sangam

Sangam is the no-longer-recently-opened-and-therefore-not-really-hot-news biryani joint in Greenwich Village. Of course I meant to write about it months ago….

The samosa is average, oily, but the vegetable biryani, flecked with long green beans, carrots, and cubes of potato, tastes surprisingly light although it is wholesome, flavorful food. The plump grains of rice are robustly spiced and topped with browned, tempting slivers of fried onion; a cooling yogurt raita is a refreshing condiment.

Sangam’s biryani is nothing like the decadent biryanis I sampled in Bombay last month, stuffed with nuts, mushrooms and cream, but I think it works well here in New York. The eatery provides a fairly light, tasty meal that is an addition to the cheap-eats scene but an alternative to the falafel, dumpling, and noodle joints everywhere in the city. One could eat a Sangam biryani and be happily full but still escape the hard-hitting waves of somnolence guaranteed to come after a few bites of richer biryanis…or falafels.

Sangam’s co-owner, Aslam Parviz, introduced me to Rafat Ansari, the wife of his partner Ishrat Ansari, and the cook responsible for the home-ground spice mixture (masala) that so fragrantly seasons Sangam’s biryani. Rafat’s masala, says Aslam, is what distinguishes Sangam’s biryani from that which you find at other restaurants; most places use a prepackaged biryani mix called Shaan, which he says, wrinkling his nose, “I can smell from a mile away.”

Despite the restaurant’s bare-bones setting (just a few tables and chairs, really) Rafat and Aslam’s faith in their home-ground masala and their belief in food prepared with care sets Sangam apart from the other cheap-eats ethnic places in the city. After the biryani, I tried Sangam’s version of the trendy Kati Roll and loved what an unfashionably straightforward package it was: flaky, freshly grilled paratha wrapped around a tomato-potato-carrot based vegetable dish accented with tiny black mustard seeds. This was not a glitzy roll, decked out in extra oil or garlic or hot green peppers and chaat masala like Roomali’s delicious wraps. Nor was it a party roll to satiate late-night revelry-induced hunger. It’s a seedha-saadha, freshly prepared Indian wrap, tasty and satisfying, sensible and wholesome, in the way that home-cooked food tends to be. I loved it.

I read somewhere that Sangam’s prices have increased since I took a photograph of this menu. I think the vegetable biryani, which was $6, is now $7.50?

Sangam is on the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal at 190 Bleecker Street. (212) 228-4648. They deliver, oh and their website provides the menu along with the new prices.

strawberries and cream

I went to Mahabaleshwar this past weekend and stayed at the Dina Hotel, a Parsi-run inn with pretty gardens, impeccable service, and antiquated charm. A wooden wall calendar hung in the dining room and classical music was the soundtrack for every meal.

Mahabaleshwar in the mist is what we went to see, hoping the hill station would have emptied out, the rain turning the town upside down, causing people to flee from the heavy, cloudy sky.

But though the days were wonderfully gloomy, the red earth remained dusty and dry, keeping the town relatively active for this time of year. When we walked into the reservations office of the Dina Hotel, a man, his wavy gray hair combed to the side, peered up at us over his glasses, grunted, and then leafed through a large reservations book, its pages furled by damp.

The enclosed balcony in front of our room overlooked the carefully tended gardens. On our right was a playground with a few pieces of happily painted equipment; my favorite was the forlorn swingset with its lonely bucket seats.

We ate a few decent meals at Dina (breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea were included in the price of the room) but didn’t agree with the assessment of our neighbor, Paras, who, after extending an invitation to partake in his evening balcony spread of whiskey and “bites,” told us that he and his wife found the food at Dina “awesome.”

We did have a remarkably light chole one evening, and on our first lunch, the snowy dahi vadas sprinkled with freckles of the brightest red chili powder were nutty and airy. We also enjoyed the racier version of the traditional baked beans on toast, spiked with onions and spicy like pav bhaji.

Chai, unfortunately, was not Dina Hotel’s strong point. When we stirred milk into the weak English tea, flat, glossy fat bubbles skimmed the surface of our cup. We asked for tea boiled with milk but even that tasted insipid, though infinitely more palatable than the other watery concoction.

At Brightland Holiday Village’s restaurant, The Olive Garden(!), we ate delicious thin crust pizzas, both topped with our choices: one olive, mushroom and garlic combination and one green onion, tomato and green chili pie.

We sat outside both nights we had dinner there and the patio, slick with the sheen of rain, reflected lights in a blur. The hotel, busy during the day with screaming kids splashing in the pool, was much more pleasant at our 10:30 dinner time.

The paneer tikka that we got as an appetizer one night was served on a portable tava (stove) with skinny loops of red onion and a fresh mint chutney. Our pesto pasta was cooked with an over enthusiastic amount of garlic, but the pine nuts, Parmesan and sun dried tomatoes helped balance the dish.

At the Gymkhana we played table tennis and, along with the flies that settled on every available damp space, enjoyed a hot afternoon snack of chips (fries, but apparently not as good as they usually are) and spicy ketch-up with our chai.

Despite the rain outside, a few men insisted on playing tennis on the puddle stained courts. Hm, wet balls.

We wandered through the Mahabaleshwar market, stumbling across gems like Elsie’s Bakery, where the pastries resembled the ancient cake collages framed on the walls.

We also walked past a game where the grand prizes included a gigantic boombox and a boxy portable television for those kids skilled enough to roll the ball into the right slot.

My favorite among the places we ate was the Bagicha Corner, a strawberry and corn farm with covered outdoor seating and a store that sold bizarre glass figurines.

We shared a Makkai Frankie (Makkai=corn) and a Makkai Cheese Frankie, crispy, flaky rolls oozing with sweet corn, onions, green pepper and garlic. I preferred the plain frankie because the cheese was too buttery and salty and overrode the fresh corn taste.

For dessert we shared a tall glass of strawberry juice and one of strawberries and cream, in which sliced strawberries were tucked between scoops of strawberry ice cream and fluffy sweet cream.

Such meals can make me fall in love.

palace of sweets

This post about the 10 best ice cream sandwiches in New York made me drool. I can’t wait to try Ronnybrook Farm Dairy’s sandwich because its ice cream is…too good…and Bierkraft’s “fudgy chocolate brownie” sandwiches since it’s located so close to me but I’m most excited about the pumpkin cookie ricotta gelato sandwiches at One Girl Cookie. Pumpkin and ice cream makes a great combination and the store has other intriguing items on its menu, like fig-flavored sheep’s milk ice cream. Y-U-M.

slices of summer

[Pompei's slice]

I don’t crave pizza often, but within the past few months I’ve eaten couple slices worth writing about. I suppose I’ve been generally disappointed by New York pizza because the random pieces I’ll eat on occasion never live up to the hype. Also, for me, the power of pizza is far less than the power of Mexican food or ice cream. Thus, while I’ll drive 45 minutes for a lick of Christina’s, I’m far too unmotivated to trek to DiFara to try its acclaimed pie.

But! When good pizza comes my way, I do not object. In Massachusetts, my favorite pizza is from Papa Gino’s, an east coast chain with two locations five minutes away from my home. It’s my go-to place for an everyday slice. My brother, cousin and I agree that Papa Gino’s has perfected the ratio of cheese to sauce to thin but not glaringly crispy crust. It’s dependably satisfying, which is usually what I desire when it comes to pizza.

Back in the New York area, the first satisfying slice I had was when Waq took me to his hometown favorite, Pompei Pizza in Bayonne, NJ. For the past couple years, I had been listening to him praise Pompei. Of course I trusted his sense of taste- we had eaten many a meal together- but I was never in Bayonne long enough to try Pompeii for myself until one overcast Saturday this past February, when that Pompei slice, thin, cheesy, and fresh, brightened my day with its pleasing proportionality. Below, Waqas’s description of the pizza:

Waqas: “Well, the thinness is perfect; it’s thin enough to be crispy but the pizza never falls or droops, which thin pizzas often do. And the crust is light and fluffy without being doughy or overly chewy. They put a generous amount of cheese on it and the sauce is just slightly sweet/tart and has a great herby spiciness to it. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this pizza, plus, the smell of the place billows out onto Broadway.”

The second noteworthy slice I had was with work folks on a balmy evening a couple weeks back at a Ray’s on Prince Street- yes, Ray’s, that pizza store that sits on the corner of every block in Manhattan. Although Kim said that it was the first Ray’s in the city* and swore that the pizza was beyond average, I still had my doubts. We ordered a pie, half vegetarian and half pepperoni. I usually prefer thin crust pizza but Ray’s thicker crust was pillowy and aromatic and topped with soft ricotta, thin rounds of tomato, sliced garlic and basil. The superior quality of fresh ingredients used in the pizza made it memory worthy- I’ve been yearning for that slice of summer ever since.

*According to Wikipedia, the Ray’s on Prince is the first Ray’s in the city and all the Ray’s pizza places are not connected as one big chain but, for the most part, are independent restaurants that share the same name.

Pompei Pizza, 480 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ. (201) 437-5408
Ray’s Pizza, 27 Prince Street, New York, NY. (212) 966-1960

onion butter rava chili coriander masala, baby!

*

My friend Susan recently started the online magazine Jersey City Uncovered. It’s a publication dedicated to discovering cool things about Jersey City, which, surprisingly, is a really neat place. I spent quite a bit of time in JC over the past two weeks and I like that 1. the PATH no longer intimidates me and 2. there are lovely, peaceful areas from where it’s possible to view New York with some perspective.

The magazine covers all sorts of topics, from what to do if you get a boot on your car to a boutique clothing store and the new development in the Power House Arts District to taking a field trip to the beautiful Cloisters in upper Manhattan.

Oh, and also in the May issue there’s an article (by me) about an excellent dosa restaurant with a staggering variety of dosas on offer that are most certainly worth the trip into Jersey City.

*[look familiar? Susan also paints, and I think she used her talents very effectively by transforming this photograph I took in December into super cool art!]

in the middle of a cloud

a vegetarian’s guide to the steakhouse sides

We went to BLT Steak for Sandeep’s birthday dinner. Steakhouse dinner invitations come my way infrequently (hmmm), so I thought I should scope out the scene.

Tanned people with nary a golden lock out o’ place milled around the bar, where we waited for 20 minutes despite being on time for our 8:45 reservation. We eventually got seated at a round table (always a plus) in the enormous dining room where the walls, ridged with angular siding, created an atmosphere reminiscent of a furniture showroom.

My friends all ordered steaks (1 medium, 3 medium rare) while I had the much more interesting and varied task of selecting the sides. I choose:

Stuffed Mushrooms: The breadcrumbs were deep-fried and their oiliness distracted from what could have been a meaty (ha!) dish that better complimented the juicy and absorbent qualities of mushrooms.

Parmesan Gnocchi: Delicious. I wish I had gotten a sharper picture of this snowy pile of Parmesan and the lovely clouds of gnocchi bathing in a cream sauce underneath. A little rich? Certainly… :)

Onion Rings: I realize that onion rings are very much a matter of personal preference. BLT’s looked funny, a congealed fried tower. I liked my first bite a lot but these onion rings did not stand up to the test of time- the tempura-esque batter became rapidly soggy from the weight of the oil.

Creamed Spinach: I was curious, never having eaten “creamed spinach.” Yummy! It tasted just like saag paneer from an Indian restaurant, minus all the spices.

My question, which I posed to my dinner companions and to the waiter, was, why are these steak sides so rich? People always talk about how filling steak is; my friends couldn’t manage more than two bites of the sides because they were stuffed from their entrees. I imagined that tomatoes and onions, or asparagus dressed in a light lemony butter would be more appropriate steak sides both for the contrast in taste and weight. But the waiter and my friends and Wikipedia told me that steak is traditionally served with starchy sides.

For dessert we ordered the chestnut chocolate sundae (see previous post for a full-length picture), beautifully presented in a tall skinny glass with whipped cream and a cherry on top, in which fleshy, sweet chestnuts and crunchy candied ones were hidden between scoops of chocolate ice cream and thick chocolate fudge. Delightful Decadence!

And finally, we ordered the peanut-butter chocolate mousse with banana ice cream but Sandeep ate most of it himself, not realizing it was one of the desserts we’d ordered to share. He had been silently working on his cake for so long that finally one of the other boys turned to him and said, Sandy, you’ve been quiet. How’s that cake? “Oh man, guys, this is the most incredible chocolate cake I’ve ever had- I was just thinking- you guys should really try some.” Waq, tasting his first bite, was like, “Sandy this is the mousse we ordered!…and you ate the whole thing.” And so we each got a lick of what remained.

Onion rings, spinach: $9; mushrooms: $10; gnocchi: $10; dessert: $10
Bistro Laurent Tourondel Steak is at 106 East 57th street, New York, NY.

all in all it was a pretty nice day