The awnings and signage were covered in blue this week... a small "psychic readings — $5 special" is on the front window. Not open just yet.
In keeping up with the Mahals... Raj Mahal is still open a few storefronts to the east for some live sitar music and reasonably priced food ...
... one of two Indian restaurants left on the block (along with Malai Marke) ...
Wonder if they predicted this and the rent they would pay.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if these are same psychics that were at the shop on 3rd and C that just closed.
DeleteIt’s strange. The psychic shops always seem to stay around while legitimate stores continue closing all the time. How the hell do they pay their rent?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this is all that's left of Indian Row. My heart breaks.
ReplyDeleteStill have the restaurants with the lights
DeleteThe basement Taj may have been one of the best dinner special values of all time in NYC. Garlicky soup, veg or meat pakora, special nan, hearty entree, pink pudding, tea. Not all that long ago, $10.99.
ReplyDeleteDoes Raj still have live music? They have a sitar ornament in the window but I haven't seen any players in a while.
ReplyDelete@10:14 - if you mean the restaurants with the lights around the corner on First Avenue, only one of the three is left. The Royal and Milon didn't survive the pandemic, and Panna II took over both storefronts on the second floor. The ground floor is vacant, as is the corner where Banjara used to be.
ReplyDeleteI trace the end of Indian Row to the rise of the no carb craze, starting with the Atkins diet, then Keto, then the Mediterranean diet., which also shut down many bakeries. A low carb/high protein diet with no rice, bread or potatoes makes it hard to eat Indian food.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, high school and college students who used to enjoy exploring new culture through eating Indian food and socializing would today rather use Uber Eats to order Taco Bell, Dig or Poke bowls and sit in a dorm room playing video games and scrolling through Instagram. And that's too bad, because so many great memories were made on a Friday night at Shah Bagh, Sonali and Mitali eating Indian food with friends while experiencing a different culture.
I trace the end of Indian Row to people actually getting used to eating different types of food, and Indian food being normalized and spread everywhere, so you no longer need a neighborhood to go to and can get it locally. And immigration patterns: people immigrate to neighborhood with compatriots, as they make more money and adapt to the culture they disperse to the suburbs and elsewhere. And the new expensive EV.
ReplyDelete