Serious Eats: New York
New Jersey Dispatch: Tour of Oak Tree Road
Last week, I spent an afternoon giving a tour of Oak Tree Road to Geetika Khanna, founder and director of the Indian Culinary Center in Manhattan. Stretching between Edison and Iselin, Oak Tree Road has the largest concentration of Indian speciality stores in New Jersey; it's a destination for any serious eater with an interest in the cuisine. How is that a New York resident with a lifelong passion for Indian food had never been Oak Tree Road? Geetika just shrugged when I asked; so I offered a her tour.
The plan was clear enough. We started at the Desi Galaxy—and ate so much that we couldn’t imagine continuing the tour. But we persevered, through mango shakes, butchers, and more.
Apna Bazaar
Billed as a grocery store, its real claim to fame is the selection of kitchen and cooking gear. Its stock of the griddles called “tawas” and Indian-style tiffin lunch boxes make it worth the trip. Geetika’s eye was also caught by the huge selection of pre-cooked items and frozen green vegetables.
Like most Indian megastores, Apna sells a bunch of items clearly intended for supermarket shelves in India. Many people aren’t quite prepared.
Shalimar Halal Meat & Grocery
The shops and restaurants on Oak Tree Road are overwhelmingly vegetarian, but not completely. If you’re not Indian or Muslim, just overlook the Halal part and discover the friendly local butcher shop—the kind that every neighborhood deserves, except without pork. Offal lovers will be especially impressed here; kidneys, liver and brains are all standouts. Geetika was a bit embarrassed by the beautiful display of testicles. I wanted to tell her about a delicious meal I had of them in rural Colorado back in April, but she was blushing.
Food Corner
Robyn Lee
Geetika’s last stop before heading back to the city was the juice bar at Food Corner. She ordered a “Masala Cola” while I had a mango shake. I was halfway through mine before I realized that a “Masala Cola” was plastic cup filled with spiced, seasoned, Indian cola. She was in ecstasy as she drank it but I had to return later and order a Masala Cola myself.
Now don’t get me wrong; I love Masala Dosas, Masala Tea, Masala Coffee, Masala Chaat, and the movie “Mississippi Masala.” But this—a strangely and intensely spiced cola drink—was disgusting. It was the first thing I ever tried on Oak Tree Road that I didn’t like. I had met my match.
Kwality Ice Cream
I had really wanted to take Geetika to Kwality Ice Cream; it’s just a short walk from Apna. Just the other day, I had a great conversation with Kanti Parekh, the founder and flavor guru, and had hoped that she’d be able to at least taste Kanti’s pan-flavored ice cream. My own favorites include vanilla and pistachio, two common flavors that he somehow morphs into something distinctly Indian. Maybe next time.
Apna Bazar Cash And Carry
1700 Oak Tree Road, Edison NJ 08820 (map)
732-603-9702
Shalimar Halal Meat & Grocery
41 Middlesex Avenue, Iselin NJ 08830 (map)
732-283-7474
Food Corner
1317-1319 Oak Tree Road, Iselin NJ 08830 (map)
Kwality Ice Cream
1734 Oak Tree Road, Edison NJ 08820 (map)
732-906-1941