far cry from the cold pressed juices, kale salads, and vegan tacos of my NYC haunts. But it's good to shake things up. I did my best to stick to my usual diet subsisting on the "comida por kilo," places that are eerily similar to NY delis where you can a bite of soggy salad or cucumbers soaking in oil.

The Argentine diet was actually the beginning of the end of my two years of diligent vegetarianism. I was on an estancia outside the city and wandering around the grounds, taking it all in, Las Pampas is a ruggedly beautiful part of the world. I followed my nose and trespassed behind one of the farmhouse to see what was for lunch. There I found the asador so simply and perfectly grilling up huge sides of different beasts. The smoke stung my eyes and the smell of all that simmering animal fat made me ravenous. What, was I going to come all the way to Argentina and not eat BBQ? I'm all about the obtaining the fullness of experience. In hind sight, by eating such a restrictive diet over the past few years I've unintentionally denied myself this full breadth at many of the places I've visited over the past few years. Not anymore.

Who alive could resist this? I am no longer a vegetarian because of this.

Estancia La Margartia, a few hours outside the city. Nice place to get drunk, ride horses, and eat a bunch of meat.

His name was Flacco. He was an ornery cuss.

I spent the next day wallowing in self pity and disappointment in myself. After the meat orgy of the previous evening there was clearly no going back so the only thing to do now was go to La Brigada. There I was eating bife de lomo and papas fritas, washed down with what else but a fine bottle of Mendoza's own malbec. That's the other glorious thing about Argentina — you can get a bottle of wine that would cost $20-30 here for less than $5. So in other words, it's hard to spend most of your here not drunk and that's perfectly acceptable because you're usually in good company.

The famous butchers of San Telmo market. This guy loved me. My key to getting the kind of shots I want is to sadly, not give a shit. Yell at me, chase me, whatever. I still got it. I still captured your soul with my camera! — The famous butchers of San Telmo market. This guy loved me. My key to getting the kind of shots I want is to sadly, not give a shit. Yell at me, chase me, whatever. I still got it. I still captured your soul with my camera!

Oddly enough, barring "vacation type" countries, your Mexico's, Thailand's, etc — this is one of the few faraway places where I've found tons of Americans. Students, expats, wine aficionados, romantics. There's an odd yankee appeal here that I haven't quite put my finger on just yet. If I were to return, I'd be more inclined to just head to the wine country in Mendoza and then time permitting, Patagonia. I had a great time in B.A. but next time would be a quest for places of spectacular natural beauty of which Argentina has many. Even the skies in the city on a good day are shockingly bright, blue, and beautiful.

Something noteworthy for me at least is you don't see such raw poverty in B.A. as you do in other parts of the developing world. There are slums but nothing like cities of comparable size in Brazil for example. It's just a completely different socioeconomic situation. Here, oddly enough they're concentrated around heavily industrial railroad hubs. The most notorious is one called Villa 31, an illegal city-within-a -city wedged between two commuter rail stations. As a photographer, I'm always looking for places like this, places where the human condition has nowhere to hide. I always enter respectfully, working with a local guide, paying everyone I encounter for their time, and working as quietly as possible. After a week of trying to find someone to take me into this Villa Miseria, I gave up. I was told it was just too dangerous which I'm not entirely sure I believe but the one time I took a short cut through an outlying street in this neighborhood, someone threw a rock at me, so maybe there is some truth after all.

The wrong side of the tracks. Literally. The only way in or out of Buenos Aires most infamous slum, Villa 31.

As deep as I could safely go into Villa 31.

I suppose in some ways the lack of omnipresent, visible poverty in the city is a testament to good local government. Outside of these few areas, for a city this size, it's quite safe and clean.

After writing this I think I actually like Buenos Aires more than I thought I did. Don't listen to me. Just go and soak it up. Two weeks is enough to get a good taste, more is better if you have the time. However this is a place where the stronger your Spanish skills, the more enjoyable your experience will be. English is just not widely spoken and if you can't string together a few sentences of basic Spanish, you will struggle as I did and do in every Spanish speaking country I go to.