Hanging out with Sonny Solomon always reminds me to appreciate the beauty in life and not take myself too seriously. See the best in people, do what makes you happy, and eat good food. These are the lessons I’ve taken away from getting to know this Punjab-born, New York restauranteur.
Sonny arrived in New York City twenty some years ago and began his career waiting tables at restaurants like Mercer Kitchen and Spice Market (by Jean-Georges Vongerichten) and Town (by Geoffrey Zakarian). Working at these high end restaurants alongside some of the best chefs in the world is how he built up knowledge of different types of restaurants, cuisines, and “the professional way of doing food.” “Before joining them, I was in the wrong business. In India, restaurants were all business, with no knowledge of hospitality. These chefs taught me hospitality,” says Sonny.
He brought these learnings with him when opening his first restaurant, Devi. Two restaurants and four Michelin stars later, Sonny opened Kurry Qulture in 2015, which won Best Indian Restaurant for five years in a row in Queens. At its peak, it was the only Indian restaurant recommended by the Michelin guide.
Enter the coronavirus pandemic, which forced hundreds of restaurants across the city to shut down, including Kurry Qulture. Astoria’s local regulars were devastated, and eagerly anticipated Sonny’s next move. He decided to open up his first casual hole-in-the-wall restaurant on 13th St and 1st Ave, which is reminiscent of his younger years bar crawling in East Village, and the flavorful street food of Punjab.
You can liken the word “Veeray” to “brother,” a friend that is practically family. “Dhaba” means roadside eatery, appropriately titling the restaurant “brother’s roadside shack.” It’s the smallest restaurant Sonny has ever opened, but it may be his favorite yet. “It’s more fun,” he shrugs as he describes how patrons feel at home there, a place where they can take a load off and feel at ease enough to chat with the tables next to them. “It’s authentic. Not high end, but clean, nice, good flavor, good service.”
I’ve had the recent pleasure of munching at Veeray Da Dhaba a few times, absolutely blown away by how phenomenal the food is. I say to him every time that it’s the best Indian I’ve had in the city — potentially ever — and I mean it.
I had heard about Sonny through the buzz about Kurry Qulture, and knew I had to invite him to livestream on Crafted to show the world how to make some of his Punjabi specialties. The concept sounded, “fun” to him, of course, and so he was immediately in. Sonny will showcase a series of dishes served at Veery Da Dhaba, starting with two classic appetizers, Tandoori Chicken and Samosa Chaat. Sonny provided some color about each snack here:
Tandoori Chicken
“Anyone who is from Punjab loves tandoori chicken. When we drink, we eat tandoori chicken. It’s like wings in the US. When I was growing up, there were no bars. You’d get a bottle, gather around tables at a roadside shack and eat tandoori chicken. I’ll be showing you how to cook it on the grill, although traditional tandoori chicken is cooked in a clay oven.”
Samosa Chaat
“Samosa chaat is probably the most popular street food in India, a flavor bomb of spiciness, tang, and sweetness. It is essentially a deconstructed samosa topped with chickpea curry (chole), onion, tomato, mango chutney, tamarind chutney, and yogurt. Garnished with chickpea noodles and fresh cilantro. We make our samosas and chole from scratch in-house, but you can easily get frozen samosas and chole at your local Indian market.”
We are thrilled to announce that Sonny will be sharing his contagious love of food and fun via Crafted’s livestreaming platform for food creators. It’s not everyday that we have the opportunity to learn from a Michelin star team in the comfort of our own homes. Oh, and it’s free.
Our Co-Founder, Sarah Nesheim, will be co-hosting the event on July 28th at 6PM ET from the kitchen of Veeray Da Dhaba. Sign up for Crafted and RSVP to the event to receive the full ingredient list so you can cook along with Sonny. We are excited to celebrate the culture and cuisine of Punjab with you all soon.
For the love of food,
The Crafted Team
