Flatiron Lunch: Terry’s Gourmet is a West Indian Treasure
Every Friday our man UltraClay goes south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch. He’s out of the country this week, so Blondie has graciously stepped in to take over.
When you first look at Terry’s Gourmet (6th Ave btw 16th+17th), it looks like any other steam-table deli. And if it hadn’t been for a Trinidadian friend of mine tipping me off to Terry’s off the menu item, we’d never know that Terry’s offers up some of the only West Indian food in the area. Every day, they offer a few types of West Indian curry, that can either be combined into a platter or made into that wonderful Caribbean burrito, the wrap roti.
For $7.95, you can get this baby of a burrito filled to the gills with the day’s special. I’ve actually never been able to finish a whole roti since it’s beyond filling and nap-inducing. When I visited earlier this week the options were chicken or shrimp, but they do frequently offer tender goat or beef curries. When those days come around, my advice is to make sure that’s your lunch. Their goat curry was one of the first things that turned me onto goat. Though their chicken is often fall of the bone (that you sometimes find) tender, I went with the shrimp.
I was also not a big fan of tumeric or yellow curry in general until having their curry. The inside is literally coated with spices, leading everything to have a yellow hue. The stuffing consists of a few small vegetables, but is mainly the meat and soft chunks of potato. It’s almost like having a stew in a burrito, so be properly prepared with a knife, fork, and a place to eat–they do have a few stools by the window. Since the menu changes on a daily basis, it’s best to call ahead to see which stews are available.
Terry’s Gourmet, 575 6th Avenue, (212) 206-0170
Posted by Blondie at 9:00 am, August 19th, 2011 under Flatiron Lunch.
9 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
9 Comments
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Thanks for filling in Blondie – I’ve passed this place a million times but never thought about it for lunch. Great find!
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I love that place! I was there around 8:30 one night and was craving a sandwich when the guy behind the counter convinced me to get curry, too. I had it for lunch the next day and it was excellent. He was great, too, and said that he made all the curries himself and he also put in a piece of beef from another dish for me to try. I think they also have their own house-made hot sauce. The guy who makes the curries is really proud of it, so I’m sure he’s going to really enjoy this post.
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You guys are blowing up my spot. I’ve been going to Terry’s for their roti wraps for the past 4 or 5 years and was always so proud of my under-the-radar find. Guess the veil has been lifted. Ah well. Let them eat roti.
Cheers!
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I’m pretty sure this place was covered here a while back, b/c it’s in my hood and that’s how I found it. (It might have been another blog, but no, I only read ML!!!)
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Sam, you are a selfish bastard. My stomach needs to make up for some serious lost curry and roti opportunities.
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That roti looks awesome. I love goat (and lamb) curry. What else is good there?
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I’ve only ever gone for the roti, but the steam table food doesn’t look half bad.
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I just picked up some curry chicken w/ rice for $6.75. It’s pretty good! Thanks for the tip.
That’s pretty awesome, despite being a bit more expensive than in the outer boroughs. Downside of having no car is being an hour away from Trinidadian food.