Indian restaurant Spice Diner opens in Hicksville
Hara bhara spicy chicken is a house specialty at Spice Diner in Hicksville. Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus
And Spice Diner makes three. The new Indian restaurant is the third and final eatery to open in the Kundan Galleria, an almost-finished shopping center at the corner of North Broadway and Bethpage Road in Hicksville, adjacent to the Indian supermarket Apna Bazar.
Desi Fire Grill, specializing in kaati rolls and halal Mexican food, opened in February; Crown Fried Chicken, a branch of a loosely affiliated halal chain, opened in March. Spice Diner, new last week, is more ambitious than either, with an extensive menu of dishes from the Punjab in Northern India and a slick décor in tones of black, white and stone (and lots of colorful artificial plants).
Much of the food is grilled or roasted in the tandoor oven, including the house special hara bhara spicy chicken (juicy thigh meat in a green, spicy-herbal marinade, $8.95), lamb chops ($16.95) and seekh kebab ($2.95 for a skewer of minced, seasoned beef, $3.95 for lamb). There are curries with goat, chicken and vegetables ($6.95 to $12.95), Indian breads including makki di roti (griddled cornbmeal flatabread, $2.50) and a rice pudding (kheer, $4.95) that is tinted a soft beige from having caramelized over its 12-hour simmer.
Spice Diner is at 217 Bethpage Rd., Hicksville, 516-827-1124.
