A global food tour along Rte. 107 in Hicksville

BY ERICA MARCUS | erica.marcus@newsday.com

March 7, 2007

For the true food lover, eating is not enough. We want to immerse ourselves in every facet of the gastronomic experience. Of course we want to eat, but we also want to shop for food -- and for cooking tools and serving pieces. We want to talk about food. We want to learn about food, and we want to learn about the world through food.

We are constantly on the lookout for neighborhoods that afford us all these pleasures, neighborhoods not only chock full of interesting restaurants, but also markets and shops run by people who are as passionate about food as we are.

Which brings us to Route 107 in Hicksville. On the stretch that extends south roughly two miles from the Broadway Mall, you can sample the cuisines (and ingredients and wares) of at least four continents. For more than a decade, Hicksville has been the acknowledged epicenter of Indian and Pakistani cooking on Long Island, and there are indeed scores of establishments whose proprietors hail from virtually every corner of the subcontinent. But Route 107 also evinces a strong Latin-American presence, the remnants of a Greek community, and a clutch of Afghan restaurants.

Here is our guide to this extraordinary culinary corridor. With shops opening and closing and changing hands, it is a work in progress. Do let us know if we missed something special.

IKEA
1100 Broadway Mall
516-681-4532

No, we are not suggesting you visit this Swedish home-furnishings mega-store for the meatballs and lingonberry sauce. It's the ground-floor Marketplace that should be a regular stop for cooking enthusiasts. If there is another store that has a larger selection of sturdy, well-designed and ridiculously inexpensive kitchen tools and accessories, we have yet to find it. Pots and pans (especially the Senior line of cast iron), colanders, spice grinders, place mats, glassware, dinnerware, flatware, platters, cutting boards, aprons, dish towels -- all at beyond-competitive prices. You're nuts if you buy paper napkins or candles anywhere else.

CHIPOTLE
215 N. Broadway
516-822-4074

This national chain makes tacos and burritos with skill, care and high-quality ingredients.

KABUL GRILL KABOB AND TEA ROOM
129 N. Broadway
516-933-8999

ALI BABA 2
17-19 Broadway
516-931-7111

At these two friendly restaurants (and at Choopan Grill, just off Broadway at 15 W. Marie St., 516-681-8818), you can sample the greatest hits of Afghan cuisine: aushak (steamed scallion dumplings in yogurt sauce), sambosas (fried turnovers), kebabs and rice dishes.

LAHORI KABAB AND GRILL