Devon-a-Thon

Recently I had the pleasure of joining some friends of mine on a culinary exploration of Devon Avenue, home to dozens of Indian and Pakistani boutiques, restaurants, and groceries with Israeli restaurants, Georgian bakeries, Russian bookstores, and the occasional Latin American bodega peppered in between. I knew little about this area but it always interested me, so I was rarin’ to go, my little two-wheeled shopping cart in tow, ready to collect unusual products between stops to nibble freshly prepared ethnic cuisine.

1. Argo Georgian Bakery – 2812 W. Devon Ave.

The group met at Argo to begin the journey, and I stepped in for my first treat: shoti, a long loaf of bread that looked a little like French bread but tasted more doughy and reminiscent of pita. Also, don’t miss the hatchapuri, a fat square of dough stuffed with cheese and baked to flaky perfection.

2. Sabri Nihari (Pakistani) – 2511 W. Devon Ave.

We decided to order a number of dishes to share, beginning with Vegetable Samosas: huge, triangular, deep-fried pastries stuffed with a mélange of veggies and potatoes; Vegetable Pakoras, which are similar to Japanese tempura; and Paratha, a pita-type bread. All these were outstanding, especially the samosas. After much deliberation over the entrée selections, we ended up with Dal: creamy, lightly spiced yellow lentils that I could have eaten all by myself (sharing is for the birds!); Saag, a milky spinach dish that was better than I expected and even more so when scooped up with Onion Naan; Sabri Nihari, their impossibly tender signature beef dish served in a rich, spicy sauce; and Chicken Charga, a deep fried whole chicken that arrived tucked in a foil bag. It was some of the tastiest fried chicken I’ve ever eaten—moist, crispy, and heavenly.

3. King Sweets (primarily Indian) – 2308 W. Devon Ave.

After seeing the film Water and remembering an elderly character’s lament over her beloved ladoos, I decided I would try exactly that—a motichur ladoo to be precise; a sticky yellow ball of ground almonds and cardamom deep fried in ghee and doused with sugar syrup. This was chased by pistachio burfi, a yummy little confection with a texture similar to fudge. They were both good, but incredibly sugary and decadent. What I like most about King Sweets is their clever marketing strategy—their sweets come in a rainbow of colors and are all beautifully displayed, making you want to taste everything!

4. La Unica (Cuban) – 1515 W. Devon Ave.

This cute little grocery has a cafeteria tucked way in the back. I was so stuffed from my last meals that I only had room for a bite of flan. I’m not the biggest fan of flan, and although the giant wedge on my friend’s plate looked like a chunk of Brie, it was the best flan I ever tasted—creamy, lightly sweet, and dripping with caramel.

5. Khan B.B.Q. Restaurant (Indian & Pakistani) – 2401 W. Devon Ave.

Thinking that BBQ always translates to “slathered in ketchup-based sauce”, I was pleasantly surprised and a bit embarrassed to find that here it means “grilled”. We again ordered a number of dishes to share, the first being Chicken Boti, grilled strips of spiced chicken that was a little on the fatty side; Bihari Kabob Roll, fantastic spiced beef grilled on a skewer and wrapped in pita that was akin to a burrito; Frontier Chicken, a spicy, tomato based stew that is a Pakistani favorite and delicious with Sesame Naan; and Milk Lassi, a simple drink made with yogurt that really puts out the flame on your tongue. It was creamy and refreshing with a pleasantly sour tang. If you’re a first timer to Khan’s, ask the staff to take a peek at their neato tandoori oven. If you’re as lucky as I was, you’ll get a demonstration of how naan is made.

*Sadly, most of these places don’t have websites. If you decide to go (you won’t be sorry!), remember that on Tuesdays, many Little India businesses are closed.