Previous // Current // Next
Where: The Little Egypt section of Astoria, Queens, New York City
When: October 2011
This is down the block from the Kabab Cafe, an Egyptian restaurant we decided to visit when we saw it on Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations." The goat chops in pomegranate sauce at the Kabab Cafe were the best meal I had on our trip. (Dani preferred the Cambodian sandwiches and coconut-trimmed corn on the cob at Num Pang in Greenwich Village, which were my second favorite.)
While Ali prepared our food, I could stand up at our table, look over a tall counter, and watch him do his stuff. His place is tiny, which is part of the charm. Adding to the atmosphere were the anti-Mubarak posters celebrating the Arab Spring.
If you go, though, don't let the hole-in-the-wall look fool you. It's a good thing I hit the ATM that day, because Ali takes only cash, and the Kabab Cafe was the most expensive place we ate all week. Surprising, but worth it.
Subscribe to The Occasional Odd Crop 
Images and text ©2005-2012 Mark A. Dodge Medlin
