My first experience with middle eastern food was at a small fish resturant near a movie theater in my neighborhood. It was dingy and uninviting. Looking back, I have no idea what drew me to that place. The wait was terribly since they caught the fish and killed it before cooking, but guaranteed a fresh dinner. The flavors could never be forgotten. It was fresh, clean, and delicious beyond compare. The Red Snapper haunts me in my dreams.
Since then I have ventured out of my safety net of familar food types and into the heart of the cultural spice abandon. Indian food in itself is typically among the pricey range. As a poor student I could never afford an authentic experience by myself. I went one day with a group of friends to an Indian resturant located near my college. We were all poor but settled for an amazing experience trying out various curries with naan. I then came to a conclusion. I love Indian food. Though as superb as Indian food is, I just cannot afford a $22 dollar bowl of curry.
Which brings me to my latest find: Jackson Diner.
Located in the village near NYU and The New School, it captured my attention through my employer at my work place. At lunch time, when I chose to go, Jackson Diner offers an $11 buffet with fresh cooked food. I was skeptical I admit at first. Not that I thought the food would be bad, but I was curious and created a mental challenge for this buffet to rise up to. To this point, my only experience with the word "buffet" had been terrible American food, oily and sickening Chinese food, and a few good occasionaly finds of fresh sushi (only during lunch) and the option of crab legs though that was at a hotel so obviously it was of good quality. The only way to answer the question of where Jackson Diner placed on the rating scale was to dive in head first and try it out.
I am a generous person and do not judge on appearances. There are many cases where the ugliest looking crack in the wall held the most delicious dumplings I have ever been graced to inhale. The outside of Jackson Diner was a bright plastic looking red with white signs promoting their Lunch buffet. Inside though, is a different feel altogether. They have a warming theme of red and brown. The dark wood gave a earthy feel that complemented the red accents made with the decor and bar.
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| The back of the bar displaying all its choices. I love the mosiacs of the wall. I love the square hive holding all the wine. |
The buffet is lined against the wall to your right as soon as enter. I took my seat by the window in the front since the back was crowded before going to view the buffet. The owner Mr. Singh was very nice and explained all the dishes to me when I asked. The dishes held several sections, the first being vegetarian, the second meat, and then salad and rice pudding. Everything was straight foward and the amount of dishes did not overwhelm me. After conversing with the owner I also found out they have some vegan dishes and if not available they can make one as a special order.Thankfully, I am not vegan and can enjoy all the meat and white flour I want.
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| The buffet line of delicious Indian food waiting for my arrival :) |
I would like to dedicate some time to something unnappreciate in this resturant and probably many others as well: the art pieces. All over the store you can see chimes, sculptures and elaborate patterns. Above the buffet were insets in the wall containing various Indian art pieces. Woodcuts, minature golden elephants, everything just grabbed my attention I almost forgot to eat.
I come from a family of artists and craft dabblers. From them stemmed my love of all art, especially cultural pieces. So much detail and love went into making these pieces. Even the broken elephant chime that hung behind my window seat held an ethnic beauty that hushed the chattering voices of the resturant dwellers and drew me into itknowing black eyes.
While picking the dishes to the background melody of bollywood songs and crowds in the back excited talking and laughing I was glad to notice I was not the only non-Indian customer there. Jackson Diner's location allows easy access to Indian food for those working nearby or students at the local schools.
The best thing I love about buffets is that if you are unsure of what to get you can just settle for a little bit of everything. First plate was rice with tandoori chicken, chicken tiki marsala, cabbage, Curry Pakoda, and salad. They also give you unlimited naan and water. As colorful as the plate was it all surprisingly balanced each other out.
The food itself was, may I say it? Surprisingly good. As earlier mentioned I did not know what to expect from Jackson Diner and I was pleasantly pleased with what I recieved. Warm, soft Naan, with just a little crisp to its edges was placed at my table. It accompanied the delicious rice and chicken that I tried to not devour in a hazard manner because it was so good. I just did not expect the chicken to be this way. The spices were enough for flavor but not for burn. I would have a little rice, cabbage and curry pakoda on one fork-full and I was the happiest I could ever be on a Monday afternoon. When I was in college the most mentioned Indian food was Chicken Tikka Marsala and Naan. But what won me over at Jackson Diner was their Tandoori Chicken. It held a deep, rich red color and steamed with heat and spice, promising me sweet things if I would only take one more bite and never stop. The chicken was tender and juicy. It's well cooked flesh brought tears to my eyes. was my favoDevouring at politely as I could manage I found a bone in the center. It easily broke and testified to how well cooked this chicken was. Easily, their Tandoori chicken was my favorite part of the buffet.
My last trip to the buffet was their rice pudding. Nothing fancy here but that is just the way I like my rice pudding. Sweet, a little chewy, with cashews and raisins to add just a little extra as a present, I
had two servings and would have gone up for more if I did not have work to do.
Jackson Diner allowed me to experience many things.
* Good food
* A friendly owner
* Beautiful decoration
* And finally - a great price for their lunch buffet at $11
I love it when my adventures lead to good things. Especially food related ones.
As the GREAT Apu once said (and continues to say)
"THANK YOU COME AGAIN."
