What Koreans eat on move-in day, plus 2 fried chickens in Queens

And where to find crabs, curry, knafeh, kra pow, and the most-hyped BLT in Philly

I’m in a gas station parking lot in South Brooklyn eating ice cream made in New Jersey when I decide to go get some fried chicken in Queens. It’s summer and the Rockaways are right next door, and I’m overdue a visit to Goody’s BBQ.

Goody’s is one of the longest-standing restaurants in the Rockaways. The menu is Jamaican and Southern, with jerk chicken and stew chicken nestled in the steam tables and fried chicken resting under the heat lamps. The owners, Joan and Gary Robinson, renovated this place by hand in the late 80s, and their daughter Genie now runs it day-to-day.

“There’s only one place in the Rockaways that would plan a vacation during peak season,” I wrote last year about Goody’s. “That’s because locals go here year-round.” Goody’s is not a seasonal business, it’s a community staple. And it hits every damn time. The chicken is more crunchy than crispy, with deliciously greasy crags that taste like the well-seasoned flour it was dredged in.

I ate 2 drumsticks in my car, like a fiend, and slid the bones back into the paper bag to bury the evidence. For more beautiful footage of the food, check the tape.

📍 Goody’s BBQ
70-18 Amstel Blvd, Arverne, NY 11692

Gone in 60 seconds.

One other fried chicken rec before I hand this over: Ridgewood, Queens may currently have the most slept-on plate in the city (see the cover photo). At Luther’s, owner Jesse Lipper has mostly retired the vegan menu from his previous spot, JJ’s Southern Vegan, and gone all-in on crispy bird. Get the quarter chicken drenched in spicy oil, and the velveeta-y mac and cheese. I’ll be reporting further on this spot; watch this space. - Rob Martinez

Behind the paywall: Young Kim writes about his favorite jjajangmyeon spot in Bergen County, Lindsay Paulen spurns ice cream for knafeh, Mike Diago finds a crab house on the Jersey Shore, Johnny Novo orders Thai takeout, Jacob Does Philly hypes up a BLT, and Mishka Murphy hits New York’s Thai Town.