In a city full of trendy new spots trying too hard to please everyone, the best restaurants are often the ones that never sell out and refuse to compromise.

 

If Curry In A Hurry has tried to adapt with the times, it has failed.

 

 

As much as the neighborhood has changed over the years, Curry In A Hurry is a relic of old New York, the in-your-face “you talkin’ to me?” New York of Martin Scorsese’s classic film Taxi Driver. The film came out in 1976, the same year Curry in a Hurry opened its doors. That New York is not the pristine, welcoming city of cronuts and brunch. It’s grungy and crude. But it’s also genuine and full of the kind of character that these days is hard to come by.

 

 

Though it is ostensibly an Indian restaurant, Curry In A Hurry is actually more like a cafeteria for the locals and the real-life taxi drivers whose cabs are often packed into the surrounding streets like sardines between shifts. A place to — as promised — grab a quick dish of curry before hurrying back to work.

 

The second floor is the main dining area, a simple seating space with a great view of Lexington Avenue from above. Tourists are a rare sight here, though that may not have always been the case — the restaurant has held onto old newspaper and magazine clippings featuring the spot, with the surprising appearance of a Japanese-language review.

 

Families, workers on the job, and solo diners just there to eat and be on their way tear fluffy pieces of naan to dip into sweet, savory and spicy curries. All this to the tune of Bollywood videos which play endlessly on a screen in the background.

 

 

Customers who are really in a rush can order from the first floor, where big, steaming vats of curry and other Indian fare are laid out buffet-style behind a glass counter. It might as well be a fast food joint; quick service and an underwhelming salad bar, plus a separate counter dedicated to colorful Indian sweets.

 

 

The menu is dense, with appetizers like samosas and Mulligatawny soup, and a decent selection of meat dishes and curries, both meat-based and vegetarian. Combination Platter B is a superior choice, offering a choice of one vegetable curry (the creamy spinach-and-cheese curry, saag paneer, is recommended) alongside what is arguably the best chicken tikka masala in the city. Even spicy food-lovers should exercise caution when ordering the vindaloo, which has been known to cause sweating and pain. Hot chai or cold, sweet lassis are, however, available to wash it all down if needed.

 

 

But at the end of the day, if the food isn’t enough of a reason to visit, perhaps the feeling of temporary escape, a return to a simpler time, is incentive enough. It’s only too bad it’ll be over in a hurry.

 

http://www.greenpointfish.com/

119 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016

212.683.0900

OPEN 10:00-25:00（7 days a week）

The smell of the ocean greets visitors to Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co., a proper seafood joint and fish market 3 minutes by foot from Nassau Station in the north Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenpoint.

 

 

There’s only enough space here for true seafood aficionados. Five compact high-top tables sit below a wood-paneled strip of ceiling, pushed against a clean white tiled wall. About a dozen stools line the counter from which hungry customers can watch their fish being grilled and oysters shucked.

 

 

Though short, the menu — a single page of appetizers and main dishes, a raw bar list and a daily specials board — never leaves diners starved for variety.

The standard list of available entrees is simple. But what sets this little shop apart is the care taken in procuring the fish it uses: always fresh, always sustainable.

 

 

Greenpoint Fish and Lobster Co.’s commitment to sustainability means that while the list of available entrees remains mostly unchanged, the ingredients themselves are subject to seasonality and the whims of the ocean. An order of fish and chips could mean battered and fried hake one week and monkfish the next. Fish served in the daily crudo, tacos, pate, sandwiches, salads and rice bowls all change with the tide.

 

That commitment also means casual seafood eaters looking for the familiar faces of tuna, salmon and cod — some species of which are overfished and farmed — will likely find themselves out of luck. Lesser known options like bluefish and the occasional invasive species like lionfish grace the menu instead. For a dependable meal, order the lobster roll: an excellent take on a classic with generous chunks of juicy lobster in a buttery bun.

 

The raw bar is a smooth operation. At each seat is a pencil-in checklist for oysters shucked to order, plus a few extras. One such special is live scallop; mildly sweet and delicate meat is served thinly sliced with a wedge of lemon on the half shell. Whole live uni (sea urchin) has also been known to pop up on the menu during the colder months.

 

 

Behind it all is a staff of self-proclaimed fish nerds who seem to delight in answering in-depth questions about the menu of the day.

 

The restaurant revels in doing just a few things, but getting them right. That mentality is exemplified by the offering of a single dessert: a rich but bright slice of house-made key lime pie. “That’s all we really need,” a server said of the dish, which turned out to be a perfect balance of sweet and tart citrus flavor to complete an excellent meal. Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. doesn’t make too many promises but is sure to keep the ones it does.

 

 

http://www.greenpointfish.com/

114 Nassau Ave Brooklyn, NY 11222　5–43 48th Ave Long Island City, NY 11101

*Seafood Market & Raw Bar*　718.349.0400

*Seafood Market*　718.472.2040

OPEN 11:00-22:00 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Sun)　11:00-23:00 (Fri, Sat)