09/03/15 1:21pm

Flushing Cafe Collage

Since Yelp exists, there’s really no point in making an exhaustive list of coffee and tea shops. However, there’s still room for a curated list, so I’m going to present my favorite Flushing spots for coffee, food, working, and hanging out. Unlike some other parts of Queens, the eastern end is still limited in terms of Third Wave coffee shops, but this is changing gradually.

(I’ve created a companion Foursquare list for this article. Go ahead and save it so that you can visit them all.)

Although Flushing’s eastern border is officially Parsons Boulevard, for the purposes of this article I will use the moniker as it often is, as a shorthand for Greater Flushing, encompassing Murray Hill, Auburndale, and Bayside, and will append Douglaston/Little Neck, the New York City neighborhood that abuts Long Island.

However, I’m primarily interested in the somewhat insular, heavily Korean neighborhood that runs along Northern Boulevard from Main Street to the border of Long Island (and beyond), because this is where most of the cafes are situated. The only exception is a recent Chinese-owned entrant, Presso Coffee, located in the attractive new One Fulton Square development in downtown Flushing. (more…)

02/25/14 1:20pm
Ramen noodles get the chaat treatment.

Spiced correctly, sandheko waiwai is one of the fieriest snacks around.

Welcome to the eighth installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants. As a service to C+M readers Anne Noyes Saini has been compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers. Today a primer from Kamala Gauchan chef and owner of Dhaulagiri Kitchen in Jackson Heights on how to make sure your Nepali fare brings enough fire to melt the Himalayas. (more…)

02/17/14 10:06am

Welcome to the seventh installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants. As a service to C+M readers Anne Noyes Saini has been compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers.

Today a primer from Kedija Sraje of Brooklyn’s Bunna Cafe on how to order authentically spicy Ethiopian food. Kedija hails from Addis Ababa. “I think Ethiopian food is the spiciest compared to other parts of Africa.” Check out today’s lesson to make sure that next time you tear into that injera bread you’re dipping it into food that brings the heat. (more…)

02/05/14 12:08pm
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The guacamaya, pork skin and avocado with incredibly spicy pico de gallo.      Photo: The Mija Chronicles

Welcome to the sixth installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants. As a service to C+M readers Anne Noyes Saini has been compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers.

Today a primer from Ignacio Morales on how to order authentically spicy Mexican food. Ignacio hails from Guanajato, a small city in Central Mexican where the guacamaya is a signature street food sandwich. The Guanajatan gutbomb consists of little more than pork skin, avocado, and spicy pico de gallo. “It’s like the most unhealthy thing in the world, it’s just a pork skin sandwich but it’s amazing,” Ignacio says. Incidentally guacamaya means macaw in Spanish. The sandwich is so named because it’s so spicy you’ll squawk like that tropical bird when you eat it. On to today’s lesson . . . (more…)

01/28/14 11:14am
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Sichuan ox tongue and tripe is a classic spicy Chinese dish.

Welcome to the fifth installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants. As a service to C+M readers Anne Noyes Saini has been compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers.

Today just in time for the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities, a primer from Rain Yan Wang on how to order spicy food in Mandarin. At most of my favorite Flushing haunts, like Lao Cheng Du and Cheng Du Tian Fu, they don’t pull any punches when it comes to fiery chili heat and tingling Sichuan peppercorns. That’s not the case everywhere though. Click through to learn how to get real deal spicy Chinese. (more…)

12/03/13 10:15am
Zabb Elee's crabtastic Lao papaya salad.

Zabb Elee’s crabtastic Lao papaya salad.

Welcome to the fourth installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants. As a service to C+M readers I’m compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers.

If (like me) you’ve ever tried to order a spicy dish in a restaurant and been refused (or served a clearly less spicy version), this series of audio features is for you. We’ve already covered Korean, Indonesian, and Hindi / Urdu; this week’s lesson: Thai.
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11/19/13 10:28am

North Indian "mirch" (hot green chilies) front and center, with laal mirch (ground red chilies) in the background. Photo by Anne Noyes Saini.
Front: hot green peppers (called mirch in Hindi and Urdu). Back: ground red pepper.

Welcome to the third installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food in ethnic restaurants.

As a service to C+M readers I’m compiling a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers.

If (like me) you’ve ever tried to order a spicy dish in a restaurant and been refused (or served a clearly less spicy version), this series of audio features is for you. (more…)

11/12/13 12:28pm
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Javanese bubur ayam with a dollop of fiery sambal.

Welcome to the second installment of C+M’s ongoing series of audio guides on how to order authentically spicy food when dining in ethnic restaurants. As I mentioned in last week’s Korean primer, getting grub prepared to adequate spice levels isn’t much an issue for me. That’s not the case for my good friend and Desify columnist Anne Noyes Saini who often finds herself having to convince the waitstaff that she actually wants her food spicy. So as a service to C+M readers she’s compiled a series of audio guides demonstrating phrases in several relevant languages, which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers. Today’s lesson: Indonesian. (more…)

11/05/13 10:20am
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Spicy Korean soondubu jjigae.

I’ve been a chili head since I was child. Today I relish the many fiery foods of Queens from Liberian to Thai. Getting my food prepared to adequately authentic spice levels is not so much an issue for me. That’s not the case for my good friend and C+M Desify columnist Anne Noyes Saini who  often finds herself having to convince the waitstaff that she does indeed want her food spicy. So as a service to C+M readers she’s compiled a series of audio guides that demonstrate phrases in several relevant languages (e.g., Korean, Thai, Spanish, Hindi, etc.), which can be used to navigate ordering situations fraught with tricky cultural and language barriers. (more…)