A pseudo hipster moving to Jackson Heights

Woodside Al is completely correct. Aside from Espresso 77 and Starbucks, you are not going to find the ideal coffee shop sort of culture that you are looking for.

Look into nearby Astoria instead. Housing stock is only a tad bit more expensive, and the amentities seem more up your alley.

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Espresso 77
3557 77th St, Queens, NY 11372

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Best Samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup) in Koreatown?

I ended up trying out Arirang last night. It was on the 3rd floor of your typical K-town building, and its specialty is samgyetang and noodle dishes (as Simon mentioned). Definitely satisfying samgyetang and enough to feed two people (1 bowl = $18.99) if you order something else (e.g., kimchi pancake). I did think it was a bit on the mild side. Is the real stuff supposed to taste this way? Thick, savory broth with a whole chicken whose meat is so tender that it falls off the bone. The black sesame, ginseng, gluttinous rice, boiled dates and red mushrooms were nice touches. I wanted more of a gingery/ginseng kick though. Don't know if this is just the gringo in me talking.

And maybe it was all psychological but I really did feel great afterwards. Restorative meal.
I will try out Joe DiStefano's rec though to make a comparison.

I will say that the service at Arirang was super nice. And the proprietress herself came out to greet everyone at the end of the meal. I appreciated this personal touch.

Thanks!

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Arirang
32 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001

ravi_queens in Manhattan

Best Samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup) in Koreatown?

Does anyone have a rec for a place in Koreatown that specializes / serves up good samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup).

It's supposed to be cold-friendly. Just what the doctor ordered.

ravi_queens in Manhattan

Buying Kingfisher beer in NYC?

I just had the same problem. I couldn't easily find it in Jackson Heights (ironic, given the Indian restaurants). But New Beer Distributors in the LES has six-packs for $10.75.

New Beer Distributors 167 Chrystie St (between Delancey St & Rivington St)

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

late night layover, late night supper (JFK)

8 hours is a long time. You can do a lot. It will take you 1 hr using public transit to get into Manhattan. $5 buys you a ticket on the Air Train from JFK to the Jamaica subway terminus. Then to get to Manhattan, you can take the subway ($2.50) either via the A-train through Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy, Clinton Hill, Downtown), the J train through North Brooklyn (Bushwick/Williamsburg) or the E train through Queens (Jamaica, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights).

What are you looking for exactly? You can save time on the trains and do something closer to JFK. Or you can stay in Queens or Brooklyn. Or you can make it all the way to Manhattan.

Only complication is that your trip is a late-night trip, so it all depends on how adventurous you wanna be or how much you wanna sleep or not sleep. You are probably going to find more user-friendly dining options at JFK than nearby Jamaica (Queens), particularly if you have luggage and/or don't know NYC that well. Otherwise, good late-night dining (other than cabbie takeout joints) seem to follow nightlife hubs, which inevitably put you either back in Manhattan or in trendier parts of Brooklyn or Queens.

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Best of Elmhurts

Mie Jakarta is my favorite for Indonesian, but their menu is simple and the place is tiny. The other two are solid choices too but the food is hit or miss. You'd have to talk to more seasoned experts to know what to order and what to avoid.

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Mie Jakarta
86-20 Whitney Ave, Queens, NY 11373

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Best of Elmhurts

You could do a tour of -

Vietnamese: Pho Bac (best pho and banh mi in the area), or Pho Bang (which is larger but food is less good)

Indonesian: Mie Jakarta (for Indonesian satays and other street food), Minangasli (for seafood dishes), or Upi Jaya (for thicker curry dishes and ice desserts)

Thai: Chao Thai (for fried crab) or Ayada (the new Spripraphai)

Asian Fusion: Coco (Chinese Malay) or Penang (modern Malay)

Elmhurst is a treasure-chest for Southeast Asian food. Enjoy!

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Chao Thai
85-03 Whitney Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Mie Jakarta
86-20 Whitney Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Minang Asli
86-10 Whitney Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Pho Bang
82-90 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373

Pho Bac
82-78 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373

Upi Jaya
76-04 Woodside Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Ayada
77-08 Woodside Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Coco
82-69 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373

Penang
82-84 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Is it possible? A $70 per head restaurant/caterer for a wedding?

go ethnic and go buffet. Your cost will be around $50 per head. Indian will give you tons of options, but I am sure that Mediterranean (think of all the mezze) would also work.

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Corona Recs?

i am just waiting for jeffsayyes to jump in on this. read his blog: http://iwantmorefood.com/
he's got a big crush on corona.

the most user friendly place will be the ueber-buzzed to Tortilleria Nixtamal, with its homemade masa. El Globo is good for more street style tacos, I hear. Tulcingo is veritable Mexican restaurant with more dinner-like entrees. And then of course, you have a ton of Ecuadorian street vendors along Roosevelt from Junction Blvd to 103rd.

The list goes on and on...

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El Globo
42-13 102nd St, Queens, NY 11368

Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Ave, Queens, NY 11368

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Pho near the 7 train in Queens (or Astoria)

Thai Son in Jackson Heights is a solid choice. Thai Son, 40-10 74th Street @ the 74th Street - Jackson Heights MTA transit hub (E,F,M,R,7). If you want better, my favorite remains Pho Bac in nearby Elmhurst (R,M trains only). Pho Bac, 82-78 Broadway.

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Thai Son
40-10 74th St, Queens, NY 11373

Pho Bac
82-78 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

M. Wells Diner in LIC serves Timmy's Frozen Custard!!

ha! so glad to see that. i was chatting with the owners of timmy o's and i told them that they should totally distribute to espresso 77 in jh. they had never heard of the place, but they made me write it down. bravo timmys!

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Lunch, brunch and/or drinks by Fort Greene flea on Sat.

The General Greene does a mean brunch and makes great ice cream (try salted pretzel!). Madiba is a South African place with a unique menu. For a cheaper option, Habana Outpost has decent-ish Latin although the outside patio area is way bigger than the interior. All three places are a quick walk from the Bklyn Flea.

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Madiba
195 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

Habana Outpost
757 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

The General Greene
229 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Best Indian in Jackson Heights?

lucky you.

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs

Best Indian in Jackson Heights?

its on 73rd between 37th and 35th. i second the thali. seriously good stuff. the chaat menu is seriously underrated too (go for dahi puri or samosa chaat). the dosas are, well, dosas. starch with a side of starch.

stick to the veg thali.

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Dosa Place
35-66 73rd St, Queens, NY 11372

ravi_queens in Outer Boroughs