Out of the Way (but really good) Indian Fare

Lonely is an Eyesore

Nearby Socrates Sculpture Park is a nice after-lunch excursion.

Me and My (well-fed) Shadow

Punjabi 5-Star Cuisine ( 13-15 43rd Avenue, Long Island City, New York, 718/784-7444)

Lonely is an Eyesore was the title of a seminal 80s record compilation released by the goth-industrial label 4AD, a mixed grab-bag of gloomy yet danceable tunes from their macabre, premier artists. The poignant, loaded phrase rushed back to Cafe Drake some 20 years later when confronted by the dreary, grimy decaying warehouses and steel refuse of Punjabi 5-Star's immediate surroundings. Operated by Northern Indian Sikhs, the restaurant is housed in a mobile trailer/diner structure, but unlike neighboring Williamsburg's ironic-hip renovated kin (Miss Williamsburg, Broadway Diner, Relish), this aluminum tube is stuck in mid-80s renovation Hell.

Harsh overhead florescent lights jaundiced a glum-looking clientele from the wonderfully wintery late March sunshine beams piercing the front windows. Scared we were! Not to worry as an immediate salad placed on our table burst with ripe tomatoes, avocado, red onions, cucumbers, shaved carrots and all dusted with chat masala, that wonderful yet obscure Northern Indian blend of smokey, roasted spices and mega doses of salt. Condiments - always the litmus test of inexpensive Indian cuisine - rated 10 of 10 with Cafe Drake; hands down the best (and hottest) tamarind chutney we've tasted, with an exceptional fresh coriander chutney and pungent raita as sidekicks threatening to steal the show.

Onion Kulcha ($2.50) arrived piping hot and slicked with obscene (yet lovely) amounts of melted butter, the stuffed flatbread toasty from the tandoori kiln and rife with its chopped namesake in addition to roasted garlic and shredded fresh ginger. A Vegetable Biryani ($8) was equally rich and indulgent, studded throughout with dried plums, cashews and loads of market-fresh produce (stringbeans, carrots, cauliflower and potatoes), flavorful beyond any standard Punjabi fare. Thoughtfully, as if she read our minds with her scarlet third eye painted between threaded eyebrows, a dish of sliced green chiles appeared on our table courtesy of the exceptionally attentive waitress.

Recommended beyond belief. If you can get beyond the desolate location and forlorn interiors.