vegetarian | Chopsticks and Marrow

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by Joe DiStefano

03/09/20 11:06am

Take a Delicious Vegetarian Voyage Through India with Queens Dinner Club on March 23 at Astoria’s Kurry Qulture

by Joe DiStefano

Kurry Qulture’s samosa chaat is a riot of texture and flavor.

When it comes to dining out in Astoria, the first cuisine many people still think of is Greek. Truth be told though the neighborhood’s dining scene has been diverse for quite some time with Middle Eastern, Japanese, Eastern European, American comfort food, and upscale Indian. That last category is the sole purview of Kurry Qulture, which was opened by Astoria resident Sonny Solomon and Chef Binder Saini, both of whom hail from the North Indian state of Punjab. The boys and I at Queens Dinner Club love everything on the menu here, including the luscious lamb chops, but we we are also especially fond of the many vegetarian dishes, which is why we are so very excited that Sonny and Chef Binder have created a special vegetarian feast for the next Queens Dinner Club, which will be held March 23. Make sure you don’t miss this very special dinner by signing up for our mailing list here.

Astoria, Binder Saini, Kurry Qulture, Queens Dinner Club, Sonny Solomon, vegetarian

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by Joe DiStefano

04/06/18 4:12pm

Watch Sushma Thukral’s Story of Samosas and Survival

by Joe DiStefano

Despite the somewhat generic name Sushma Thukral’s New Asian Food Products tucked away on Cherry Avenue just of Kissena Boulevard, has a specialty, Indian food, specifically roti and such vegetarian snacks as savory samosas packed with potatoes and herbs and crunchy fresh fried pakora as well as sweets, chai, and other snacks.
Over the course of my two decades of exploring downtown Flushing, I’ve probably stopped in two or three times, but now thanks to Sixty First Productions and the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce I’ll be stopping by more often and have even added it to my food tour itinerary. (more…)

chaat, chai, First Stop on the 7, food tours, Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, Indian, New Asian Food Products, roti, samosa, Sixty First Productions, Sushma Thukral, vegetarian

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by Joe DiStefano

02/14/18 11:01am

Our Favorite Foods in ‘111 Places in Queens That You Must Not Miss’

by Joe DiStefano

One of the things I heard most from my editors when I was putting together 111 Places in Queens That You Must Not Miss was “Joe, there’s too much food on your list.” To which I mentally responded, “Don’t they know who they hired? I am the guy who ate Queens for chrissake!” Somehow I still managed to mention food and drink more than 40 times in the book. Herewith are seven of my favorites. To find out the others, you’ll have to score a copy. A great time to do so would be next Wednesday, February 21 when 111 Places in Queens Comes to Jackson Heights at Espresso 77. Ace photographer Clay Williams and I will even autograph your copy. Can’t make that? Come celebrate Chinese New Year at Leaf Cocktail Lounge with us on February 22nd.

1. Lhasa Fast Food
I’d love to take credit for discovering this gem of a Tibetan restaurant tucked behind a Jackson Heights cell phone store, but I can’t. Momo maven Jeff Orlick turned me on to it years ago. There’s nothing fast about the momo making here though. The reward for your patience? Juicy steamed beef dumplings that are amazing as is the thentuk soup featuring hand-torn swatches of dough. It’s such a special place it merited its own chapter! 37-50 74th St, Queens, NY 11372, 646-256-3805

2. Falafel slice at Benjy’s Kosher Pizza Dairy Restaurant & Sushi Bar
This marvelous Middle Eastern mashup can be had at Benjy’s Kosher Pizza Dairy Restaurant & Sushi Bar. It combines two great street foods New York City pizza and Israeli falafel. Topped with half a dozen falafel balls, I like to eat it with tahini and hot sauce. In case you are wondering, this novelty slice did not get its own chapter. It appears as a tip at the end of the chapter on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s gravesite. 72-72 Main St, Flushing, 718- 268-0791 (more…)

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by Joe DiStefano

02/20/17 10:07am

QDC Takes a Passage to South India Feb. 28

by Joe DiStefano

The Ganesh Temple of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, known by its devotees as Šri Mahã Vallabha Ganapati Devasthãnam, is a cultural and spiritual center for Hindus residing in Queens and beyond. Thanks to a canteen serving some of the best South Indian vegetarian fare in New York City the temple is also a destination for culinary pilgrims. That’s why my pals from Queens Dinner Club and I chose it for this month’s feast. To score a ticket to this culinary passage to South India please click here. (more…)

dosa, Flushing, Ganesh Temple Canteen, Indian, Queens Dinner Club, vegetarian

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by Joe DiStefano

04/12/16 4:14pm

Lost Vegetarian’s Top 5 Chinese Dishes in Flushing

by Joe DiStefano

Who knew Gui Lin Mi Fen had an awesome tofu salad?

Who knew Gui Lin Mi Fen had an awesome tofu salad?

As a nonvegetarian omnivore the first things I think of when it comes to vegetarian food in the bustling Chinatown of downtown Flushing are the tofu from Soybean Chen and the dosai at the Ganesh Temple Canteen. But what would a real vegetarian choose? To find out I turned to Howard Walfish, the man behind the web sites Lost Vegetarian and Brooklyn Vegetarian, who was kind enough to share his favorites in this guest post.

Downtown Flushing can be a little daunting for vegetarians. Between the restaurants, street vendors, and food courts, there are hundreds of places to eat. Many of them don’t have English-language menus, and many of them have decidedly nonvegetarian specialties. But all it takes is a little digging, and you can find lots of great vegetarian food. Here are a few of my favorites.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

1. Tofu Salad at Gui Lin Mei Fen
Gui Lin Mi Fen is best known for its noodle bowls, but there’s a sleeper vegetarian hit on their menu that’s easy to overlook: a tofu salad. The firm tofu is diced and flavored with kalimeris indica, a plant also known as Indian aster. The herb adds an herbal, floral note to the salad that makes it irresistible. (135-25 40th Rd.) (more…)

Chinatown, Chinese, closed, Dongbei, Flushing, Fu Run, Guchun Private Kitchen, Gui Lin Mi Fen, Howard Walfish, Lost Vegetarian, New York Food Court, Sichuan, Spicy & Tasty, vegetarian

Dish O' The Day

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by Joe DiStefano

07/28/14 2:08pm

A Surprising Summer Tartare at M. Wells Dinette

by Joe DiStefano

MWELLSBEET

Beet tartare, as refreshing as a summer’s breeze.

The running joke about me and M. Wells Dinette is that if I had an editor they’d tell me not to write about the place so much. Since I don’t, here goes. Yesterday I stopped by to check out their pig roast and petanque scene in the courtyard of at MoMA PS1. Finding myself in the mood for neither, I headed into the restaurant.

“I kind of want beef tartare, but can’t justify having it since I ate my body weight in red meat last night,” I said to Aidan O’Neal. “You should try the beet tartare,” he said. I flat out refused claiming somewhat hyperbolically that it goes against everything I believe in. It sort of does since I am no fan of mock meat and veggie burgers. “Try it, I think you’ll be surprised,” the chef persisted. Eventually I caved and ordered the $14 vegetable tartare. And I am glad I did. (more…)

Aidan O'Neal, beef tartare, beets, M. Wells, M. Wells Dinette, MoMA PS1, vegetarian

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by Joe DiStefano

04/08/14 10:45am

Vegetarian Knockouts from Dongbei Heavyweight Fu Run

by Joe DiStefano

FURUNJELLY2

Green bean sheet jelly with red oil, for vegetarians and chiliheads alike.

To a certain kind of Chinese food aficionado the very mention of Fu Run conjures up three words: Muslim lamb chop. And it is well that it should. For the ruddy rack of lamb that’s been braised, deep fried and rolled in cumin and sesame is truly spectacular. When I showed Dave Beran the executive chef of Next around downtown Flushing a while back he told me he wanted to take it easy on cumin forward dishes. I insisted the Muslim lamb chop was a must-eat, and he relented, and was glad to have done so. As a card carrying carnivore I am loath to admit two of my favorite dishes from our Fu Run meal were vegetarian. (more…)

Chinese, corn, Flushing, Next, noodles, spicy food, vegetarian

Dish O' The Day

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by Joe DiStefano

03/11/14 10:15am

An Ode to Liang Pi, the Dish and Man, That Started an Empire

by Joe DiStefano

LIANGPI

Cold skin noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods are as spicy and refreshing as ever.

Way back in 2005, Xi’an Famous Foods had but one location, in what I like to call the 36^th Chamber of the Golden Shopping Mall. It was presided over by an affable gent who went by the nom de cuisine Liang Pi, after his signature dish liang pi, cold skin noodles. Today it’s become a mini empire with five locations, upscale sister restaurant Biang, and a Brooklyn commissary.

Back in the day the most notable design elements were rickety folding stools and 100-pound bags of wheat flour arrayed like sandbags along the back wall. “My name is Liang Pi,” he would proudly say as he ladled out the dish. Many of his customers came from the same region and seemed absolutely thrilled to find a dish from back home in Queens. Legions of hungry regional Chinese cuisine fiends were pretty thrilled too. I’d never tasted anything like cold skin noodles before: squidgy, porous blocks of wheat gluten and chewy ribbons of wheat starch, tossed with bean sprouts, cilantro, slivers of cucumber and a “secret sauce” made from sesame paste, vinegar, and chili oil, among other things. “I have it for breakfast at least three times a week,” one fan told me. (more…)

Biang!, David Shi, Flushing, Golden Shopping Mall, Jason Wang, liang pi, noodles, vegetarian, Xi'an Famous Foods

Sandwich Wednesday

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by Joe DiStefano

02/26/14 9:59am

Grill House’s Sabich is an Eggplant and Egg Wonder

by Joe DiStefano

SABICH

Sabich, the falafel sandwich’s lesser known cousin.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

When I was in my twenties running around the East Village smoking more marijuana than I care to remember I ate more falafel than I care to remember. Had I known about the sabich, a lesser sung Israeli sandwich, I’d have added some variety to my midnight munchies. The combination of fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs sounds odd at first, but it’s actually quite good. I’m fortunate to be able to procure one at Grill House a tiny Israeli joint that’s a 5-minute walk from my house. (more…)

closed, egg, eggplant, Israeli, Rego Park, street food, vegetarian

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by Joe DiStefano

12/10/13 9:53am

Savory Rices for Carnivores and Vegetarians in Queens

by Joe DiStefano

UZBEKPLOV

Bella Roza’s plof is real stick to your ribs fare.

Unless you count the crusty caramelized part, which adheres to the bottom of cooking vessel and is prized by Puerto Ricans and Koreans alike, plain white rice holds little appeal. Chinese takeout fried rice is much tastier. It’s been years—OK maybe six months—since I’ve eaten it. That’s because in Queens there so many other rice dishes from all over the world from biryani to bibimbap. Today, a look at two less common ones. (more…)

beef, Flushing, Ganesh, Indian, Rego Park, rice, tamarind, Uzbek, vegetarian