Aasif Mandvi Eats Steak on the Set of ‘The Daily Show’

from Grub Street of New York Magazine 6.29.07

Aside from being a regular correspondent on The Daily Show, Aasif Mandvi is a prominent actor and has co-written a film Seven to the Palace. Loosely based on his Obie-winning play, Sakina’s Restaurant, and set partly in a Jackson Heights eatery, it deals with a chef’s relationship to food: “Indian cuisine has a lot to do with how you’re feeling,” says Mandvi. “It comes out of a tradition of a pinch of this, and a dash of that.” Though Mandvi played a pizza-parlor owner in Spider-Man 2 (and then in a Dominos commercial), he doesn’t eat much of the stuff himself. So what does he eat? Over to you, Aasif…

Miss Chiquitita 2007 is crowned

BY MONICA BASTIDAS for Queens Courier Online June 28, 2007 10:20 AM

After a year of hard work and competition in singing, modeling and acting, one lucky winner of the Miss Chiquitita 2007 talent pageant won a four-year scholarship to any City University of New York (CUNY) college.

The runner-up won a two-year scholarship to Plaza College in Jackson Heights...

Emely Vargas, 14, the runner-up in the competition, received a two-year scholarship to Plaza College in Jackson Heights. “I never imagined that I was going to get to the finals and I thank everyone who believed in me,” Vargas said as she held her trophy. She wants to study marketing and possibly continue modeling...

Nisha Ganatra's On-screen Comeback

by Suzanne Corson from After Ellen June 27, 2007

Ganatra had originally written the part of Reena for another actress, but the parents of that woman had religious objections to their daughter playing a lesbian character...

...Rehearsals for the movie had already begun, with Ganatra standing in to play Reena. Just before filming was set to begin, Jill Hennessy suggested that Ganatra play the role on-screen...

...Ganatra, who recently moved to Santa Monica, Calif., continues to explore the intersections of cultures in her most recent projects.

"I just finished writing another New York story," she said. "It takes place in Jackson Heights, which is very Indian with Little India there, and Italians and Latinos. It's sort of the crossing of these three cultures. I guess everything like that takes place in New York because Los Angeles doesn't have the space issues; you don't really have ethnic groups right on top of each other, and because you don't have them on top of each other, there isn't the desperation or need to carve out the space, you know?" ...

Bierkraft visits JH Farmspot

by Braden Josephson via jhfamiles

Bierkraft from Park Slope, Brooklyn will be selling cheese and chocolate at the Farmspot distribution site from 4:00pm on

Chocolates by Nu Nu and Tumbabor (Brooklyn based chocolatiers)

Old Chatham Camembert (Upstate New York)

Mouco Colorouge (Fort Collins, Colorado)

Laura Chanel Goat Cheese (California)

Serena (Three Sisters Dairy) (California)

Taylor Maple Smoked Gouda (Vermont)

Purple Haze (Cyprus Grove, California)

Carpetbagging Drivers Head to North Carolina for Plates

by Sarah Goodyear from Streets Blog June 27th, 2007

On his frequent runs and bike rides around his Jackson Heights neighborhood and nearby Corona and Elmhurst, Will Sweeney recently started noticing something strange: a lot of license plates from North Carolina...

The Coop Circus

by Don Cummings from Open Trench Tuesday, June 26, 2007

What is it about groups of people in New York banding together in business that naturally leads to corruption? Lack of resources? Fear? Who knows!

Tonight was the yearly Coop (Ko Op) board meeting for my building out here in the wilds of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York...

Affordable home zone

BY WARREN WOODBERRY JR. for DAILY NEWS June 27th 2007

Boro set to get 2 new budget areas

For low-and middle-income Queens families, the quest to find affordable housing is once again about to get a little easier...

...The law would provide 25-year property tax breaks to developers who make at least 20% of their units affordable.

Jackson Heights, Woodside, Corona, Elmhurst and East Elmhurst are among borough neighborhoods with rising housing prices where locals could live in rent-stabilized units for 40 years within designated exclusionary zones under section 421a of the state's real estate tax laws...

Off-Duty Lights Flash at a Popular Cabbie Hub

By GREGORY BEYER from The New York Times June 24, 2007

For a decade, the small corner diner at 37th Road and 73rd Street in Jackson Heights has beckoned Queens cabdrivers with the promise of good company and middle-of-the-night curry and spicy tea. So popular was the 24-hour restaurant, known as Kabab King, that yellow cabs were routinely seen circling the block, the drivers waiting for a chance to park and pop in for a quick bite before resuming their cruising...

The Concrete Elite

By Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite for New York Magazine

...1. THE AREPA LADY
Roosevelt Ave. nr. 78th St., Jackson Heights

3. SAMMY’S HALAL
73rd St. at Broadway, Jackson Heights

4. KHAN’S
73rd St. at Broadway, Jackson Heights

5. TACOS GUICHO
Roosevelt Ave. at Gleane St., Jackson Heights...

Neat Street eats

BY LAURIE FROST from the DAILY NEWS Sunday, June 17th 2007

New York mag names city's top pushcart vendors

...In the great melting pot that is New York, you can find the food of dozens of nations on pushcarts. And next week's issue of New York magazine has ranked the very best.
So read on and chow down - no reservations required, but you might need a MetroCard to get to Queens - because that's where five of the top vendors were found...

1. The Sainted Arepa Lady, Roosevelt Ave. near 78th St. in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Maria Piedad Cano might be the city's "most revered street vendor," according to the magazine. Foodies flock to her for delectable corn-and-cheese arepas. Like a holy apparition, she appears only on Friday and Saturday nights, after 10.


3. Sammy's Halal, 73rd St. at Broadway in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Cabbie-turned-cook Samiul Haque Noor turns out a marinated chicken-over-rice dish that rightfully earned him a five-cart empire. Regulars say not to skip the sauces, especially the green cilantro-yogurt.

4. Kahn's, 73rd St. at Broadway in Jackson Heights, Queens

The chicken-and-rice tastes "suspiciously similar" to Sammy's - and with good reason. Sammy has apparently taken Kahn's owner Parvez Zaman under his wing and has even shared his secret spice mix with him.

5. Tacos Guicho, Roosevelt Ave. at Gleane St. in Jackson Heights, Queens.

The chorizo and carnitas tacos are the stuff of local legend, but don't skip out on the tortas or sopes, warns the magazine. If you're going meatless, try the quadruple-layer chalupa with onion, cotija and crema. "The combination sounds simple, but the cheesy, salty, crunchy whole far exceeds the sum of its seemingly humble parts."

Yogurtberry - more new stuff in Jackson Heights

by orzabelle via Chowhound Jun 21, 2007


I can't help liking Pinkberry - I don't care what it's made of. This is a copy, for sure. I saw the sign up today on 37th Ave between 80-81st.

So many new things happening in the neighborhood right now...

Starbucks in Jackson Heights

New Starbucks:
Jackson Heights, 37th Avenue
78-25 37th Avenue
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

JHBG HISTORIC WEEKEND

from JHBG.ORG

Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10
Join the JHBG in celebrating Jackson Heights, the first planned garden and cooperative apartment community in the U.S., and a City, State, and Federal Historic District.

Saturday, June 9
Rain date for Garden Tour: June 16 (all other events rain or shine)
* Slide Lecture on the History of Jackson Heights. At 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. at the Community Church (81-10 35th Avenue). FREE.
* Exhibition of Vintage Photos/Memorabilia and Entries in the Student Art Contest. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Community Church (81-10 35th Avenue). View original photographs and also see firsthand how local students have been inspired by the Historic District and the architectural details around them. FREE.
* Self-Guided Tour of Private Interior Gardens. From noon to 4:00 p.m. These park-like interior gardens, surrounded by 1920s-era garden apartments, are open to the public only once a year. Visit up to nine gardens at your own pace, following a map included in your ticket. Tickets can be purchased in advance or in front of the Community Church (81-10 35th Avenue) Saturday morning. $10.

Sunday, June 10
* Escorted Walking Tours of the Historic District (rain or shine). Noon. Tickets must be purchased or reserved in advance. The tours will meet in front of the Community Church, at the southwestern corner of 82nd Street and 35th Avenue. $10.

Special ticket pricing—save money by attending the self-guided tour of private gardens and the escorted tour of the Historic District. Tickets are $10 for one tour and $15 for both.

Tickets may be purchased in advance from Beaudoin Realty Group (78-27 37th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Suite 5) weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

To reserve a ticket or for further information (including directions), leave a message at 718-565-5344.

Y Gallery presents 'Talking With My Friends', 62 Artists Inspired by Friendship

Talking with my friends/Hablando con mis amigos
Works by 62 artist
Curated by Cecilia Jurado
June 7th-July 15th 2007
Reception for the artists: Thursday, June 7th 2007, 6-9 pm

Y Gallery and Augusto Yayiko present Talking with my friends/Hablando con mis amigos. Cecilia Jurado, curator of the exhibition summoned 62 friends near and dear to her, in its majority mostly visual artists and writers, to assemble a piece of work about relationships between friends.

The idea originated from the tragic loss of one of Cecilia’s best friend from college. They frequently communicated via messenger (they do not live in the same city). When informed about her death, Cecilia thought about how infrequently death was thought about and anticipated within our expectations of immediate events and how little is known as how to face death. The loss makes one remember our loved ones with much nostalgia, the shared moments and their value in our lives. Such strong emotions inspired Cecilia to curate an exhibition where her friends speak on their friends.The artist were asked to present works with the viridity of which a gift is given to a friend, thinking it as like as intimate as a personal note of complicity. Keeping in mind that their piece will be shown in a gallery but keeping the ambiance of a bathroom wall where one writes their confessions next to other confessions.

Thus the summoned ones that live in different cities in the world sent their works under different means, typically by mail, email, fax, or they personally hand delivered their pieces. Many of them masked or altered their recurring themes and effortlessly adapted in order to participate in the exhibition. We are therefore in the presence of many unique ways of looking at friendship. A tribute, with comments but without pretentiousness that speaks of something so simple and fundamental as friendship. A pleasant raucous that we hope is moving. In memory of Ana Cecilia Campana and Chopy Borea.

Participant artists:
Carlos Ausejo, Jim Avignon, Mariana Bersten, Mark Blezinger, Javier Boné, JuanMa Calderón, David Camacho, Fredi Casco, David Castillo, Regis Cebrián, José Luis Cortés, Richard Dailey, Maricel Delgado, Ana de Orbegoso, Justino del Casar, Magdalena del Mar, Charlotte des Abbayes, Frau Diamanda, Christine D'lzarny, Jeanette Doyle & Alice Maher, Alexis Duque, Claire Frisbie, Jean Foos, Carmela Garcia, Eung Ho Park, Rodrigo H. de L. Hochfaerber, Natalia Iguiñiz, Francisco Jurado, Tomomi Kadsuyama, Verónica Klingenberger, John L. Moore, Garret Linn, Carlos Leon-Xjimenez, Larry Litt, Elliott Lloyd, Mery Lynn McCorkle, Benjamin Maddox, Coco Martin, Neil Martinson, Tania Mattos, Felipe Mendez, Thomas N Pauli, Nuria Net, Urayoán Noel, Dana Ohlmeyer, Daniel Oshigue, Dulce Pinzón, Lina Puerta, Hernan Rincón, Susan Rivas, Claudia Rodriguez, Dirk Rowntree, Aldo Sanchez, Bruno Sanchez, Teresa Saraiva, Amelie Sourget, Reona Ueda, Camila Valdeavellano, James Verdesoto, Ferdinando Verderi, Alejandra Villasmil, Hannah Whitaker, Gabriela Wiener

For further information, please contact Y Gallery at 718.565.6285.
www.ygallerynewyork.com

Art as a Bitter Pill, Coated With Sweetener

By ROJA HEYDARPOUR for the New York Times, June 5, 2007

IN a sweet, thin voice that broke into a giggle, Andrea Dezsö showed her delicately made book of paintings, which took her a year to complete.

“This is when insects come and attack Steinway Street,” she said of one of the pictures, as she sat in her apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, which also doubles as her art studio.

Then there was the diagram she painted of the inside of a dead fly she found on the street. And the embroidery series, 50 stitchings on white cloth called “Lessons From My Mother,” which was recently shown at the Hungarian Cultural Center in SoHo...

... Working in the city has provided fodder for many of her ideas and for her embroidery series, which she stitched while traveling throughout the city. A woman stitching in public is viewed differently in different neighborhoods, Ms. Dezsö found.

“If I’m in Queens, people think I’m a traditional woman,” Ms. Dezsö said. “If I’m in Manhattan, it’s the hippest thing.”

SEE HER WORK HERE:
Tamarind Institute
Andrea Dezsö

Flickr Tour of Jackson Heights

by clacka on Crackers United and crackerCAM on Flickr

...what started out as a modest plan of a filipino brunch and eyewear shopping, turned into a cultural tour de force. the indian community of jackson heights hosted an outdoor festival complete with jewelry vendors, bhangra beats, and cheap eats...

Farmspot has resumed in Jackson Heights

Photo by Bancha Srikacha

Found: Indian mangoes in New York

by Alaina Browne on Serious Eats 05/29/07

...For any New Yorkers seeking Indian mangoes, I went out to Jackson Heights this weekend and found them for sale by the case at Patel Brothers (37-27 74th St.). They aren't out with the other produce, so you'll have to ask for them. They're $30/case...

Jackson Heights Gay Pride Festival Is Magnet for Lawmakers

By EDWARD DUNNE, Special to the Sun, June 1, 2007

Politicians, who generally avoid street fairs, flock to the Jackson Heights Gay Pride Festival and Parade held in Queens each year on the first Sunday in June.

The polyglot nature of Jackson Heights makes the festival cosmopolitan, and the gay theme makes it trendy. Mayor Bloomberg, Comptroller William Thompson Jr., the City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, and Rep. Joe Crowley are among the many who plan to attend.

Planned in 1911 as a restricted community barring Jews and Catholics, Jackson Heights is now anything but restrictive. With 167 nationalities living in Queens and 116 languages spoken there, the borough is the most diverse county in America, and Jackson Heights is its most diverse neighborhood...