Hell’s Kitchen Northeast’s Holes-in-the-Wall for HotshotsIf the gangs who once ruled Hell’s Kitchen could see the neighborhood now, filled with media hotshots and admen from places like Hearst, Random House, Time Warner, and Ogilvy, they’d no doubt shake down the few fancier restaurateurs and then duck into one of the tiny Asian or Middle Eastern joints for a cheap plate of stir-fry, noodles, or spicy kebabs. Behind the countless family-owned storefronts in the micro-micro-neighborhood centered around 53rd Street and Ninth Avenue, you can find some of midtown’s most enlivening flavors and aromatic, well-spiced cooking.
