Random food thoughts - Street edition

[conceptual 4est]

do you guys have chaat restaurants in USA?

yes, and at least in New York it's one of the last frontiers of genuinely cheap, delicious, filling food that hasn't been hipster-fied

My favorite place still makes me feel like an idiot though because to get to the stand you have to go into a dollar pizza place in ****** ass midtown, walk by the dollar pizza that office workers pick up, walk past the spanish food steam tables that other workers pick up, and make you way to the unadvertised weird corner with one dude working his magic.



edit: after looking it up to try and find some pictures, it appears they've changed the canopy outside to promote the Indian food inside, along with the others. I also haven't been back in a year since I don't work in that neighborhood anymore and don't have time to make it up during lunch, but I'll have to figure out a way to go now and see if it's still good.

edit 2: $5 worth of delicious food in Midtown, 2 years ago. I want to say it's papri chaat but I only remember ordering by number once I found the ones I liked.

 

[hendrix]



yes, and at least in New York it's one of the last frontiers of genuinely cheap, delicious, filling food that hasn't been hipster-fied

agree 100%. same here too.

That's enough talking about it otherwise we'll let the cat out of the bag.

 

[Fuuma]



The offal movement has gotten out of control though. I'm happy to eat some sweetbreads or sample the local treatment of intestines, but the macho braggy aspect of "I ate four courses of animal parts that we all agreed taste like literal poop 50 years ago" has gotten to be a little much

I didn't even know it was a thing, I'm not very invested in foodie culture so I miss a lot of the emerging trends. I just notice less and less people seem to be ordering those type of dishes, which means less traditional restaurants are serving them. Some classics remain like Bearnaise kidneys and duck gizzard salad.

 

[pickpackpockpuck]

The sorts of places you're talking about, Fok, do exist in NYC, but not so much in Manhattan. More in Queens, in Flushing (Chinese) and Jackson Heights (Indian) and spots like that.

There aren't restaurants dedicated to chaat in NYC that I can think of. Don't know about elsewhere. It's usually on the appetizer section of the menu at Indian places.

Lastly, I'm not big on offal but I do really like chicken hearts. They're pretty typical at churrascarias (Brazilian), so I grew up eating them.

 

[pickpackpockpuck]

Just saw c4est post. Where's chaat place?

edit: hmmm, looks like there are a bunch of chaat spots in midtown (which I guess is why I've never bumped into them) and, not surprisingly, in Queens.

 

[shoreman1782]

I guess I'm just tired of Anthony Bourdain?

 

[Distorbiant]

This is my (Chicago) spot. Authenic Pakistani hole in the wall. Started as a cafeteria for taxi drivers, but has slowly gained popularity over the last few years. Each dish is huge and costs like $3 to $5.






Veggie Thali. Great for when dating indecisive vegetarian hipster girls.



Their most popular dish, the chili chicken biryani. On certain days it is more bloodier and spicier than usual.





They have so many items that sometimes you just have to order a random curry and hope it's good. (It usually is.)


I'm hungry now.

 

[Fuuma]



I guess I'm just tired of Anthony Bourdain?

I never hear about that guy outside of the internutz and have never seen his show, it's quite easy to isolate yourself from that stuff I think, at least more than say Kim Kierkegaardashian.

 

[fishbones]

Yo Disorbiant, any other recommendations?
I live in Chicago as well and my girl and I have been trying to explore more places!

 

[Distorbiant]

Yo Disorbiant, any other recommendations?
I live in Chicago as well and my girl and I have been trying to explore more places!

Sure. The place I named was Ghareeb Nawaz, located on Devon. It's just east of the main Indian restaurant strip. The flavors are pretty beastly, so only go if you know indo-pak food and want stronger.

Here are a few must-visit places.

Hot Dougs is a place everyone must visit. They're like the TOJ of hot dogs. (Okay, that made almost no sense.) Just take a look at their special's menu, which rotates weekly.
http://www.hotdougs.com/specials.htm
Gotta love the exotic hot dogs, and they make a mean chicago-style as well. They also have duck fat fries.
They have limited hours and long lines during busy times. Totally worth the wait, though!





Smoque BBQ is another popular place. Everything here is impressively delicious, especially the brisket. I've only been here once, actually, but the place blew me away. Even the appetizers are incredibly flavorful.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/smoque-bbq-chicago
The Brisket Meal.


Kuma's Corner is a must-go for burgers. Each burger is named after a metal band and- you know what? Just go eat there.




Margie's Candies is a 100 year old ice cream shop. I've taken about a dozen first-dates here. The Beatles also ate ice cream there once, which is cool.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/margies-candies-chicago



Ras Dashen, great Ethiopian food; the best I've had in Chicago. Fantastic service, too. Best to go with like 5-6 people and pig out.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ras-dashen-ethiopian-restaurant-chicago
(The food looks horrible in photos but tastes great)





There are other great places, but those are what stand out off the top of my head. You've probably already had deep dish pizza. Pizano's is one of my favorites for that, and Edwardo's for the spinach deep dish.



http://www.alacardchicago.com/
^This is a cool coupon booklet. It's $30 for 52 restaurant coupons. Ras Dashen and Smoque are even on the current card list!

Foodie out.

 

[dfagdfsh]

next up: vice tv special, anthony bourdain serves offal to libyan warlords

 

[LonerMatt]

4) Ethiopian food and when it will blow up, so good and made to be eaten in groups

Yes. So glad I got introduced to it by some mates.

 

[lesamourai]

Hm. I'm pretty sure a third of the food I consume is prepared inside trucks on the street.

 

[Biggskip]



do you guys have chaat restaurants in USA?

Chaat Bhavan - Freemont, CA - Good Suff. Went there once, place was packed with FOB Indians, assumed I was in the right place, taste buds confirmed assumption.

This is my (Chicago) spot. Authenic Pakistani hole in the wall. Started as a cafeteria for taxi drivers, but has slowly gained popularity over the last few years. Each dish is huge and costs like $3 to $5.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Veggie Thali. Great for when dating indecisive vegetarian hipster girls. Their most popular dish, the chili chicken biryani. On certain days it is more bloodier and spicier than usual. They have so many items that sometimes you just have to order a random curry and hope it's good. (It usually is.) I'm hungry now.

The irony is that the part of town where all those places are is just steps from MK. So you can spend $3 or $30 for an entree and get something good either way. Have you ever been to Goose Island Shrimp House (not too far away from there)? I've heard many a good thing, but never bothered to stop in while I lived there. Edit: Oops just realized the place you're talking about is up on Devon. I thought this was one of the half dozen or so joints around Orleans & Oak. Also, hard to talk about Chicago cheap eats and not mention Harolds. Foo made a point of holding it in contempt, so you know it's good.

 

[hendrix]



There aren't restaurants dedicated to chaat in NYC that I can think of. Don't know about elsewhere. It's usually on the appetizer section of the menu at Indian places.

IME the places that do chaat as an entree do it terribly. I'm not sure why this is, although it guess might be because it's not really meant to be restaurant food, more street food, and restaurants **** around with that.

This is my (Chicago) spot. Authenic Pakistani hole in the wall. Started as a cafeteria for taxi drivers, but has slowly gained popularity over the last few years. Each dish is huge and costs like $3 to $5. Veggie Thali. Great for when dating indecisive vegetarian hipster girls.

That looks great. I may share my gf's bhel puri recipe with you guys.