Lahore

There is a category of food you really won't find outside a big city like NYC: that which might be referred to as Pakistani taxi cab cuisine (by and for Pakistanis). Cab drivers have a short list of requirements for their choice of on-the-job food: cheap, fast, and available all hours. In the case of Lahore, which meets these basic requirements, one could add authentic and quite good. For authentic ethnic food, it is safe to place your bets with the taxi driver - they know the entire city, have a vehicle which will take them anywhere at no cost, and are well networked with other members of their community. Many New Yorkers have gone by 132 Crosby Street hundreds of times and not even noticed the place. Lahore is literally a hole-in-the-wall - narrow, cavernous, dark, funky - yet they come (and line up). As far as the atmosphere, for many the word "scary" would come to mind, but I found the charm of the servers to quite quickly overshadow any misgivings about the roughness. This is primarily a takeout place, although there are a few stools and a tiny counter to sit at. Click here for a photo I took of their menu. Cash only, of course. I can't say Lahore is a total secret - an online search will turn up a number of reviews (all positive) including one from the New York Times in 2000. By the way, I learned today that Lahore is the capital of Pakistan's province of Punjab. With its beautiful preserved colonial architecture, gardens, and rich culture, it is sometimes known as Paris of the East...