Boishakhi’s sumptuous goat biryani.

Since Queens Dinner Club began almost two years ago we’ve enjoyed everything from Georgian kosher cuisine at Marani to downhome American BBQ at Mothership Meat Co., but some of the most surprisingly delicious food came from Boishakhi as part of our Journey to the Bay of Bengal Dinner. In fact me and the boys like it so much that we’ve chosen Astoria’s New York Times lauded Bangladeshi as the venue for our little club’s triumphant return on Saturday, February 10th at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased here.

Boishakhi takes its name from the Boishakhi Mela a Bangladeshi New Year’s festival, and Chef Shahara Khan is pulling out all the stops for Queens Dinner Club’s very own mela. Featured dishes include kacchi biryani, the king of goat biryani featuring succulent meat cooked for hours with aromatic spices—ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove—and dried fruits. 

The fiery fish mash that is shutki bhorta.

Fish play a large role in Bangladeshi cuisine and will be represented by rui curry—a Bangladeshi carp in a sumptuous gravy of onions, tomatoes, and fine herbs—and shutki fish bhorta, mashed dried fish seasoned with garlic, onion, cilantro, and red chili. Think of the latter as a Bangladeshi finger food, a bright and briny mash best eaten with balled up rice. For dessert there will be homemade mishti doi, a classic, sweet Bangladeshi yogurt, that does well to calm all that fiery spice.

We hope to see you at this festive celebration of Bangladeshi cuisine and Queens culinary culture!