There was laughter on the phone for a few seconds, after which the guy took a deep breath to regain composure, and said that they were open 24/7. As I hung up, the absurdity of inquiring about their dinner hours became apparent to me. But this was way back in 2002, when I barely ventured to the outer boroughs. At the time, Kabab King Diner (KKD) was the ultimate destination for Pakistani food on the East coast.
The single most annoying aspect of Pakistani restaurants in the U.S. is that even describing them as a "hole-in-the-wall", seems like fulsome praise for most. They have a well defined clientele in mind (cabbies), and as a result sadly believe that they don't need to invest in furniture or tableware or be held accountable for hygiene. They serve quick, cheap, and delicious meals but I do believe they need to find a model for a restaurant that is more contemporary than that prevalent in the Indus Valley civilization! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilization
Go in the afternoon and the 'family dining' area upstairs is likely to be closed to diners, who instead have to share communal tables and eat with plastic utensils and plastic foam plates. Now, I don't have a philosophical issue with communal tables per se, but I do have a bone to pick (literally) with the litter on the table that typifies the restaurant's lax attitude to cleanliness. It takes a while for servers to clean up, and even then I have to use the, er, napkins to clean up, and take a deep breath to silence the voices in my head.
In case you're wondering, the voices in the head are saying: Stop complaining, and eat! Now, my views may be biased, but even though you will get variants of kebob, kebab, kabob, kibob, kebap, kebhav, kephav, kabab... in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, African, Central Asian, and South Asian cuisines, no one makes Kababs better than the Pakistanis! End of story. Flavorful, well spiced, suitably herbed, juicy, succulent, with varying intensities of heat - that's the DNA of Pakistani kababs. Whether charcoal grilled, cooked on a flat grill (Tawa) or in a clay oven (Tandoor), they possess a unique flavor and taste that remains unmatched. Diners unfamiliar with the difference between Pakistani and Indian cuisines, should find it most evident in the kababs.
KKD's kababs are made to order, and so you won't get the pre-cooked, dried out, chewy, burnt, bland, pathetic impostors often found in other restaurants - even some that serve Indian cuisine. My favorite item on KKD's menu is the Bihari Kabab, which is the perfect companion for a culinary adventure involving watery eyes, runny nose, beads of sweat dripping from your forehead, etc. Trust me, despite the heat level, it is delightful! Just make sure you aren't served the "Paleface" version.
Food critics who believe that curries are KKD's strong spot need to be laughed at - heartily. In any case, I personally prefer Indian curries to those of any other country in South Asia. If I do end up ordering a curry dish at KKD, it would be Chicken Makhani. Most of the other curries are excessively greasy, with little to distinguish one from the other. Their worst aspect is that you have no idea as to how long ago they were prepared. They are re-heated in a microwave and even then - end up being served cold!
Now I don't expect too many drunk people to show up in Jackson Heights after a tete-a-tete at their watering hole. But if they did, they would realize that none of the Halal Carts in the city can compete on taste with the Kababs (with Naan) that the King has to offer. Just make sure, you don't order the "curry" - for you might end up leaving "in a hurry" :) read more