sonja s.'s Profile

If there is only one reason you can think of to schlep out to Flushing this weekend, let it be the best dosa in the city.  If you think Dosa Guy cornered the market, you've obviously been missing the real stuff, though the Dosa Hutt's charms are not for the faint of heart. It's an epic schlep (my journey involved a long ride on the 7 and followed by a sweaty trek on the Q27 bus) but you should be thinking of this as a destination anyway. It's the journey (not to mention the UN blue laminate decor and the bustling local ambiance) that makes the Hutt special.
Here, they serve the sambar in Dixie cups because their sambar is so esophagus-scalding  good, it needs no fussing up.  The dosas are light and perfectly crisp, the thick, spicy chai is bottomless and with the Ganesha Hindu Temple right next door, there's never a dull moment. For the uninitiated, a chance to experience a corner of the city you might never otherwise see, and relish it.

To be fair, we did roll up here with a party of 11 for a late dinner on a Saturday, so I guess waiting another hour and a half after the time of our reservation is fine. It's fine. You know why? Because despite some slow service and the very, very long wait, B-Star Bar was honestly the best place I've ever eaten with a party of 11. Our table in the covered patio was cozy and intimate without being cramped, our food coordinated its arrival, and everything was fresh and tasty. In a party with several vegetarians and equally many red-blooded meat eaters, nobody went home hungry or disappointed. I dug the Taco Duo with black carp, and the mango mimosa was delish. Like the whole neighborhood, B-Star is still definitely underrated.

Sunset Market (@25th and Irving by the Kosher butcher) reminds me why the Jews and the Chinese have such a natural affinity.  

The supermarket looks like the dime-a-dozen dirt-cheap produce markets, Chinese bodegas and hardware stores that line Irving on the not-so-trendy side of 19th Avenue. But don't be fooled--we asked the locals, and this is the place to go if you want the cheapest and most authentic that the Sunset has to offer. Don't be intimidated by the bags of half-rotting produce on 'super special' or the elephant-head sized Jackfruits priced-to-move--Sunset Market is the real deal when it comes to fresh, affordable produce, specialty items and 30 lb bags of rice. Or fresh tripe, if that's your thing. We scored three bags of sundries, snacks, fresh fruit and Chinese veggies for just under $30. Suck on that, NYC.

Ok, there is something painfully 'only in new york' about this sprawling, intentionally decrepit museum across from the 5 Pointz in Long Island City. Am I impressed with the industrial-public-school-as-art-space concept? Indeed. Charmed by the creaky floorboards and too narrow toilets? Way. Allured by funky smell (for the uninitiated, it smells like the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad). Most certainly.
And yet ...

Maybe it was just the current exhibition, but I was, ahem, slightly underwhelmed by the actual art. The museum itself is utterly worth seeing, and the Leandro Erlich: Swimming Pool was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced in a museum, ever.  But I was really surprised to see parents taking their young children into some of the other exhibits. I think giving so much space over to installations and video is what makes PS1 distinct from MoMA in midtown, but when did installation get so confrontational? The overall effect on this most recent trip was loud, creepy, and distressing, and the volume on some of the video art made it hard to enjoy other pieces nearby.  Not a place I would take young kids or older parents, unless they're visiting from Germany.

This is my favorite train. So long as I live, even the L Taravel on the underground MUNI will never be as dear to me as the Q-train. Every single place this train goes is totally great and totally underrated. Every aspect of the ride from Times Square to Coney Island is delightful, and every stop deserves exploring. Mark my words,when the new census comes out in 2010, the Q line will be the city's new International Express, the new 7. Brighton Beach station, represent.

So, you've just spent an hour on the R-train getting out to Forest Hills, and then another 20 minutes or so wandering down 108th Street, past the Holocaust Memorial Corners and the YM-YWHA and a dozen Sephardic temples and 16 yeshivas and 45 podiatrists offices (and the Law Offices of Mazeltov Borukhova). And you're thinking to yourself, you know what I could really go for is some Ukrainian borscht. Or some spicy fish kebabs. Or some Israeli salad and naan...I'm not too sure. Only I hope it's certified kosher and that I can definitely give tzedaka for the Chabad-Lubavich movement on my way in, and oh yeah, I'd really like to practice my Russian. If only there were a place I could experience every significant linguistic, gastronomic and cultural variation of Judaism simultaneously, preferably while enjoying a delicious and affordable lunch.

Welcome, my friend, to Registan. They've been waiting for you.

  Registan is smack in the middle of the strip-mall like heart of little Bukhaira, Queens' Uzbeki-Jewish community. The food--a certified kosher blend of Russian, East Asian and Middle Eastern dishes with a special Central Asia twist--is to die for. The service is Russian speaking, but the menus are printed in English and Russian and you practically can't go wrong, so don't worry so much. You didn't schlep all this way for a 4 dollar bowl of soup, it's the experience you're after.
Forest Hills may be the only place in the world where you can find Persian amba next to industrial tubs of Marshmallow Fluff and pickled herring with grated beats. Similarly, Registan offers an authentic mix of food and cultures not found anywhere else in the city (or possibly the planet). Where else would the entertainment shift seamlessly from Russian crime drama to Israeli pop concert, without anyone so much as batting a lash? Where else could you drink freshly squeezed beet juice with beef tail soup and Orange Fanta?

Oh Bukhairan American Community. You are so endlessly entertaining.

Every fiber in my being  wants to hate this place--the type of Orishas and Adassa jamming, fair-trade espresso-brewing, t-shirt hawking hipster/hippie/yippie/yuppie hangout that is packed even in the middle of a working wednesday--but I can't. Guerilla Cafe should be the sort of nauseatingly self-righteous, cash-only bistro Berkeley is infamous for, but somehow it sidestepped the land mine and became an aqua-marine paradise of to-die-for espresso that is only MODERATELY overpriced. Perhaps the Castroite idyll is a little dated, but the Caribbean blue is soothing and the beret-wearing gorilla is charming as a motif.   Could I make my Cubano at home with a can of Russian condensed milk and some Elite instant coffee for pennies on the dollar? Yes, but it's still delicious. Next time you're thinking about squeezing into a table at Milano with all the other Cafe Roma sipping douches, consider hiking out to Cedar and Shattuck. Your ass and your gallbladder will probably both thank you.

Ok, so I still haven't Yelped anything I don't like, but..... Here's another thing to add to the list of great NYC stuff-- $31 haircuts at Tease in the East Village (formerly Post-Industrial Hair). Not only was the cut super quick and cute and my stylist (Jason) was uber nice and helpful, I had no trouble getting an appointment around my INSANE schedule and the whole thing cost less than a week's worth of groceries or two pairs of boots in Chinatown...the point being it was cheap. And excellent.  
I think the only reason they haven't been yelped more is because of the recent name change, (they used to be post industrial hair, yelped here http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) but don't let that fool you. They rock! And if you don't believe me, check out NY Mag's best of.
http://nymag.com/besto...

Yes, it's got sort of a dirty porn vibe on the  inside, and yes, its a honeycomb of hipsterism, but I  love Zeitgeist, and not just because my twin sister and I celebrated our 23rd birthday across three tables outdoors at the end of November (something you appreciate more after you move to New York City) , and not just because the micro-brews are as cheap as the PBR, and not even because you have the world's best view of the I-580 on-ramp. I love Zeitgeist because its like drinking at Dolores Park in the middle of the night, and because you can invite a hundred people to hang out and no one will feel crowded out or out of place, no matter what part of the Mission they come from or how they wear their skinny jeans/keffieye/Nike hi-top ensembles. I love the Port-A-Potties in the yard, and the pink elephants on the back wall. But most of all, I just love the shit out of the place.

If I can offer you only one word of advice today, it is this--BUY YOUR SNEAKERS HERE. Is it like, 90 minutes by bus/subway/tired-ass feet just to get here? Yes. And will you probably walk past it twice before you actually see it (hint: it's between the projects and the Chinese grocery) yes, almost definitely you will. Is there anything interesting to do in the area? Given that the now-deserted Boardwalk is barely in walking distance, not really. Unless you like visiting old folks homes, and then by all means. There's about a MILLION of them at the end of Mermaid just before Sea Gate. (Surf Solomon's a favorite--50cents breakfast!). But will you get the cheapest Nikes G-d ever sewed? Yes, and that makes all the difference. Most name-brand styles are marked down to around 14.95, and my last pair of Nikes was $9.99. Leave the box with the dude who frisks you at the front  counter and  take a long walk through Brighton Beach until you feel clean again.