Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

The Waterfront Ale House on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, was a favorite of mine when I lived in the area. It's good to know that they have a place in Manhattan.

When I lived in the area and needed to go the the post office on a Saturday, I went just before its midday closing time. By the time I was done at the post office, the food vendors were just starting to serve tacos. They served the best soft-shell tacos in New York.

Thank you for pointing out the 99-cent meal packages at Patel Brothers.

I used to purchase comparable Indian meals at Whole Foods when I'd lived nearby one a few years ago. Each had contained two sealed bags; one had the meal, and the other had the rice; the combination was ideal.

I often drive by the Patel Brothers in Bellerose, Queens, and I knew that I'd eventually have a reason for shopping there. I found a selection of the Swad meal that you'd described; each box contains a single package of a meal without rice. I've had one, so far, and it was very good.

Other brands were stocked. A brand, called Mysore Woodland, had a lemon rice meal, which I'd found to be quite satisfying.

Each of meals is modest in size. However, as is typical of Indian food, the flavors, spices, and natural vegetable ingredients tend to satisfy one. Eating large portions of non-Indian (or non-Thai) food can still leave one hungry.

I'm looking forward to shopping at Patel Brothers again. There are more 99-cent meals I'd like try. I had bought a container of rice pudding (which is found in the refrigerated section), and I look forward to enjoying it again. In the freezer, I saw some containers of mango ice cream, and, as the weather warms up, I look forward to trying some. :^)

@roboppy: Thank you for your comments. I do, indeed, prefer a well-done cheeseburger. If a waiter at a particularly good restaurant strongly recommends that the beef be prepared medium-well, I'll go along with his advice.

It is not usual for raisins to be mixed in with ground beef in empanadas.

The ingredients within an empanada are, of course, not compressed, as the ingredients of hamburger. However, the taste of the ground beef and raisins mixed together is fine, for sure.