242922 Sun May 02 21:23:29 -0700 2004 14 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1290194 Folks- I've been watching all the posts on Mina pile up on this board for months now... I imagine a visit is in my near-future. I know how to get there... I know a lot of what to order... I certainly know to ask for things "spicy"... But there are so many posts out there now saying so much, I was wondering if anyone wanted to step up to the plate and write a "Definitive Handbook to Mina"? It'd be great to have one post that details everything from how to get there to the names of the staff to the few dishes worth skipping. Anyone up to the task? ;) -Peter Sun May 02 21:23:29 -0700 2004 0 Peter in the Heights 1 1290196 Peter, i'd really appreciate it if someone answered my Mina question a few posts below... do you know the answer? the question was, where were the condiments? thanks. Sun May 02 22:15:40 -0700 2004 1290194 0 korgy 2 1290248 Where, oh where, is the illustrious Mina? Tue May 04 10:59:42 -0700 2004 1290196 0 surforfood 3 1290272 On 43rd Ave. between 47th and 48th Streets in Sunnyside. From Manhattan take the 7 train to 46th street and exit toward the front of the train if it's open. Either way, once on the street walk in the same direction the train was heading (east) on the north side of Queens Blvd. Landmarks on the north side include a Chase Manhattan Bank. Walk down 47th street to 43rd Ave. and take a right. Tue May 04 19:13:01 -0700 2004 1290248 0 Cara 1 1290199 Impossible. they never cook the same dish the same way twice. But it's all great (subject, of course, to your open-mindedness re: enjoying different versions). Those who expect things a certain way - or expect to have on the second visit anything resemblign what they had on the first - will be disappointed (and account, I believe, for most of the negatives we've seen about this place). Go, order, enjoy, and remember. Because when this place closes, we'll never have anything like it ever again...unless we're lucky enough to marry into a Bangladeshi family. A Bangladeshi family, that is, with brilliant and creative cooks. ciao Sun May 02 23:14:53 -0700 2004 1290194 0 Jim Leff 2 1290201 Jim- "When they close"?!??! Are they slated to close in the near future? Did I somehow miss that on these boards? Or are you just assuming that all good things must come to an end? ;) -Peter Mon May 03 00:10:08 -0700 2004 1290199 0 Peter in the Heights 3 1290202 Nothing's forever. And chaotically run businesses in bad locations that never make a dish the same way twice and that presume all sorts of chowful understanding on the part of their customers - yet serve them bland food unless they're slick enough to beg for spice - are, I'd imagine, less durable than most. I'm glad we, the weirdo minority that appreciates great places with high difficulty ratings, have helped keep them in biz as long as they have been. But long term viability...Idunno. I'm glad folks are enjoying Mina. And I hope their deliciousness spurns people to go out and hunt for lots more unsung treasure (it's low on the trees). Don't just wait for other chowhounds to report...make your own discoveries. The search is half the fun! And report back! ciao Mon May 03 00:30:30 -0700 2004 1290201 0 Jim Leff 4 1290215 I just don't get why the owners don't spice up the food in general without waiting for people to ask. They seem like smart people. They're savvy enough to figure out how to open a restaurant that serves great food; they must be aware of the chatter on Chowhound and elsewhere. I can't imagine that many people stumble into the place with a hankering for bland food from the Indian subcontinent. So, do the owners suffer from some culinary version of Asperger's Syndrome or what? Mon May 03 10:45:54 -0700 2004 1290202 0 Denise R. 5 1290219 Your post made me chuckle. To answer your question, "do the owners suffer from some culinary version of Asperger's Syndrome or what?" Yes, I think they do. A severe lack of social funtioning in a culinary sense is exactly what I experienced in my visits there. Maybe even a mild case of culinary autism. At least the folks at Miona's are nice and try hard. They're just slightly clueless in some ways. Hmmm... maybe this is why I have had such bad meals there. On a subconscious level they are acting out because they realize I am into food and psycho-therapist... Maybe I just need to offer them my services as a food therapist? Mon May 03 11:44:39 -0700 2004 1290215 0 The Rogue 6 1290224 Would that be culinary transference? (I'm reaching the very outer limits of my psycho-jargon knowledge.) But I think the idea of a restaurant therapist is brilliant. Could be a whole new income stream for mental-health professionals being nickled-and-dimed to death by managed care. For your first client, Mina. Next? Maybe DiFara's? Help them figure out why they have such a deep resistance to cleaning the tables? Mon May 03 12:24:47 -0700 2004 1290219 0 Denise R. 5 1290223 Many more gringos get indignant about over-spicing than from under-spicing. It's a fact. And there's no symmetry: over-spicing (for a gentle palate) HURTS. Under-spicing just makes people shrug with boredom. We are a minority. But we knew that. Sripraphai, when I first went there (and wrote about it for Newsday) back in like 1991, didn't used to let gringos in. They suggested places I'd "like better". Thank goodness they relented, and it's a miracle that they've not let up one inch on their meticulous authenticity. It's definitely a chowhounds-only place. Mon May 03 12:13:06 -0700 2004 1290215 0 Jim Leff 5 1290261 agree with below posts - the don't "spice it up" becuase most Americans don't like it. i know many people who berate Sripraphrai because it is too spicy. Nevermind that it is real. Tue May 04 15:36:24 -0700 2004 1290215 0 korgy 4 1290251 As a long-time resident in Sunnyside, my wife and I have eaten frequently in Mina, and for the most part have found it a wonderful restaurant. As Jim says, nothing is forever. According to Mina's "brother" (who also claims that he taught both Mina and her sister how to cook!), Mina is away in her country and won't be back for a while. I don't know what this means, but I do know that Mina's sister seems to be doing all (or most) of the cooking. While the sister is a decent cook, she is not up to Mina's abilities (in my humble opinion). I hope that Mina does indeed return and the restaurant continues to offer its wonderful and special dishes. Tue May 04 12:20:01 -0700 2004 1290202 0 Mike 2 1290205 Yeah, at one point I began to make a list of all the Mina dishes that had received raves on this board, but it very quickly began to resemble . . . the Mina menu itself. Mon May 03 01:21:12 -0700 2004 1290199 0 Marty L. 1 1290283 Back to the question of a "definitive guide"... whatever else you have, definitively order whatever Biryani they recommend that evening, especially if you're eating family style. Tue May 04 21:43:31 -0700 2004 1290194 0 Chicago Mike