My brother came to town early Sunday morning to look at colleges. Having just flown across the country he was hungry for something to eat and since it was late it only made sense to take him to my favorite Bangladeshi spot in New York, Mott Corner . Michael spent some five months living in Bangladesh and I joined him for a quick visit last January.

Mott Corner is crowded at all hours of the night with cab drivers, Chinese men and drunk guidos. The cab drivers are eating food that is off the menu, the Chinese men are drinking six packs of Heinekins and the guidos are eating the grossest hamburgers you have ever seen. It’s one of my favorite places in New York because the atmosphere is always interesting and the guys who run it are from Bangladesh. Not to mention their chicken cutlet sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat.

The television in Mott Corner is always on ATN Bangla which is the main channel in Bangladesh. Every time I walk in and look at the TV I am brought back to my hotel room in Dhaka with my brother. We stayed up late and watched ATN Bangla hoping to hear news of the election which was taking place at the time or catch this weird Snoop Dogg video. My trip to Bangladesh was one of the best experiences of my life. I don’t know if I will ever go back and I am curious as to what circumstances would bring me back there but I was hoping Michael could make a connection to his trip by visiting Mott Corner.

Michael and i ordered chicken cutlet sandwiches at Mott Corner and waited for our food. The first shot is of said sandwich and unfortunately we did not receive the Mott Corner Classic. The Mott Corner Classic is a chicken cutlet chopped up on the griddle with onions, peppers, and some hot sauce. They also put lettuce, mayonnaise, and ketchup on the sandwich. It might sound gross but I assure you it’s divine. Unfortunately, on this night our sandwiches were just chicken cutlet with American cheese, mayonnaise and lettuce. (Michael got tomato on his) Normally a chicken cutlet or any deep fried item with cheese is a total no no in my book but this night I made an exception. Cheese is good on a burger but I am not convinced it fully melts into a fried patty like it does on a burger and I find that to be disgusting.

I told Michael about the off menu items that only the cab drivers ate and encouraged him to try and get the guys to make something for us. He went up and spoke some Bangla to them and next thing you know they served us the dish you see in the second photo. The dish was fish curry served with a side of rice. Michael told me the name of the fish but I forgot. We sat at the counter for this meal and thankfully it brought Michael right back to Dhaka . He said it was the closest thing he had to food in Bangladesh since he had been back. It was awesome to see Michael so happy eating this fish curry and it was pretty good. Bangladesh is unlike anywhere most people have ever been and all of the good times and hardship Michael experienced over there came back in a flash over this steaming hot plate of food.

Traveling is a luxury that everyone should be able to experience and it changes one’s perspective forever. When you return home from somewhere as far away as Bangladesh it can be hard to adjust to your “normal” life and even harder to find a semblance of the place you just went to. I know this has been a struggle for Michael and it was great to share a comforting meal with him.

Mott Corner is not a place I would recommend to anybody. It takes certain circumstances for the place to reach its full potential. If you know those circumstances it becomes one of the best places New York has to offer.