Russell Dhaba serves Indian rice bowls in Hicksville
Russell Dhaba, new in Hicksville, specializes in Indian rice bowls and Punjabi dishes. Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus
Rice bowls are truly on a roll. Not content with Tex-Mex or raw-fish toppings, they have surfaced in Hicksville crowned with Indian curry.
Russell Dhaba, said Veer Singh (who owns the place with partners Jaspreet Bachhal and Bhupinder Singh), is loosely affiliated with an eatery in Calcutta, but the rice bowls are an American inspiration. For $7.99 you get a wide dish full of either basmati rice or vegetable-studded pulao (pilaf) with your choice of two toppings from a list that includes both vegetarian fare such as paneer (fresh cheese), stewed yellow lentils (chana dal), kidney beans (rajma) or chickpeas (Amritsari chole) and meat dishes such as chicken tikka and spinach chicken.
Instead of rice, you can also get the curries heaped on freshly baked naan bread.
Aside from the bowls, there’s a concise menu of mostly Punjabi specialties. “Dhaba” is a Punjabi term that connotes a casual, roadside establishment where travelers stop by and eat in the open air. The previous occupant of this space was Papee da Dhaba, which opened in 2015 and closed earlier this year.
Russell Dhaba is at 5 E. Marie St., Hicksville, 516-595-7023.
