Coming to terms w/ the loss of Spicy Mina's

[SpiceJunkies]

So it's been over a year and a half since eating her Dahl fry, or Kashmiri chicken, or Malai Koftka, and I know she is not coming back. So my only option is to seek other ways to enjoy such wonderful tastes. This has proven very very difficult.

The million dollar question is where to even begin? I've researched and been to Bangladeshi food, but nothing seems to be even close to what I was getting at Spicy Mina's. Is there a restaurant anywhere serving this cuisine? Is there recipes? What keyword could even be used to begin a search? Anyone? Anyone?

[Jim Leff]

She was tracked through three different locations. So don't be sure she won't be found again.

[Jack Barber]

Jim, did you ever happen to catch the name of Mina's "sous chef" at last location? (Youngish guy.)

P.s. Service at Mina was fine, I would actually say delightful, if you spoke to your servers like humans and had reasonable expectations.

[Jim Leff]

Alas, no.

She'll resurface. There's enough hounds on the look-out. And it's not like she's going to go into the shoe business. She'll work for someone else for a while, licking wounds. We'll find her.

[dacoit]

Let the Mina Watch begin! While she licks wounds, we lick our chops in anticipation.

[ChiefHDB]

I'm always wary of reporting double hearsay (the lawyer in me), but I got such a choice nugget of information today that I'd be remiss to keep it to myself. A friend of a friend who is supposedly friends with Mina apparently ran into her on the street recently. Mina allegedly told her that she has plans to open a restaurant in Manhattan sometime in the Fall. No info on the location, but thought I'd throw it out there for interested CH'ers.

[daniellaczar]

it's not mina's, but neerob in the bronx offers good bangladeshi food---it's more bangladeshi than mina's mix of indian and bangladeshi --neerob is lots of veggies and fish. it's a small take-out type place w/ only a few tables. not mina's home-like atmosphere and service, but the food is good. still miss mina's though!

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Neerob
2109 Starling Ave, Bronx, NY 10462

[daniellaczar]

and the chana dal is good, but it's not her dal fry!

[Jack Barber]

I went to Neerob and found it fine but not destination food. I remain at an Indian loss, particularly with S Spice now too far away for a takeout run. Szechuan is my only succour.

[SpiceJunkies]

Arghhh! I'll have to try Neerob because I drive by that area on the Bruckner so often.

So I guess Mina was cooking up her own fusion of Indian and Bangladeshi??

[apossibleworld]

I've been wondering about this too. There are thousands of places in Jackson Heights. Anybody have recommendations? Chowhound seems to focus on just a few places, and it's funny to feel like there's such a big hole, in the face of so many possible options.

[el jefe]

Khaabar Baari, 37-22 73rd Street is a very good Bangladeshi restaurant in JH. I prefer Neerob but JH is much closer and I rarely get to the Bronx. Neerob is a destinaton dinner when I can get a group together to go.

Neither reminds me of Mina's. Very few of the dishes served at Neerob and Khaabar Baari were ever on Mina's menu. Mina's food was fine but her service was so bad that I don't miss it at all.

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Khaabar Baari
37-22 73rd St, Queens, NY 11372

[SpiceJunkies]

I felt the service had character as opposed to just plain confidence. It's funny how at one place waiting 20 minutes for food after an app. would drive me nuts, but at another it just becomes part of the experience. It must be expectations.

[Bob Martinez]

"It's funny how at one place waiting 20 minutes for food after an app. would drive me nuts, but at another it just becomes part of the experience. It must be expectations."

Based on that standard, you'd really like DiFara's.

[driggs]

I agree, although at Spicy Mina's the wait was because the food was being prepared with the correct amount of attention.