Bangledeshi in Woodside, Queens

It's always fun to try a new place. Last night Geoff, my Mom, and I went out for dinner to celebrate Geoff's birthday. We headed toward Sripraphai's but they were closed (closed Wed.). We wanted to give it a second try, and will save that for another day. Instead Geoff drove us to Spicy Mina's, a Bangledeshi restaurant he spotted while driving around Queens. We got a parking spot halfway down the street. The restaurant was empty except for a table of what looked to be friends or family of the restaurant who split soon after we got settled. There weren't any more customers until we were served the main course. We studied up the menu and ordered the following:
Meat Samosa
Halim (beef slowly cooked with different types of lentil and bangledeshi spice)
Poori (deep fried flour puffed bread)
Mango Lassi
Chai Massala
Aloo Gobi Bhajee (cauliflower and potatoes with mild spice)
Chicken Tandoori
Chicken Vindaloo
The wait was long and we were given a standing fan to keep us cool. Our waiter was the cook and the one person who did almost everything- very excellent service was provided considering he was the one guy who ran the place. There was an older woman in a sari who helped him out occasionally in the kitchen. The papadums were nice and peppery, along with the little dipping tray of sauces that were pretty spicy. The samosa filling was excellent, the meat was juicy and it was fried just right. My favorite was the halim, a thick, saucy bowl with beef cubes, the layers of spices and flavours were quite memorable. I think I will just order it as my main course the next time I go. I asked for rice to go with it and devoured a good share of it. My lassi was good, and by the time the main course was served, I was already full. The Poori was a bit too oily for me. The tandoori chicken was flavorful and aloo gobi was flavored well. The chicken vindaloo was TOO SPICY! This is a warning coming from someone who loves spicy food. I had a bite of the chicken, a bite of a piece of potato and felt fine. A couple of minutes later, my mouth was nearly numb. It wasn't horribly hot, but I think too much considering the risk of losing out on tasting the other spices. It almost reminded me of my experience with Sichuan peppercorns in Chongqing, China, but it's not quite the same numbing experience or assortment of tastes. I would definitely go again and try other things on the menu on another night when I can dine at a leisurely pace.