52 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 18, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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The World’s Borough has
long been known as a destination
for Indian cuisine
and culture, but until Kurry
Qulture opened its doors in
2015, something was missing.
That something, says the Astoria
restaurant’s 40-year-old
owner Sonny Solomon, was
an upscale ambience.
“Queens was missing a
classy Indian place,” says
the 40-year-old Astoria resident
who worked for years
in Manhattan’s white tablecloth
Indian restaurants.
“They have places in Queens
where people go, eat, and
leave. We wanted to have a
place for people to eat and
relax.”
Solomon hails from the
North Indian state of Punjab,
as does the restaurant’s
chef, Binder Saini. They will
be showcasing a classic Indian
street food from that region
— samosa chaat — at the
World’s Fare.
While it’s tempting to
think of samosa chaat as
an Indian version of loaded
nachos, it’s really its own
thing. The fried vegetable
turnovers, packed with potato
and peas, are seasoned
with whole cumin and coriander,
topped with chickpeas,
onion, and tomato, and
then drizzled with a trio of
sauces: mint and tamarind
chutneys and a spicy yogurt.
Finally, the whole lot is
showered with crunchy bits
of sev, a chickpea noodle.
The resulting explosion of
textures and flavors — cool,
crunchy, spicy, sweet, sour,
and minty — is as exciting
as the diverse food scene of
Queens itself.
“It’s a very, very popular
street food in North India, but
now it’s all over India,” Solomon
said. “People love it!”
Even though Solomon
has called Queens home for
just over two decades, he
only recently learned the
history of the Unisphere,
the glittering stainless steel
globe that was originally
constructed for the 1964–65
World’s Fair as a symbol of
the Space Age, but has come
to represent the borough’s
diversity.
“Well, it’s always been a
symbol, I always pass by every
time going from Grand
Central to LaGuardia,”
he says. “I
see a lot of people
playing cricket
around that area,
too, but I really
never knew what
it meant, to be
honest with you.”
Be sure to
stop by Kurry Qulture
at the Fare and
try the amazing Indian
street food. Keep an eye
out for the spring/summer
menu, which will include
such delicacies as tandoori
game hen and galauti lamb
kebab. The latter, a specialty
of Lucknow, India, is an
amazingly tender lamb patty
that Solomon says was originally
made for an Indian
king who didn’t have any
teeth. I can’t wait to try it!
Joe DiStefano is a
Queens-based food
writer, culinary
tour guide,
and author of
the bestselling
guidebook
“111 Places in
Queens That
You Must Not
Miss.”
Taste Kurry
Qulture’s samosa chaat
at the World’s Fare at Citi
Field (123-01 Roosevelt Ave.
in Queens, https://theworldsfare.
nyc) on May 18 and 19
from 12 to 8 p.m. Tickets from
$19 to $199 (children under
10, $5).
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As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m so very fortunate to live in the most diverse and delicious destination in all of New York
City. And I’m even luckier to be a Tastemaker for the World’s Fare, a celebration of global cuisine and culture, which will
be held on May 18 and 19 at Citi Field. In the weeks leading up to the Fare I’ll be profiling some of my favorite vendors from
Queens and beyond. Today, a look at Kurry Qulture, Queens’ first upscale Indian eatery.
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