Kyle Regan—a masochistic Stranger reader—has vowed to do every single thing recommended by the Stranger Suggests (movies, galleries, bars, concerts) for the month of January. Look for his reports daily on Slog. —Eds.
Everyone I asked—even self-proclaimed Indian food snobs—had no idea where the place was. I got, “I think you mean Cedars,” repeatedly. It’s easy to understand why: it’s in a nondescript building that’s pretty well concealed behind a tree’s foliage during warmer months. And the exterior of the building, which is kitty-corner from the 50th street Jack-In-The-Box, is deceptive. Chili’s Deli & Mart looks like a small Indian convenience store: there’s junk food, ethnic spices, and made-in-China crap on worn shelves.
You have to walk farther inside. The heart of the place is a dining area with electric green walls adorned by fake flowering vines. The seating arrangements are very bare bones, very cafeteria-esque. But it is an Indian restaurant so the usual gaudy portraits of random Indian shit were on display. The decor was cute at first, but honestly the offensively green walls were skull-fucking my eyes by the time my friend Eugene and I left.
Following David Schmader’s lead, we got the masala dosa and a lamb platter. Excuse me while I salivate just thinking of that dosa. If I had a food fetish, that dosa would be my gimp suit. The crepe was light and crispy. The potato and onion filling were delicious. My previous crepe experience had been a sticky strawberry sugargasm in the International District that turned me off the whole crepe thing. Now I know how it should be done. Mango lassi—think fruity eggnog—chilled the bite of the lamb platter.
The owners were kind. They explained to us that northern India used more cream and sugar, while the south used more spice. Apparently they plan to expand the restaurant part of Chili’s Deli & Mart in the coming weeks—a victory for good local food. Of the five other diners at Chili’s when we visited, two told me they were there because The Stranger suggested it. You can look at that two ways: The Stranger‘s recommendation is good for two more diners during a lunch OR business at Chili’s was up nearly 60% thanks to The Stranger. I’m going with the latter.
“If I had a food fetish, that dosa would be my gimp suit.” Kyle Regan is my favorite Slog writer now.
Cedar’s sucks. But I will definitely try this place. Thanks for pointing it out.
Kyle, they only somewhat recently expanded the seating area. For a while most people would order and take their food with them and thus you wouldn’t see them hanging out.
Counting you and Eugene it sounds like Chili’s business more than doubled thanks to the Stranger.
“Of the five other dinner diners at Chili’s when I was visited, to told me they had come because The Stranger suggested it.”
I’ve enjoyed Kyle’s posts thus far, but that sentence broke my fucking brain.
@5: Um… I screwed that up in the, er, cut and past process. Sorry.
I ate here last week. The food was delicious and the people were INCREDIBLY nice.
The owners are SO sweet, and on an unpaid intern’s savings, every meal was a feast. I love this place.
There’s a neat new little corner grocer on Roosevelt at 43rd too.
“If I had a food fetish, that dosa would be my gimp suit.”
You guys need to give Kyle a job after this experiment is over.That is hilarious.
i think kyle’s getting some serious “editing” help….ever read his first post? not that i mind!
The girlfriend and I pre-empted Kyle by a day. Damn, that masala dosa thing is magic. Girlfriend had something that tasted like a latke gone deliciously subcontinental. As an Ave near-resident who never noticed this place existed, I think they need to reform their exterior advertising, but they are way too nice for me to say that to their face. Someone else do it for me.
I’m surprised the Stranger found this spot. I had stopped there a few times while living in the U Dist after stumbling upon the spot. When I found it I had just stopped by to get some 40s and saw they had southern Indian food and had to get some. Food’s good, I like their Samosas (Dolmas?) if I’m feeling like something a little greasier.