Come visit us in Astoria and we'll pick you up!

Our apartment is so close to the airport (Laguardia) that when family/friends come to visit and fly in, we ask that they call us when they land and that is when we leave the apartment to go pick them up.  At the same time, the plane traffic never flies overhead so we never have the noise pollution that often comes with living 10 minutes away from an airport.

Yet another reason to visit us while we still live here :)

Pushcarts and food trucks for sale!

Not shocking, but it turns out Astoria has a thriving pushcart and food truck sales market.  This store specializes in nothing else (Effie's Food Truck).  As you can see from the window, there are many postings available right now!  If you're interested in setting up a sidewalk food business in NYC (remember, they are in fashion), look no further than Effie's for your venue needs (and apparently various violation services as well)!

Astoria to get its first brewery since Prohibition!

With all of the craft bars and eateries in the neighborhood, it's no surprise that a brewery, SingleCut Beer, is opening in Astoria!  They expect beer to start flowing this fall and are already setting up shop.  You can learn more about this company here, but I'm hopeful to see an Astoria-made beer served at a local bar in the future!  At this point they are only planning on distributing in the NY area, but if they're successful perhaps we'll have a chance to try them even after we leave NYC.  I'll be sure to stay on the look out for the draft handle that they're planning to use (below) and you should too!

Statues of Athens Park

I know I've written about the great little park at the end of our block where everyone congregates and hangs out, but I haven't had a chance to show off the statues that the City of Athens has given the city over the years.  We have many of the big shots from Greek philosophy/mythology represented, in fact, the 3 important people when it comes to intellectual debate -- fitting for how this park is used!

Meet Athena (goddess of wisdom, courage, among other important civil aspects of society):

Aristotles of course:

And finally Socrates:

In honor of J's trip to Turkey

J is in Turkey right now and to stave off some of my jealousy, I stopped by the local Turkish shop that specializes in many types of baklava (imported from Turkey each day!), Turkish coffee/tea, and other snack foods this weekend.  The place has been around since the late 1800s and there's a good reason they have made it over 140 years!

I had a very delicious and authentic cup of Turkish coffee and, for a few minutes, could pretend that I was transported to Turkey!  I can also attest to their tea and baklava being delicious and authentic as well!

Definitely pay gulluoglu a visit next time you're in Astoria (30-92 31st St)! 

Greek Independence Day Parade TODAY!

While the official parade is happening in Manhattan, you can't be surprised that I immediately learned that today was the Greek Independence Day parade as soon as I walked out of my apartment this morning.  Halfway down the block I noticed that there were many more Greek flags hanging than usual... I kept walking another block and all of a sudden was surrounded by throngs of people getting on yellow school buses heading to the parade.  Not only were there hundred of people lined up, but many of them in full costume and carrying drums and Greek flags.  I quickly learned that the parade was happening in Manhattan today and while I was sad that it wouldn't be in Astoria I truly enjoyed all of the pre-festivities going on!

I also have to point out how great it is that not only the greek diners, but also restaurants that cater to an American cuisine show off their Greek pride as evidenced below:

 

When was the last time you saw an independent video rental stores?

For me, it was the other day here in Astoria (a couple blocks from my apt)!  Not only do they still rent videos, but they advertise that you can bring your DVDs and VHS tapes(!) to sell back to them.  Oh Astoria, how I love you!

Astoria makes the Time Out 2012 Food & Drink nominee list!

I've mentioned the delicious northern Italian style pizza at Basil Brick Oven Pizza in a prior post, but I just found out that they've been nominated for Time Out Magazine's 2012 Best New Pizza award!  They're one of 4 nominees and, although I haven't tried any of the other pizza places on the list, I'm sure Basil should win as their pizza is phenomenal and very unique!  Plus it's the only nomination for an Astoria establishment (not even a nominee in the international eats category, come on!) so we ought to win something with all of the great restaurants we have out here!  Fingers crossed!

Food Update #9

It's been awhile since I posted a food update, but that's not to say we haven't been dining at some great places in the area.  Here is a sampling:

Leng Thai (33-09 Broadway): I know Thai restaurants are a dime a dozen in NYC, but this place stands out from the rest!  We ordered delivery so I can't speak to the decor/ambiance; however, the food was perfectly spiced and delicious!  J and I went to Thailand for our honeymoon and our favorite dish, Khao Soi, which we discovered there and have only found one other time since was on the menu, which was very exciting.  I have to say that the Khao Soi was equal to any Khao Soi we had in Thailand!  We also got our other favorite dish from the honeymoon, papaya salad, and while this is a common Thai menu item, I think this restaurant made the best one that I've had since coming back from Thailand!  It think it's safe to say that we will definitely be ordering or dining in at Leng many more times!

Temascales Restaurant/Bakery (25-22 30th Ave): I can't remember the name of this place or find it online, but it's a great Mexican restaurant right near us.  The front section is a bakery and they have wonderful Mexican breads, treats and fresh tortillas.  Additionally, the back section is a full restaurant with very authentic Mexican cuisine.  We have had tamales as a to-go snack and a filling, delicious dinner that covered the gamet from spicy salsa to yummy mole.  We will surely be back here!

Butcher Bar (37-08 30th Ave): This new neighborhood joint is a must try for meat eaters.  The ambiance is very inviting and the staff is so friendly and welcoming.  Not only is this a full BBQ restaurant, but also a local, organic butcher shop that does not own a freezer (i.e. quite fresh).  On our first trip, we dined in and had an amazing mixed grill platter with brisket, ribs, and pulled pork that also come with generous and delicious sides (we chose yummy mac 'n cheese and so sweet and tasty baked sweet potato wedges).  We've also been back to buy beef and found it to be of such high quality and, for what it is, good prices.  We'll definitely be back for more meals and meats in the future!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned as we have many more restaurants on our "must dine" list!

Outer borough city services

It's no shock that residents from NYC boroughs other than Manhattan often complain that the city services are lacking in the outer boroughs.  Our main concern when purchasing a car and choosing to street park it was snow removal, especially given the blizzards and horrible outer borough snow removal response that the city was criticized for last year.  Thankfully (knock on wood) we have not had to test out the city's response on that yet this year given the mild winter.

Nevertheless, I have noticed that the city's public trash can collection services are a bit slacking in Astoria.  Case in point - the image below was taken of a trash can that looks this full probably 9 out of every 10 times that I pass it.  Funny enough there used to be another trash can directly across the street from this one that was always equally full, but as of last Monday it has mysteriously disappeared.  While I'm happy to report that I haven't seen a spike in litter rates on that corner as of yet, I do hope the city begins to realize that Astorians do deposit trash just like Manhattanites!

Spotted: Local banks

These days you don't see too many cities/neighborhoods with local, community banks.  However, in Astoria they still seem to thrive (at least for the time being!).  Within 3 blocks of our apartment there are not one, but two that come to mind (Astoria Federal Savings Bank and Flushing Savings Bank) plus some others that are only found in NYC like Alma Bank.  Even living in Manhattan I don't think I ever saw a non-national bank in my neighborhood so I'm quite impressed to have 2 within a few blocks of me, especially with today's banking industry! Yet, another idiosyncrasy that makes Astoria special.

Walters Hardware Store and Family History

I've invited  J to guest post this one as he has a family connection to this store, which sadly closed recently.

A former Astoria institution, Walters Hardware was opened many decades ago by my great-great Uncle, Marty Walters. Fortunately, the store was still up and running as a hardware store when we moved to the neighborhood last summer. At that time, I had the chance to talk to then owner, Tommy, who was excited to meet me and tell me about patrons who had been coming to the store for many, many years since Marty was running the place. Despite having changed hands several times over the years, the store retained its original name up until its recent closing (November 2011). In fact, according to Tommy, little had changed since my uncle ran the place; many interior displays -- and of course the outdoor signage -- remained unchanged (including the tagline above the door "If we don't have it, you don't need it"). While Astoria retains so many other locally run, character-filled businesses, Walters Hardware will surely be missed.

~hope to be back with more guest posts in the future...-J

Coffee heaven

After reading a really enticing New Yorker article on authentic coffee and proper preparation, we began to seek out locally roasted and pour over coffee to try it out for ourselves.  One of the nearby Astoria coffee shops/restaurants, Queens Kickshaw, fits the bill and has quickly become a favorite of ours.  In addition to great coffee (which really is in a class of its own), they have unbelievable grilled cheese sandwiches and a great ambiance.  It's definitely worth a check out and, if coffee isn't your thing, they also have a wide selection of teas, homemade sodas, craft beers, and wine.

For those intrigued by pour over coffee, the gist is that by pouring hot (but not boiling) water slowly over freshly ground beans, you'll extract more flavor than traditional brewing allows.  True believers treat it like different wines and describe the flavors that way too (e.g. chocolate, different fruits, leather, etc.).  I'm not quite sure I taste these different flavors, but it's definitely a great cup each time I have it! 

You know it's a mild winter when...

The ice cream truck passes by with its bells to attract customers!  It is February, right?!

Winter makes a (short lived) appearance

This weekend we had a few inches of snow fall in Astoria - the first time since late October in fact!  It's supposed to be back to the low 50s by tomorrow, but it was nice to see Astoria turn white for a weekend and bundle up to walk around and see the neighborhood in a different season.  My highlight was seeing all of the neighborhood kids enjoying playing in the snow.  Astoria isn't a hilly area, but nevertheless the park near our apartment was filled with screaming kids enjoying the snow and pulling each other across the flat playground with their sleds!  Definitely a big difference from my childhood sledding experiences (my own front yard or trekking up the street to the big hill suitably named devil's dive), but I was glad to see the excitement of a snowy day in the city!

Proof of Greek presence in Astoria

As if I haven't proven it already that there is a heavy Greek presence in Astoria, here's further proof:

This picture is taken at my grocery store (Trade Fair) and, as you can see, the bottom case displays a plethora of different types of fresh fetas from which to choose.  And don't fret, this still excludes the many pre-packaged fetas available in the cheese aisle.  I'm so spoiled :)  I've only tried about half of them by this point (I keep wanting to repeat certain ones that I especially love), but as I still have another half year in Astoria I have full faith that I'll have the chance to try the remaining ones.

If I've enticed you to go out to the store and buy some feta, try one of my favorite dishes, which is an amazing orzo dish that requires good quality feta:

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced 1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced 1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced 1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup good olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 pound orzo For the dressing: 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 1/3 cup good olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper To assemble: 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts) 1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted 3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled) 15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne Preparation Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Either mix in the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil or, if serving cold, let cool to room temperature and then add these ingredients. Check the seasonings, and serve.

Food Update #8

To kick off the new year, I thought it would be good to tell you about some of the great restaurants we've dined at over the past month.  Enjoy!

Vesta Trattoria (21-02 30th Ave):  Delicious neighborhood Italian restaurant.  The quaint and simple setting make for a very inviting atmosphere and the food can't be beat.  The restaurant focuses on local green market ingredients and very inventive dishes.  We came for brunch, but will most definitely be dining there again for dinner! Brunch recommendations: Hangover pizza (potato, pancetta, sausage, fried eggs and spicy tomato sauce) and the fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms, and truffle oil).  Mmm so tasty!

Mama's Empanadas (32-41 Steinway): So many empanada fillings to choose from!  The fillings range from all of the traditional items that you would expect (chicken, chorizo, beef, beans, etc.) and the less traditional (mac & cheese, seafood, etc.).  Additionally they have some sweet empanadas, which were delicious as well!  Not only were all of the empanadas tasty, but the price can't be beat!  Good for snack or meal time.

Basil  Brick Oven Pizza (28-17 Astoria Blvd): Wow, so lucky to have such a great brick oven pizza place near our apartment!  Not only is the pizza delicious (very thin crust, slightly burned edges from the oven), but also comes with so many unique options.  We opted for splitting two amazing pizzas: one topped with asparagus, peas, tomato, arugula, and mozzarella and the other with an herbed pumpkin walnut sauce (instead of tomato sauce), mozzarella, pancetta and basil.  It was a tough decision with the huge menu of unique toppings/combinations, but we will definitely be eating here again and trying many other unique pizzas!

That's it for this food update, but stay tuned for future eats and adventures!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and fun 2012!

Thank you for reading my blog and for all of the encouragement for continuing to post since beginning this project.  I'm planning to have many posts to come for the remaining time we have in Astoria this year so please stay tuned!

-O