Lunch Break: Soup, Kebabs And Korean-Chinese
Jewish penicillin to stave off any illness arising from the swinging weather, kebabs to make your mouth happy, or lovely Korean-Chinese specialties - it's all in today's Lunch Break. By Yvo Sin.
Ben's Best
9640 Queens Blvd
Rego Park, NY 11374
(718) 897-1700
bensbest.com
See Also: Best Soup Spots In NYC
The weather feels a bit fall-like, but will warm back up in no time; fight off the cold that might come from the swinging weather and have a bowl of the most excellent chicken noodle soup at Ben's Best (pictured). Broth that is almost sweet from the carrots, with an abundance of delicious noodles, this chicken noodle soup will knock anything bad right out of your system - or get it with a matzoh ball, which comes in a giant mug labeled "Jewish Penicillin"! Of course, you can't ignore the most amazing pastrami at Ben's Best; made in-house, savory, piled high on rye bread and about the best you will find in Queens, it goes great with the soup as well. The corned beef is as light as cotton candy and just one more great choice at Ben's Best... the entire menu, really, is filled with great choices. Rejoice in this lovely neighborhood kosher deli!
Fortuna Kosher Restaurant
64-06 108th Street
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 896-6661
See Also: NYC's Best Kosher Grocers & Delis | Best Jewish Delis
For $8.49, the lunch special at Fortuna shouldn't be missed: mix & match soup, salad, kebobs, fries, even pilaf. The kebobs themselves are the real draw here, however; lamb, lamb ribs, chicken wings, boneless chicken, beef tenderloin, and veal liver all average around $3-4 per skewer. Grilled to juicy perfection, the kebobs pair well with the fries, but even better with a bit of Korean-style carrot salad, which comes dotted with the red chili pepper paste for which Korean cuisine is known. Another specialty of the cuisine? Lagman, a tomato-broth based beef vegetable soup that arrives with chewy strands of white noodles, perfect for soothing yourself from the up&down weather. Fortuna delivers and accepts credit cards, so you needn't worry yourself with finding them or going to the bank beforehand.
Hyo Dong Gak
51 W. 35th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 695-7167
Sitting on the stretch of Manhattan known as North Koreatown (32nd Street is known as simply Koreatown), Hyo Dong Gak boasts Korean-Chinese food - a cuisine that most Korean-Americans are extremely familiar with. A Korean take on many stereotypically Chinese dishes, Hyo Dong Gak has a firm grasp on how to deep fry bits of pork, chicken and shrimp (pictured), then toss with a sweet & sour glaze that isn't quite as sticky sweet as many Chinese takeout places make it. Aside from that, though, Hyo Dong Gak bears the distinction of being one of only a few restaurants in the area that serve jjajungmyun. The noodles are chewy and delicious, and once you've mixed all the black bean sauce throughout, eat your way happily till you're stuffed, all for $6.95. There's also a nice lunch menu for those who don't want jjajungmyun - about $8 will get you choice of soup, rice and a main course from the Chinese-influenced side of the restaurant.
For the latest on where to eat in the Tri-State, follow us on Twitter!
Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.
