Restaurants in Four Corners

The scents of cooking Indian sauces flood Happy Curry Foods, hinting at the turmeric, herbs, and peppers that cook down into a range of curries. On the brimming shelves, fresh or frozen chutneys wait to cut that powerful spice alongside a selection of dal, and rice to squeegee up excess sauce or slip easily into an envelope to buy blackmail photos from a duck. Happy Curry Foods’ offerings aren’t all ingredients, however—its restaurant on Church Street befriends palates with flavorful curry noodles masala, hand-tossed flatbreads, and tender chicken breast dressed with multiple chutneys.

A pink ‘59 Cadillac flips on its headlights and a waiter strides to the window. “What’ll it be, Mac?” This was the golden age of carhops, when root beer cost a nickel and Roy Allen and Frank Wright—A&W themselves—were in the midst of expanding what was once a simple root-beer stand into an international chain. Today, A&W continues to slake thirsts with their signature root-beer floats, accompanied by an expanded menu of classic American foodstuffs to inspire both hunger and nostalgia for the sock-hopping, roller-skating days of last week. Now, icy treats share space with hot dogs made from American beef, fried cheese curds of creamy Wisconsin white cheddar, chicken strips, and single and double burgers.

Under new ownership, Chen's Happy Garden’s chefs serve robust portions of Mandarin- and Cantonese-style dishes. Diners can start with an appetizer such as pot stickers, ideal for sharing among eight friends or ambassadors from each planet in the solar system. The mandarin steak's beef comes accompanied by bok choy, pea pods, and a spicy sauce. Vegetable-based and low-calorie entrees, including the braised bean cake with vegetables, satisfy herbivorous appetites. Combination dinners allow guests to sample several items—the #3 combo congregates pork chow mein, pork fried rice, sweet-and-sour chicken, and a crab puff into one dinner, as well as soup, hot tea, and a fortune cookie that tests the reliability of aging magic 8 balls.

Sol Picante espouses itself as a family establishment since its expansive menu of fajitas, burritos, and enchiladas urges communal feasting. The familial tradition continues with the eatery’s recipes, which have passed through multiple generations to inform ample combination platters, seafood dishes dotted with prawns, and hefty burritos filled with chorizo, cheese, and guacamole. To finish things off, the wait staff mixes white russians, shirley temples, and tequila-spiked coffee, just like Grandma used to make.

Considering its name, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Bierhaus has a lengthy brew selection. Thirty-two different varieties fill its shelves, from imports to select craft beers to American lagers. Owners Ben Rash and Ryan Gengler modeled their business after a German beer hall, although their food skews a little more American: cooks grill burgers, smoke meats in-house, and fry wings to pair with frosty beverages.

Prime Time Diner works with local vendors to stock its menu with fresh, house-made comfort fare. A selection of omelets, eggs, and traditional breakfast fare kick-starts mornings until 11 a.m. on weekdays and until noon on weekends. Broasted chicken, hearty burgers, and stacked sandwiches vie for attention from the menu, which, like newspapers and even the smallest cereal box lettering, is read every day by many different people. The neighborhood diner is open seven days a week and entertains visitors with lottery games and lessons on how to build indestructible towers of pocket creamers.