GASTRONORMOUS

From afar, your eye might be fooled into thinking this gleaming metal cart in front of what is loftily referred to as the Target Plaza in Brooklyn is one of the several hot dog or Halal meat stands that populate the area. Indeed, on this particularly hot day, as I trudged closer, I wiped the sweat from my eyes, thinking it must be a mirage. But as I approached I saw that it was actually an oasis of semi-frozen beverages, and the effect on me upon seeing this was as if the heavens cracked open and the sounds of a choir of angels filled my ears. Such was the level of my anticipation.

I had never noticed the slushy cart here before. Its appearance at this location might be seen as a gutsy move, considering the ICEE-equipped Target just steps away; but honestly, the Target machines are more often than not on the fritz (yes, I check. regularly.), so maybe it was in fact the smartest move they could make.

The slushy flavors: Cherry, Blueberry, Piña Colada, Mango, Lemon-Lime. It doesn’t appear that there is flavor rotation, so don’t go there hoping they will have a lemon-basil slushy any time soon (though that would be tasty!). But these are good basic flavors, and the Target or 7-11 don’t normally offer more variety in any case. The guy working the slushy cart repeatedly called me “Ma’am,” which I was simultaneously charmed and insulted by (polite, yes, but I thought only old ladies were called Ma’am?). In any case, I can’t fault the dude. The service was swift and polite, and the cart seemed to be among the cleaner ones I have seen.

I opted for a small lemon-lime and mango combination, which looks awfully pretty with its tonal variegation, doesn’t it? The lemon-lime was very sweet and intensely lemony-limey, but the flavor was about as artificial as its neon green color. The mango, on the other hand was a winner. It tasted of fresh mango, bright and authentic. My guess is that it is made with real mango or mango juice, as opposed to artificial flavors, as the mango slushy costs a dollar more than the other flavors. But it was certainly worth the extra expense. I might try other flavors in the future, but the mango slushy is what will draw me back to this oasis on Atlantic Avenue.

Last week I was waiting for a train in Grand Central Terminal (fun fact few tourists know: it is not called Grand Central Station!) at noon, and after perusing the offerings, I decided on Cafe Spice Express for lunch as I remembered hearing good things about their University Place outpost when they opened years ago.

I had high hopes as the area around Cafe Spice is about the best smelling place in Grand Central (though perhaps this isn’t saying much), but I found it was a mistake to rely on a heady aroma and bygone raves of a full-restaurant cousin of a to-go joint.

I asked the server which dish was the spiciest and he pointed to the vegetable curry, so I chose that and the chana masala. Both dishes tasted vaguely spicy, but neither had the specific flavor I usually associate with chana masala or vegetable curry. Of course recipes for both dishes vary from place to place (my favorite samosa joint in the city–Pak Punjab on the corner or 3rd St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan–has very unusual chana masala that is richly spiced with cloves, for instance), but these tasted of everything and nothing, not to get too philosophical on you. The curry had some weird slimy thready bits in it, that I assumed was cabbage. But it was a strange addition and I was slightly suspicous of it.

Also, and this is the most unforgivable part: the rice was undercooked! Crunchy! I tried to capture this in the photo below, but not sure this is clear. The naked eye could clearly see the still-opaque white centers of the grains. I have been to many mediocre Indian restaurants, but never I have encountered the bedrock of the plate, the rice, severely undercooked. To round out the meal, inexplicably, was a big pile of oxidized iceberg. Yum.

All in all, not a meal I would care to repeat, especially as it was overpriced at a few coins under $10 (naan not included; they automatically put it on your tray as if it comes with the dish, but then they charge you for it! I love naan, but I thought that was a little shifty and so refused it on principle).

There are plenty of dining options in Grand Central, so next time I will resist the aromatic allure of Cafe Spice, and try my luck someplace else.

Cafe Spice
Grand Central Terminal
Lower Level