Triple C: Corner Corn Cart

I love corn, but I hate getting it stuck between my teeth when I eat it off the cob. So I was more than happy to get my veggies from a fellow who serves spiced-up Mexican-style corn, both as elotes (ay-Loh-taze, from a cob) and as esquites (ess-Key-taze, from a cup). I asked for esquites "with everything" and got a payload of hot kernels, a slather of margarine, a pinch or two of grated white cheese, and a dusting of chili powder. Maybe I missed out on a little messy fun, but I consoled myself with a few extra spoonfuls from the bottom of the cup.

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Restaurants • Jackson Heights

Zabb-tastic

The 7 train sweeps past quite a few authentic Thai restaurants, but Zabb is worthy of particular attention from those who love to feel the burn. Spicy specialties from the chefs' home province of Isaan dominate the menu. Some dishes that originated in Northeastern Thailand, like som tum (green papaya salad) and larb (ground meat salad), have already become ubiquitous throughout the global Thai takeout diaspora, while those involving organ meats, like gay jub, are understandably more obscure. Obscure, but good, if one likes pig parts. The less adventurous might stick to the delightfully crispy whole fried fish or the DIY fun of the Laotian-style hot pots. Regardless, do as they do in Isaan and try using a gob of sticky rice as your primary utensil. Zabb is BYOB and it stays open until 2 am, making it a fine place for late night revelry.

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Restaurants • Jackson Heights

Unidentified Flying Chickens

If you haven’t reveled in the joys of Korean-style fried chicken yet, UFC is a great place to start, if for no other reason than their logo is just about the cutest logo ever. The chicken is good, too, and that’s almost all they do here except for fries (potato or sweet potato), a random sandwich, and some way overly mayonnaised macaroni salad. You can choose from soy garlic, sweet-spicy, or sweet mustard sauces for the chicken, or you can let your chicken go au naturel. The food is made to order, so be patient (they’re double-frying it back there in the kitchen to ensure its extra-crispiness!). Dine upstairs where it’s airy and bright, or head downstairs to the darker, cozier seating area. Either way, grab a few extra napkins and enjoy every last bite. It will be easy to identify the deliciousness.

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Restaurants • Jackson Heights

Patel Brothers

Outgrown Kalustyan's? Patel Brothers supermarkets have aisle after aisle stocked with groceries from the Indian subcontinent, everything from toothpaste and hair dye to fresh vegetables and locally baked sweets. The produce section becomes mango central in summer, when the sweetest ones are snapped up 5 pounds at time as soon as they hit the shelf. The spice selection is a big draw for cooks, with fresh pouches of everything you need (and lots of stuff you probably haven't even heard of) for about a buck or two. For the cooking-averse, frozen TV dinners priced for $3 or less tend to be surprisingly good, definitely no worse than Midtown buffet fare. If you've got wheels, forget Costco: Come here to get 5 pound tubs of yogurt for $4, sacks of rice for $10, and 2 pound bags of grains and legumes for under $5. Besides, you can't get Saffron Pistachio ice cream at Costco.

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Shopping , Supermarkets • Jackson Heights

Karishma

Not sure if the shop's name has anything to do with actress Karishma Kapoor, but this place can provide any lady with a wardrobe worthy of a Bollywood starlet. If you have a J. Crew credit card in your wallet, Karishma is not for you. These racks bulge with all things multicolored and spangled, from heavily embroidered formal ensembles to everyday tunics and trousers. Don't be afraid to mix your jewel tones! Once clothed, there's a fantastic selection of costume jewelry at the front counter to complete the look. With prices for matching sets of earrings, necklaces, and tikkas going for $25 to $150, you can glitter like a goddess for less than a tenth of the cost of the 22K gold sets displayed next door.

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Shopping • Jackson Heights

Cositas Ricas Restaurant

Beer machismo might need some rethinking. I mean, it’s understood that a beer with added sweetness, sunny packaging, or even just a slice of citrus says its low booze content and slightly acidic taste is just too much for you to possibly stand, you pissy wimp. But crushed lime, shaved ice, and a salt-rimmed frosted mug after an hour long search for an open Latin restaurant on Monday night in a 25 degree bluster says that if you suffered through that ordeal, you can drink whatever you want, you handsome stud. Moreover, you can do it in a neon-lit mod-ish (for Queens) diner with $10 entrees like pan-fried steak, chorizo, bacon, and fried egg (for big boys only) and zippy orange (it’s OK, you’re tough!) pecositas de pollo over a mess of almond, bacon, plantain and deliciously oily rice that’s enough to take half home for lunch tomorrow (that’s OK too, big guy). You can also have a sour sop shake or sweet bread from their bakery and their cute waitresses will still smile at you, you red-blooded fella.

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Restaurants • Jackson Heights