New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [293]
Uncle George’s Greek Tavern.
$ | GREEK | This local 24-hour favorite serves simple preparations of Greek dishes, especially those involving fish. | 33–19 Broadway, Astoria | 11106 | 718/626–0593 | Reservations not accepted | MC, V | Subway: N to Broadway.
JACKSON HEIGHTS
Even in the diverse borough of Queens, Jackson Heights stands out for being a true polycultural neighborhood. In just a few blocks surrounding the three-way intersection of Roosevelt Avenue, 74th Street, and Broadway, you can find shops and restaurants catering to the area’s strong Indian, Bangladeshi, Colombian, Mexican, and Ecuadorian communities.
Built as a planned “garden community” in the late 1910s, the area boasts many prewar apartments with elaborate block-long interior gardens as well as English-style homes. Celebs who grew up in the area include Lucy Liu and Gene Simmons. It’s also the birthplace of the board game Scrabble.
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WHERE TO EAT IN JACKSON HEIGHTS
Delhi Palace.
$ | INDIAN | Jackson Heights is full of Indian restaurants, but Delhi Palace, specializing in north Indian cuisine, stands out from the competition. Fans cite their varied daily $10 buffet, friendly service, and fewer crowds than the popular Jackson Diner down the street. Try the thin and crispy potato-filled crepes called masala dosa, made to order. | 37–33 74th St., between Roosevelt and 37th Aves., Jackson Heights | 11372 | 718/507–0666 | AE, D, MC, V | Subway: E, F, R, M to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave.; 7 to 74th St.–Broadway.
Spicy Mina.
$ | ASIAN | Since 2003, fans of Mina Azad’s Bangladeshi food have eagerly followed her career. They mourned when her Sunnyside restaurant closed, and cheered when she briefly popped up again, cooking in Manhattan. Now they trek to the border of Jackson Heights and Woodside to wait patiently through spotty service while she prepares elaborately spiced feasts from scratch, an anomaly in a sea of steam-table buffet restaurants. It’s also BYOB. | 64–23 Broadway, | Woodside | 11377 | 718/205–2340 | MC, V | Subway: G, R, M to 65th St.
SHOPPING IN JACKSON HEIGHTS
At Patel Brothers (37–27 74th St., near 37th Ave. | 11372 | 718/898–3445) let your nose lead your way through the aisles of this Indian grocery store minichain, inhaling the heady scents of rich spices, rare Kesar mangoes, and other exotic produce. Then follow your curiosity through dozens of varieties of lentils and an entire aisle devoted to rice before stocking up on spicy fried snacks and cheap souvenirs for the folks back home.
For special keepsakes, head to Sahil Sari Palace (37–39 74th St., between Roosevelt and 37th Aves. | 11372 | 718/426–9526), filled with bolts of colorful silks and ready-to-wear sequined saris.
FLUSHING AND CORONA
Before it became a part of New York City, Queens was once many small independent townships. So it makes sense that the historic town of Flushing is today a microcosm of a larger city, including a bustling downtown area, fantastic restaurants, and bucolic suburbanlike streets nearby.
Flushing may seem like a strange name for a town, but it’s an English adaptation of the original (and hard-to-pronounce) Dutch name Vlissingen. The Dutch named it for a favorite port city in the Netherlands.
Next door, quiet Corona could easily be overlooked, but that would be a mistake. Here are two huge legacies: the music of Satchmo and the cooling simplicity of an Italian ice.
EXPLORING FLUSHING AND CORONA
Top Attractions
Citi Field.
The Mets are justly proud of their brand-new stadium, designed to hark back to Ebbets Field (where the Dodgers played in Brooklyn) with a brick exterior and plenty of bells and whistles, from a batting cage and wiffle-ball field to the original giant apple taken from the team’s old residence, Shea Stadium.