Revisiting 6th Ave Taj Delhi Chaat

Its been almost a year since I last ate at the 6th Ave News stand.







The layout is always changing; currently the news/lotto stand is to the left when you enter and pizza is sold on the right side. In the back the food tables are ordered from left to right respectively: Taj Halal steam table /Chaat in the corner/Vegetarian steam table/Spanish steam table.

I ordered the #4 Aloo Chaat which has chickpeas and potato along with the crispy noodle shreds, onion, cilantro, yogurt, tamarind sauce, and spicy sauce. The guy making it is pretty slow and had trouble understanding me AND worst of all, he let a more middle eastern looking customer cut in front of me. I do prefer that my meals be made with love but I can let it slide, after all its $4.99 for a huge tin of flavors that I love. I finished about half of that serving; the potatoes and chickpeas make for a very very filling dish. So my lunch total was actually $2.50, I like this fact very much.

The #19 was a bit different, a curried veggie mush with bread on the side, it tasted great but was not the typical chopped mix we were expecting

Over at the Halal steam table there were various rice and curried meat options. $7 gets you a choice of meat, your choice of rice, savory potatoes, a soup thing, and a not so great chapatti. It comes in a sectioned off plastic container that you will want to reuse.

The curried goat and chicken marsala were both tender and flavorful. Neither were overwhelmingly spicy; my memories of the vegetarian food last year are of needing many glasses of water to temper the heat. Perhaps the veg section is still like this, we did not sample from that steam table, it would not behoove me to choose the squash and beans (as delicious as they were) when the curried meat and chaat looks this good.

Its probably a good thing that this place is so far from my office, otherwise I would spend way too many lunches eating here.





1013 6th Ave.

Two Very Happy Hours

The Dove is an elegant bar in Greenwich Village that stands out with touches such as burgundy wallpaper, a faux fireplace, and luxurious furnishings. Drinks even come with doilys, which makes it tempting to booze with your pinkie up. The happy hour, from 4-8, offers its specialty cocktails for $6 (normally $10). The cocktail list cites frequent use of infused liquor, spices typically found on dessert menus, and fresh juices. My "Spiced Peach Cobbler" with peach vodka, honey, cinnamon and organic vanilla soy milk did indeed resemble a dessert. This is a mild drink in terms of booze levels, others on the menu like the Silk Road Margarita pack more of a punch.

228 Thompson St.

Across the island on the east side, the Common Ground also has a spectacular happy hour, though more for the food and games rather than crafty cocktails. This bar is also nicely decorated with big windows that are kept open in good weather, chandeliers, and couches that accommodate groups nicely. Happy hour, also 4-8, includes appetizers and panini at 2 for 1. In any other bar, this might not be significant, but the food here is closer to what you would expect at a wine bar. Appetizers include Roquefort with pear and toasted spiced pumpkin seeds, brie with toast and apricot mustard, and almond stuffed dates wrapped in bacon (of course a must order, but where is the stilton, right Mary?) The goat cheese and artichoke heart panini is vegetarian friendly, but you might as well get a few to split and sample with friends, two will cost you $10. It ends up being unbelievably inexpensive to fill up here. Yuengling and Miller light are $2 during happy hour, but if you choose Miller over Yuengling you are a fool. The $5 cosmos are decent and pretty strong. Apple martinis are also on special but there is no way I would ever drink that. For even more enjoyment, games like Connect 4 and Sorry! are available.


206 Avenue A