Swan Song on Sixth Street

A temporary pause in the customary blog action to mourn the closing of Sonali, a personal favorite pitstop on the Indian restaurant block of 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues in NYC. I'm not sure exactly when it closed, but I snapped this sad picture last night while on my way to meet a friend on the Lower East Side.

I suspect that most New Yorkers would echo the typical hate/tolerance of Curry Alley as a local cuisine phenomenon. The associated myths and opinions (that they all share the same kitchen, that what they serve isn't true Indian food, that the uptown cluster of Indian restaurants is much better, etc.) are as exhausted as any other bit of local folklore, but I wanted to take this opportunity to namecheck Sonali if only because it was, for years, my 6th Street destination of choice.

Before they emerged under new management about three years back, a good friend and I were weekly patrons for enough of the 90s to keep my innards burpin' and chirpin' for the rest of my life. The advantage of dining on this internationally feared block is that it's cheap, it's near a lot of other things that you might want to visit, and anybody in the city you might end up there with will have an opinion on which place is the best. Very few 6th Street regulars are willing to randomly choose a restaurant, in spite of the barkers who stand poised outside of every last doorway, tempting passers by with the promise of tantalizing delights within. One could think that the exotic flavors of the Far East had never been more within reach.

6th Street dining experiences are heavily steeped in tradition, and I'm not just referring to the barkers. Since few of these eateries have liquor licenses, a visit to one of the local Indian delis is a manatory pre-dining pitstop for some exotic Indian beer. I generally take the un-adventurous route and get King Fisher, but the quick poll I just conducted with the known beer-snobs on WFMU's office staff has illuminated that Bill Zurat's favorite vindaloo-cutting spirit is Taj Majal, whereas Scott Williams soars regularly high atop the Golden Eagle. Regardless of your preference, you'll be sure to find a smiling waiter at whichever restaurant you choose, armed with a trusty bottle opener, and ready to pop your top to the tune of a fizzy Indian buzz. (Important aside: Another popular Indian brew, Haywards 5000, should never be referred to as "Haircut 100", even in jest.)

Another crucial 6th Street tradition is establishing which breads and appetizers will be ordered and shared by the assembled diners. Before refining my taste for a good garlic Naan, I was fascinated with Poori, which is a big puffy bread that inflates like a balloon and which I once drunkenly re-christened "UFO bread", much to the amusement of our exceedingly polite and patient waiter. So taken was I with this light and flakey delicacy, I once tried to make it at home and very nearly started a three alarm grease fire in my kitchen. Fair enough. I now leave it to the professionals.

Some other favorite details and anecdotes from my personal 6th Street recollections:

* The "How Was Our Service" card found on the tables at Sonali throughout the 90s were a mind-numbing excursion in hilarity. The checkable options to describe the food were as follows:

[  ] Sumptuous  [  ] Exquisite [  ] Delicious

* The flight of stairs that ascends to and is shared by two competing restaurants right around the corner where 6th Street empties onto 1st Avenue. One of the restaurants is called Panna II and is a firetrap of exemplary detail, what with its 40,000 strings of Christmas lights which are left on all year round, and cast a peculiar, otherworldly color on one's food. Even if you didn't order the Tandoori, those lights are going to make it look like you did. One time, while walking by that staircase, I witnessed the two restaurant's competing barkers get into a fistfight with one another -- kicking and punching eachother and rolling out into the street. A crowd gathered and broke them up, and it was then that I witnessed one of the most peculiar New York moments of my entire life: a lengthy and stern lecture by random members of the crowd to both men about how they needed to figure out a way to settle their disputes with civility and get along. They sheepishly took their community scolding and resumed their posts, bruised and bloodied to the last.

* I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but there seems to be a gradual price increase in the restaurants' menus if one traverses the block from east to west. Beginning at the bottom of 1st Avenue, we find the aforementioned Panna II, which is really cheap. Round the corner and start heading up 6th towards 2nd Avenue, and things start getting a bit more pricey, with menu items going up in 25 cent increments for every twenty paces. In the middle of the block, we (up until recently) had Sonali -- a mid-priced venue for the budget-minded curry enthusiast. Head further west, and you'll pass the open-air joints and a few restaurants that feature regular live music from Sitar-wielding old guys. (Which translates dually into a more lively dining experience, and additionally hiked prices to cover this extra staffing.) At the top of the block, make a left and just two doors down you will find Haveli, which was for years regarded as the fanciest joint of its sort in the neighborhood. (Although as of last night, it was still sporting the same bullet hole in the front windowpane that's been there since last summer.)

Haveli's prices are far above what you'll find on 6th Street. A request for water will earn you a query as to whether you prefer "bottled" or "tap". And although I haven't been there in years, I seem to recall that they have their own liquor license and offer the accordant full bar. Strangely, with all of these amenities, it is also the only restaurant in NYC where I have had a many-legged critter scamper across my table, and it happened there twice, which is a large part of why I haven't been back.

* Back when the WFMU Record Fair was held at nearby Mary Help of Christian's Church, 6th Street was probably the most popular post-digging destination in the neighborhood, especially given that most Record Fair attendees had little money left over after a day spent in search of Hasil Adkins 45s and Sun Ra rarities. The excited banter of WFMU listeners who'd just scored long-wanted vinyl treasures was a nice complement to the sitar renditions of songs by Prince, Abba, and Rick Springfield that routinely boomed through tinny ceiling speakers.

* Two words: Lemon pickle. Every Indian restaurant has it on their menu, yet no one seems to keep it in stock. Try ordering it sometime and then watch your waiter pull on his coat, step around the corner to the deli for a moment, and then cast you an annoyed glance as he sets a bag down on your table.

Previously on Beware of the Blog: Kip Winger Emerges Victoriously from Chicken Tikka Masala

 

Comments

[Reggie]

I ended up at Panna II last year on the day before my birthday. My friend stealthily told the waiters this, and next thing I knew the lights were going crazy, and an insane Indian speed techno birthday song was playing over the sound system! I was described as have a look of "pure joy" on my face! I love Panna II!

[DanO]

i LOVE "Curry Alley" no matter what anyone says. I always go to Ghandi because they have the clear edge in service.

[BenjamenWalker]

Mike I was eating at Haveli's when you walked by! (first time too - not bad - but yes, $$) As for the competing fire-trap dives, One weekend as I was walking by I witnessed a gaggle of well dressed young people arguing over the oft-overheard legend that one of the two eateries is actually 'better than the other' when a weather-beaten old timer walking along side of me growled out: "Fuggetabout it - they both suck" !!

[Rodneyrotorooter]

God. I remember Sonali. They were great. RIP.

Been a while since I lived in New York, and since moving to San Francisco there are things about 6th Street (and NY Indian food,) that I seriously miss. There isn't the regional diversity out here that there is in NY: It is pretty much all Pakistani-style, which is great, but you have to go far to get good South-Indian food, and the thing I particularly miss about 6th Street is bananna pakoras-- They're just not to be found out here.

Does anyone remember Gaylord? It was a pricy, white-tablecloth place around the corner from 'the block,' on 1st between 5th and 6th. They closed around '93 or so. They were popular & fantastic, I don't see why they closed at all. Enormous pooris the size of basketballs, mind-blowing chutneys & currys, and a huge tray of sweets after the meal. Also, Gaylord seemed to be the chosen place of the downtown stars: at different times I saw Allen Ginsberg, John Zorn and Kembra Pfahler in there.

[K]

Try that place that's on the ground floor from Panna II. It used to be pretty good. But frankly, the old man was right, they all kinda suck. Those two guys above are always fighting, I think it's a gimmick to draw crowds, or perhaps just to break up the boredom. I remember tempting them once by walking up the steps, and feigning indecision, then walking away to a wash of sputtering and convulsive sounds. Such fun.

BTW, Who would have imagined that the East Village would become Little Tokyo? What I really miss there are the bookstores. Especially the old East Village Books. You could pick up such diverse titles as "The Yage Letters" by Bill Burroughs and "Experimental Atomic Physics" by Harnwell & Livingood. Plus you could pick up girls in the adjacent religious/psychedelic section. More such fun.

[porkchop]

Hell, if that's not real Indian food than I don't know what is and am no worse for it.

[K]

It's not, and you are, Chop.

For better, hike uptown into the 20's on that side of town, around 4th Ave if I remember. There's a strip of indian joints and some rockin' indian deli's (the big one is always featured in the papers, and has it's own mini-restarant inside). The place I remember best specialized in breads, and it was sweet indeed. Plus, there's a little place on the side street that'll make you a fresh betel nut chew. Tasty, and it'll give you quite a euphoric buzz. Nice thing to round your meal out with. Come to think of it, I should trek out there again.

[phooky]

You're thinking of the mostly veggie Indian places on Lexington around 28th. They're yummy, but it's the slightly greasy $7 dinner at Sonar Gaow on which I was raised, and to which I return again and again.

(For added cultural dissonance, try the "kosher veggie" places on Lexington on a Friday night...)

[BrianTurner]

Banjara on 1st and 6th rules the block in my opinion. A little pricier, no blaring lights and techno vibe though, in fact a little stodgy and too prim inside. Sit outside, totally worth it.

[Ike]

I agree on Banjara at 1st Ave and 6th St. They're worth some extra bucks. Also, Gandhi is not bad. Most of the others are pretty mediocre. I also have to agree that the restaurants uptown at Curry Hill (a.k.a. Murray Hill) around Lexington and 27th are better overall. It's been a while, but Pongal, Chennai Garden, and Madras Mahal were very good last time I was there, although those are all South Indian veg. Another good South Indian veg. place is Madras Cafe on 2nd Ave. between 4th and 5th.

Until you've had really good Indian food, you won't know what you're missing. Savor it!

[Dale Hazelton]

Panna II was it for me, I just loved the lights grazing the top of my head, and the fact that every outlet in the place HAD to be overloaded. We lived on 4th between 1sr and 2nd before it became swanky.,I bemoan the loss of the real Kiev, the International Bar and the original Cooper Diner where Quentin Crisp held court. There are few places left where you can get by on even a ten spot for something small or fast. A shame really. Who created this new generation of kids with botomless pockets?

[Bronwyn C.]

My very first "real" date with Sluggo--after he dumped his other two girlfriends (at my insistence) so we could finally go out in Manhattan instead of slinking around Brooklyn--included dinner at Sonali. As far as I could tell, the food did taste as if it were extruded from the same pipe as all the other restaurants on the block, but it was my sentimental favorite forever after, always associated in my mind with a sweet kiss on the cheek. R.I.P. Sonali.

[Mike Lupica]

Dale: Oh man, don't get me started on the loss of International Bar. That was the best, yet most depressing place in the East Village. A friend and I had a great idea that we could open a place like that in Paris and make a million bucks, knowing the French's appreciation for all things American. The Dirty Bottled Beer Bar is something that is painfully absent from French Culture.

Benjamin: Ha, funny you saw me walking past Haveli! I assure you, I had nothing to do with that bullet hole, and I hope your meal was free of scampering vermin.

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the amazing Indian fare that's available in Jersey City (Newark Ave., near the Journal Square PATH station) or out in Jackson Heights, Queens. I'm not a huge fan of buffet-style dining, but the Jackson Diner's weekend brunch has definitely motivated me to brave the 7 train, even during Mets season.

[K.]

Yeah Mike, word is that Queens is the place for the real deal. But one of you knuckleheads is gonna have to scout it out; I lost my unlimited metropass when I quit my day job. Maybe the geeks at chowhounds can lend some advice...

Thanks Phooky for pinning that locale, eat there with one hand in the air like you just don't care! (grin)

[Dale Hazelton]

Mike, anyplace that had Loretta Lynn singing "Apartment #9" on the jukebox had to be treasured. That and the fact that the International was one of the only places left to get a beer for a buck -- albeit a Genny Cream Ale -- means it shoulda' been saved. I stopped going to the Holiday years ago when it got so that you needed a gas mask to enter (I wonder how much cigarette smoke that little black dog that lived there in the 80's inhaled). If you can't start the International franchise in Paris, how about an exact re-creation in Las Vegas?

Next topic: The Aztec Lounge?

[jim hildreth]

I live directly above Sonali and praise Kali every day they closed, scummers would not fix their exhast fan and my apt was literally shaking every night until 12. Of course, they don't have the alleged boy prostitutes like one other rest. right nearby, kids brought over from Pakistan and turned out.

Ghandi has horrible service but the food is great.

[BrianTurner]

Uh, horrible bugs too last we were there.

[Lex Medved]

I shall miss it too. I live in NJ, but work occaisionally in NY. I used to keep a menu in my glove compartment, and on the way home I'd call on my cell, place an takeout order. Get there in a bout 20 min. Double Park, run in, get my stuff, leave a nice tip, and they always knew me. Sorry to see it go.