33 EATING ADVENTURES

A TURKISH FEAST among the JET-SKIERS in Sheepshead Bay, DOSAS worth a DRIVE to Jersey, and CARNITAS in someone's Woodside BACKYARD.

- Alan Sytsma

HOW FAR WOULD you travel for some pizza? Or a pambazo? Whatever the answer, the time to do it is summer, when it doesn't seem like a wild idea to ride the A train to the end of the line because that's where some good mint ice cream happens to be. Why does food taste better when there's a journey involved? Maybe it's the change of scenery or the sense of satisfaction that comes from a successful quest-landing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but instead of gold, it's the best calamari in Queens. We've spent months trekking across the five boroughs and beyond to come up with this list of eating-and-drinking expeditions. Some might take all day; others less than an hour. (If you live in Woodlawn, one may be right up the street.) We traveled by ferry, train, and automobile to find the fried chicken, eggplant heroes, and beachfront tacos that will reward the intrepid and the very hungry.

1 Head to a strip mall in Jamaica for perfect fried chicken.

"How good can chicken be?" my friend asked when I told them I was headed to the outskirts of JFK for New York Fried Chicken (147-1 Liberty Ave., at Sutphin Blvd.; 718-523-1900), a squat brick building next to a laundromat and a gas station. In a city with a Kennedy, KFC, or Popeyes never more than a few minutes away, I understand the skepticism: There's no flavored coating or special sauce. Instead, there is only chicken, the best I've ever had. The spicy, salty crust and the skin become oneyet never distract from the juicy meat underneath.

TAMMIE TECLEMARIAM

2 Play hooky and eat a hero.