Deccan Kabab

Being featured in a New York Times Dining Brief has changed nothing about Deccan Kabab in Jackson Heights: the food still comes on red plastic trays, a sign still urges people to "not waste your time" by staying more than 15 minutes to eat, whatever you select from an array on the steam table still gets heated in the microwave.

But the Hyderabadi specialties --- particularly the aromatic chicken biryani, aloo gobi covered in rich, curry-inflected broth, and spirited chicken 65, in which chunks of dark meat have been rubbed, rolled, and bathed in at least 65 types of spices --- remain pleasingly steadfast, especially when paired with freshly made roti and naan. And the pungent, this-crazy-blend-of-hot-and-cold-and sweet-and-savory-and-sour-shouldn't-work-but-somehow-does mess that is samosa chaat is always welcome, no matter how long it takes to consume.