Hello, everyone. I want to go to the Five Star Diner next weekend with some friends. Can someone make some recommendations? How are the vegetarian options? If we go on a Saturday night, does that make a difference in any way?
Thanks in advance.
Kate A.
Jan 25, 2002 01:16PM
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I've never seen more than three other groups in there at one time, and I've visited on weekends, so I wouldn't worry to much about space.
Chickpea bread, aloo gobhi and saag are great vegetarian options. I've never been disappointed by any choice I've made there. The flavors within each dish are complex and between dishes unique. Enjoy!
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You gotta get at least one order of the Butter Chicken (if you're not a vegetarian). For a vegetarian choice try the yummy "Dal Cooked for 12 Hours" Excellent stuff. I didn't love the Saag but it was ok (a bit sour).
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hi. i only eat vegetarian at five star and have been completely enamored for quite some time now. i usually start with the samosas (ask for them extra hot, as sometimes they can be tepid). the dhal is the best i've ever eaten. i usually go with a few people and we seem to always vary between the cholle (chickpeas), sag (spinach), and aloo ghobi (potato cauliflower). those are my favorites. the garlic naan is incredible as is the bread with the ginger and onions (kulcha).
enjoy
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Hey, thanks, everybody! This is great, I'll be printing these out.
To anyone else who hasn't answered, keep 'em coming.
Kate
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Make sure to try the pishori nan, with kalonji (black onion seed) and coriander leaves.
If these people are the east coast fish-eating variety of "vegetarians", the fish tandoori is excellent.
The only vegetarian item I haven't liked on their menu is the malai kofta, whose sauce was simply too rich for me.
The 12-hour cooked dal is "dal makhani".
Lastly, is anybody brave enough to try the Punjabi beer? It's called Thunderbolt.
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I have tried all of the Indian beers at Punjabi (Thunderbold, Taj Mahal etc). and they have all been old and skunky. not sure about that refrigeration unit in the front. Or maybe that stuff is just old and it's safer to get a heineken.
Too heavy to drink beer w/ Indian Food anyway. the food is too filling on it's own!
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Can we bring our own beer, or is it rude? (I like beer with spicey Indian food.)
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Not only rude, but illegal.
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I've certainly brought beer to places that didn't have liquor licenses before. I never realized I was doing something illegal. It would have been much more thrilling.
Again, thanks, previous respondents, for the great tips!
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Bringing beer to a place without a liquor license is not illegal. Bringing your own beer, wine or spirits to a place that DOES have a liquor license is illegal. The illegality is on the part of the restaurant, not you. Sorry to quash your thrill.
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Deven, I'm super-abashed to contradict you, since you're actually one of the experts i'd consult on such questions...
But are you POSITIVE that it's ok to BYO to restaurants without liquor licenses? My understanding was that this was illegal, though an almost completely unenforced law. I've always refrained, in my reviews, from mentioning "BYO-ability" because of that law...didn't want to get the place in trouble. I've had many others confirm this. So...what's the deal?
ciao
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As you know, Jim, I'm not a lawyer and don't even play one on TV. As a long-time NYC bar and restaurant manager I'm real confident about my knowledge of the law regarding places that have liquor licenses, but it has been a while since I've read the law regarding BYOB to places without liquor licences, and I'd be unaware of any recent changes. That said let me explain, and also note that this discussion applies only to New York, local laws in other states may (okay, definitely will) be different:
The purpose of the liquor laws are essentially twofold: to regulate the availability of liquor; and to ensure that the government collects any liquor taxes it levies. There are a lot of other, more minor concerns, but those are the two big ones.
A licensed premises (bar, restaurant, grocery store, liquor store, etc.) must buy all their beverage alcohol from licensed whilesalers (guaranteeing the tax collection!) and must not have on the premises any beverage alcohol not purchased from a licensed wholesale source. This means that it is illegal for them to have on the premesis any beer, wine or spirits that the customers bring in. They risk fines and/or suspension or revocation of their liquor license. There is no penalty to the customer.
As I understand the law, it is illegal for any premises that does not have a liquor license to sell, give away, or otherwise provide any beverage alcohol including, but not limited to, the dandelion wine the owners brother makes in his basement in Canarsie. But as long as you are over 21 you can buy beverage alcohol from any licensed vendor (who collects the taxes!), transport it in its original sealed container, and drink it anywhere other than a public street, sidewalk, or any location that chooses to ban beverage alcohol (the local mosque, for instance). You may drink it in any private house, private club, apartment, or business that does not object. Your host can even provide ice, glassware, mixers, and a corkscrew. Technically they cannot open the bottle or can and cannot pour, but I don't think anyone will really object. The one exception to this is if the restaurant has applied for a liquor licence. That application makes the restaurant subject to all the retail liquor laws including a special one for license applicants that says they can not have any beverage alcoohol on the premises, no matter who brings it.
It is still illegal to drink on public streets; carry an open bottle or can of beer, wine or spirits in a car; or carry open wine bottles or spirit bottles on the street. Most police don't know this, but in New York it IS permitted to carry an open beer container (bottle, can, gallon pail, etc.) on the street (the "Boxer" ruling of the NY Court of Appeals in the early part of the 20th Century affirmed that right), but it is illegal to drink from it.
Let me also point out that unless there have been recent changes there are only two State Liquor Authority inspectors for all of Manhattan, and fewer than five for the entire City. They are all dedicated, dilligent, and energetic, but it is a big city.
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They have their own selection of beers - Kingfisher and a few other Indian beers plus Coors Gold. You won't be thirsty.
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i find the saag to be hit or miss.
had the cholley, butter chicken, and ghobi pakoras last night. they did something different with the pakoras. i don't think there was cauliflower in them. however, with this place, even their mistakes taste delicious.
i love just about everything on the menu, except for the keema nan, which we ordered once and threw away.
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My wife and I drove down to 5 Star Diner from Westchester based on the positive reviews stated here. I expected a funky, out of the way place with dynamite cooking. Not exactly.
The restaurant is in a blighted, run down area and looks like an abandoned relic straight out of the "Twilight Zone." Until you are right on top of the entrance, it looks closed. Inside, the place is just as dingy and dismal as it does outside. We ordered what was recommended on this board.
Pishori nan with kolonji: A little greasy and certainly nothing special.
Samosa (ordered "really hot"): Ordinary and still a little cold on the inside.
Dal Makhani Cooked 12 Hour: Looked great but tasted slimy as if okra was added.
Fish Tandoori: Fish was not fresh. Too salty. Entirely inedible.
Service was fine. Prices were VERY cheap, in line with the quality of the food. Unless you are really down and out I recommend that you skip this place in favor of Curry in a Hurry (Lexington Ave and 28 St.), Delhi Palace, Jackson Diner and Shaheen Sweets (the latter restaurants are in Jackson Heights).
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The first time I went to 5-Star I was taken aback by the environment also. "Blighted" and "Twilight Zone" describes it pretty aptly! I think it probably should be noted that most women would not feel comfortable in this area alone, nor is it advisable to be driving an expensive car. (Though you CAN keep an eye on your car with all the scanning cameras mounted on the roof and the monitors inside!) That said, I think their butter chicken is still the best to be had anywhere. And I HAVE gone there alone (in my 1991 Camry).
I used to go to the Jackson Diner on a very regular basis but cannot recommend it anymore in the new location. It is nowhere near as good as it used to be and even within its current level the food is variable.
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Wendy, I grew up in Queens and at one time regularly frequented the Jackson Diner when it was still a "Diner." There were two menus. Caucasians would automatically receive the "Greek-American" version unless you were a regular or specifically requested the Indian food. For $4-5 one could have a superb exotic lunch.
When it became a full-fledged Indian restaurant, the Jackson Diner really became a jewel. At one time or another I sampled just about everything on the menu. The interior was renovated at least twice over the years. When a buffet was added, it became an immediate hit and a virtual legend. Can anyone else remember the little menu chart for "Sai Baba Pan" on the back wall?
Although I hated waiting in the lines outside the corner location, the move down the street to larger quarters turned out to be unfortunate. Part of its charm were the cramped quarters which infused the place with intense aromas, nearby conversations and a feel for crowded India. On one past trip to India, I met local residents who knew of Jackson Diner! I can't agree more that in its new location, Jackson Diner has lost much. Perhaps they have new cooks? You can still get a good but not spectacular meal there. I also recommend heading around the corner to the open air stall on 37 Ave. for a homemade kulfi dessert.
If I didn't live so far away now, I'd return to the 5 Star for the buttered chicken. I really wanted this place to be great and revisit the old mystique described above. Alas, even the samosa dips at 5 Star were a disappointment.
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