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)! 

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!

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! 

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!

Food Update #7

My parents came to visit last month and we got to try out some new restaurants that I wanted to share with you all as all were delicious and worth checking out!

Zenon Taverna (34-10 31st Ave): This is a wonderful Greek/Cypriot restaurant, which a really nice ambiance and delicious food!  You'll find all of the staple greek dishes and some unique additions from the Cypriot side. J and my mom got the mezedes platter, which was a sampling of  8 cold dishes and 8 hot dishes.  It was SO much food and all very delicious.  My dad and I each got soups (I of course got the greek lemon chicken soup (they call it kotopoulo me rizi at this restaurant) and split a huge kebab platter with many different types of meats/seafood/veggies).  We also of course got some delicious saganaki (fried cheese) that they actually lit on fire at the table, which is unusal in New York!  All in all, a really great place to get Greek/Cypriot food and a place we're sure to eat at again!

Sanfords (30-13 Broadway): This diner is an institution in Astoria as it opened as a coffee shop back in 1922 and has been around ever since!  Today the menu offers more inventive twists to the standard brunch menu and everything was well-made and tasty.  The menu is huge (you can order off the breakfast or brunch menu during brunch times).  One caveat is that it is a small restaurant so the line can be quite long.  We luckily got a table within 15 or 20 minutes, but the hostess informed us that it is often over 1 hour and they're packed between 4am to 6pm.  So plan accordingly but do check out this place!

Tournesol (50-12 Vernon Blvd, LIC): While this is actually located in Long Island City, it is still nearby and such a great french bistro that I had to share!  The ambiance is very intimate and inviting and the food was delicious.  Each dish was prepared perfectly and the atmosphere made for a great dining choice.  Be sure to check this place out if you're in LIC!

Those are the food updates for this roundup, but hopefully I've whet your appetite for the next food update!

Christmas Day Tradition

As tradition goes, Christmas Day for me consists of a movie and chinese food.  This year things didn't go quite as planned as the movie we trekked into Manhattan to see was sold out when we got there ("The Artist" at the Paris Theater).  But we turned around and came back to Astoria to at least follow-through on the dinner portion of the tradition.  We decided to watch a movie at home (to at least keep with some of the movie tradition) so we ordered delivery from a nearby chinese restaurant.  It was our first venture into chinese food in the neighborhood (usually we make the trek to Flushing, Queens which has a huge china town), but I'm happy to report that we now have our chinese go-to place in Astoria!

Fatima's Halal Kitchen Authentic Chinese Cuisine (25-25 Broadway): You can't go wrong with this restaurant -- all of the favorites and more are found on this huge menu.  Plus the meat was very tender and very high quality (which unfortunately isn't always the case with chinese restaurants in nyc).  We had the kung pao chicken and garlic shrimp, both were delicious and very well priced.  We will definitely be back for more from Fatima's, perhaps next time going there for dine-in.

And as for the movie half of the tradition, we watched "A Serious Man," which is a very dark comedy by the Coen brothers (we liked it and thought it was very well-made and interesting).  We'll catch "The Artist" in the coming weeks as well!

Burger madness

Burger joints are, apparently, a popular choice for restaurateurs opening up new places in Astoria.  While I thought we had to be nearing saturation on burger centric restaurants (we have at least four within 5 blocks of our apartment and that excludes all fast food chains), I learned today that a Five Guys Burger & Fries is planning to open in the coming months in Astoria.  While I definitely welcome the restaurant (very tasty burgers) and enjoy all of the other Astoria burger restaurants that I've tried thus far, I do have to stop and wonder... why so many burger joints?!

The corner bakery

I'll get to the post in a second, but first, an apology to my readers for my long lapse in writing.  While I wanted to write posts, life got in the way for the past month (vacation, holidays, etc.).  I'm back though and looking forward to sharing many more observations and experiences from the melting pot!  Here is the first:

One of the many gems of Astoria is the plethora of small bakeries scattered throughout the neighborhood.   Of course, each one caters to their country or origin so we have bakeries that specialize in Italian, Greek, and Turkish delicacies, to name a few.  The one on the corner of our block (Il Fornaio), boasts wonderful homemade pastries and breads (all baked each morning on premise) and while the store itself is very small, the two benches outside are always filled with locals hanging out (sometimes for hours on end).  It's a great local spot and each day when I pass it reminds me how great it is to be an Astorian!

Food Trucks Galore

Gourmet Food Trucks have become a big fad in the city over the past couple of years.  Starting in July, Queens got its very own food truck lot (43-29 Crescent Street)!  I haven't had the pleasure of visiting it myself yet as they're only open Monday-Friday from 12-3, but lucky for me, most of these trucks frequent the blocks around my office in Manhattan so I still get the opportunity to try them out.  I look forward to venturing over to the parking lot one of these days though to check out this conglomeration of gourmet food trucks!

Food update #6

Time for another food round-up!  Here are some highlights from recent food adventures in Astoria.

Roti Boti (27-09 21st St): Authentic and tasty Pakistani food.  The restaurant was busy and I think it's safe to say we were the only non-Pakistani or Indian diners.  We've been told that this place is a hotspot late at night with taxi drivers.  And for good reason!  You order at the counter from hot tray options and then can dine in if you want, which is what we opted for.  The food was very good and reasonable prices - we had kofta kebab, chicken tikki masala, daal and of course rice, naan, and mango lassi to accompany it.  Delicious and we will definitely be back for more!

Astor Bake Shop (12-23 Astoria Blvd): This cute off-the-beat coffee shop/bakery and brunch spot is quite a find!  The chef-owner has worked at many of the big name restaurants in Manhattan and decided to venture out on his own with this bake shop.  We came for brunch, but will definitely be back for coffee (roasted locally in Brooklyn) and sweet treats.  For brunch we had an amazing egg/cheese/bacon sandwich and an unbelievable stuffed french toast with orange cream and fresh strawberries.  A true hidden gem that we'll be frequenting often!

Jerusalem Pita House (25-15 30th Ave): This hole-in-the-wall middle eastern restaurant is a great find as well.  You can't go wrong with their menu items - we've had falafel sandwiches and shawarma sandwiches so far and both were quite delicious!  Perfectly seasoned and made with fresh veggies and hummus.  When I'm not heading all the way to Little Egypt, I will definitely be fulfilling my middle eastern cravings here!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned for future adventures in eating our way through Astoria!

Sidewalk cafe dominance

The New York City Economic Development Corporation issued a report on sidewalk cafes in NYC and it turns out that Astoria takes the cake for most unenclosed sidewalk cafes outside of Manhattan!  Our neighborhood boasts  43 cafes (a whopping 15,000 square feet)!  The next closest outer borough is Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a mere 15 sidewalk cafes (3,600 square feet).

Additionally, in looking at individual restaurants, Athens Cafe (a local favorite of ours for greek frappes) comes in at #4 in NYC with its 936 square feet of sidewalk space!  Pretty impressive!

Read the full report here.

Rediscovered Mexican breakfast pastry!

J and I traveled to Mexico City back in 2009 and discovered these amazing pastries that we had never seen before called pan dulce.  Basically it is a sweet bread with a sprinkling of sugar on top and it's delicious!  We had it several times while there and since we've been back, I've had cravings for it occasionally, but never expected to fulfill them until my next trip to Mexico.

Lo and behold, half a block from our apartment is a Mexican bakery (Temascales Deli & Bakery, 25-22 30th Ave) and what do you think I found in the window display??  You guessed it!  Pan dulce!  The bakery has tons of delicious tortillas, pastries, and other mexican delicacies that I'm sure we'll be sampling over the coming year.  They also have a full-service restaurant that we're dying to try so I'm sure you'll be hearing about this place again on a future food update!

But in the meantime, I'd just like to thank Astoria for fulfilling all of my random food cravings!

Food update #5

It's been some time since my last food update, but nevertheless we've been checking out some great places around the neighborhood.  Here are a few that I wanted to share:

SugarFreak (36-18 30th Ave): Very fun atmosphere and delicious Louisiana style food.  This small restaurant with very kitchy and eclectic decorations is always packed and for good reason!  We had some delicious and unique cocktails and spicy shelled peanuts to start with at the bar while we waited for our table.  For dinner, we had, in traditional Louisiana fashion, jambalaya and blackened catfish.  Both were made to perfection and we can't wait to come back and try out their brunch and the rest of the dinner menu!

Linn (29-13 Broadway): Amazing sushi in an eclectic restaurant setting.  The setting is very modern with all white walls, tables and chairs further accented by a wall screen displaying soundless movies (when we were there it was a surfing related video).  We opted for a sushi dinner, but there was a full japanese menu that sounded great as well!  The sushi was high quality and very delicious!  We will be back!

Mt. Olympus Bagels (33-15 30th Ave): We're always in need of a good bagel joint and this place seems to fit the bill.  The bagels are very doughy and large and they have a smattering of cream cheese varieties to choose from.  It appeared to be a Greek-run establishment and most of the clientele (also Greek) seemed to be regulars as they didn't even need to place an order to get the bagel & coffee they desired.

Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave): All I can say is wow!  Paninis have been brought to a whole new level at this restaurant with its plethora of cheeses, meats, and spreads--all brought together in unique combinations.  The atmosphere can't be beat and there is even a cute garden patio (unfortunately it was drizzling when we went so we opted for indoor seating).  It took a long time for J and I to make our decisions on what paninis to try, but I don't think you can go wrong.  We opted for a "pass the hash" panini (garlic roasted potatoes, chorizo, truffle aioli, scrambled eggs, and parmesan) and a "sweet ass" panini (prioscutto, fig spread, taleggio cheese). Both were delicious and we have many more paninis to try in the future!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned for the next round-up of recent eats!

Guess it's a good thing fall is coming...

One of the main restaurants that J and I go to get our frappes has been shut down by the health department... and upon further investigation, I discovered that they were shut down last November as well for violations that added up to 128 points!  This time around it's only 61, but 4 of the 5 are critical (in red)...

Sanitary Violations

1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

2) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

4) Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

5) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

I'll be honest, the violations don't seem that out-of-the-ordinary for NYC (at least the pest related ones), but I guess it was worse than others!

All I can say is good thing fall is on its way since I don't know how much more time we'd have to sit at this outdoor cafe and drink a cold beverage.  Luckily one of our other main frappe locations not only has outdoor seating with heat lamps when it gets cooler out, but also an A rating from the health department so I can rest assured that my frappe season isn't quite over yet :)

UN recommended Astoria dining spots

As all New Yorkers know too well, mid-September marks the opening session of the UN and midtown east Manhattan becomes a nightmare for a few weeks (security, traffic, you name it).  In honor of the event, the New York Post decided to talk to a few UN missions of smaller countries to see where they recommend dining to get their local cuisine.  Not surprisingly, Astoria was mentioned a couple times!

Astoria recommendations include:

• "Cyprus: Ask Tasoula Manaridis, director of Cyprus Tourism, for a dining recommendation, and she’ll point you to Zenon Taverna, a Greek and Cypriot restaurant (34-10 31st Ave.). Manaridis especially recommends the Cypriot meze — small dishes served by the dozen (Zenon offers a 16-course meze menu for $19.95 per person.) Stand-outs include spice- and pork-laden sausages, not to mention grilled halloumi cheese."
• "Bhutan: Call the Bhutan mission to the UN and the officer who picks up will tell you that there are zero authentic Bhutanese eateries in NYC. But, he goes on, there is a sushi spot where you can order off-the-menu Bhutanese cuisine if you call ahead. New Sushi Q (25-03 30th Ave) will whip up spicy, chewy phaksha sikam (dry-cured pork sauteed with chilies) and a specialty called emadatse (mushrooms and green chilies in whey)."

J and I haven't eaten at either place yet, but I assure you it's now on the top of our list!  Stay tuned for an update.  To read the full article, click here.

The best burek in town!

Last night we tried a Balkan restaurant (Djerdan Burke, 34-04 31st Ave) that boasts that it has the best burek in town.  And it does (sample size=1)! Neither of us had eaten a burek before, but it's delicious!  Somewhat similar to spanikopita and burekas, this dish has a thin flaky philo dough shell and can be filled with several different items (cheese, spinach, meats).  According to an article that was framed on their wall, in Sarajavo restaurants specializing in bureks are analogous to pizza places in New York.  Who knew!

We opted for a cheese burek and coupled it with a yummy beef goulash dish that was perfectly spiced.  Definitely will be coming back here to try other bureks and Bosnian specialties!

Food update #4

Tierras Colombianas (3301 Broadway): Huge restaurant and menu offering a wide variety of Columbian foods.  I got the Bandeja Campesina (country plate) which was filled with every quintessential Columbian food group (meat, beans, rice, plantains, avocado, a unique bread made of corn, and topped with an egg) and J got a delicious fried chicken platter that came with similar sides.  You can't go wrong as there are so many delicious options, very large portions, and unbeatable prices! We will undoubtedly be back to make headway on this enormous menu :)

Harissa (34-05 30th Ave): Delightful mediterranean/North African restaurant serving traditional middle eastern and North African cuisine.  It looks like a takeout place at first glance, but there is table service in back.  We got the single front table that overlooks the sidewalk and it was a perfect evening to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of Astoria life.  This time around we stuck to their middle eastern offerings, but their North African options and breakfast menu sounds outrageous as well so we'll be sure to come back for a tasting of all of that.  Very reasonable prices to boot!

Food update #3

Afghan Kebab House (25-89 Steinway): The name says it all - this small, one room charming restaurant in Little Egypt serves great Afghan food and kebabs!  We got a combo of kebabs, which were each marinated in different sauces and cooked to perfection, and chicken quorma (Afghan stew), which was filled with chicken, veggies and a mouth-watering combination of spices.  The meals come with delicious basmati rice that is perfectly spiced with cardamon, flat Afghan bread, and salad.  Couple it with amazing Moroccan mint tea and you've got a perfect dinner for two!  We will surely be back to sample more kebabs and quormas!

Ovelia (34-01 30th Ave): This open-air corner Greek restaurant has a great atmosphere and serves an awesome and inventive brunch.  We dined with friends so lots of interesting foods were tried! For instance, the beet omelette, which, as the name suggests, is a beet infused omelette filled with goat cheese; the dish came with a side of sauteed fruit, which were delicious!  Another interesting twist on brunch was the greek yogurt stuffed french toast, which was a tasty combination.  Will definitely have to try other inventive menu items on our next visit to this place!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned for more restaurant reviews in the next installment!

Food update #2

Time for another food round-up.  This time I'm happy to report on three delicious places that we've had the pleasure to try in Astoria!

Corner 26 Taverna (26-02 23rd Ave): Stumbled upon this amazing hole-in-the wall Greek restaurant where you can find all the traditional Greek foods with mouth-watering satisfaction! We started with perfectly made saganaki (how else to start a Greek meal) followed by one of the best gyro platters that I've ever had, delicious fried white fish, and the most amazing garlicy-lemon potatoes ever (emphasis on the garlic).  The atmosphere is so homey and everyone there excluding our table was speaking exclusively in Greek and seemed to know the hostess/waitress quite well. Will definitely be back to this neighborhood gem!

El Cafetal (30-19 Astoria Blvd): Quite an atmosphere at this small authentic mexican joint.  Loud music, rowdy patrons, and a huge selection of delicious and authentic mexican food.  We had enchiladas in mole sauce (outstanding) and perfectly crispy and flavorful flautas. With such a huge selection and well-made food, we will surely be back here often!

Sac's Place (25-41 Broadway): When you're in the mood for delicious Italian and coal-oven pizza, look no further than Sac's. The pizza crust was the perfect consistency, very thin and the ingredients were fresh and abundant! Couple that with many pasta options--from the traditional Italian staples to more inventive creations. We sampled the homemade gnocci, which was quite divine!








That's all for this installment. Stay tuned for future mouth-water restaurant reviews!

Food update

It's been awhile since I did a food update and we've tried some interesting places in the past few weeks so I thought I would devote a blog post to some of the places we've checked out thus far:

Eco Table (33-20 31st Ave): Had lunch here and thought that the food was fresh, tasty, and offered a nice variety of options. The brunch special on the weekend is great, for $9 I got a grilled chicken panini loaded with veggies and gruyere plus a frappe (see post about this Greek deliciousness).  The restaurant, which opened a few months ago, offers food choices that support local growers and artisanal food producers as well as organic agriculture whenever possible.  Will definitely be back!

Pinoy Eats (31-01 21st St): This is a Filipino restaurant in the area and was our first taste of Filipino food. Can't say either of us came away excited about this cuisine.  It was a weird amalgamation of foods, such as our appetizer of pork snout, ear, cheek, and belly... a crunchy and unappetizing appetizer. The entrees had the potential to be great -- shrimp cooked in tamarind sauce and oxtail in peanut sauce -- but both items were bland and basic.  The wait staff was attentive and helpful, but we were the only people in the restaurant, which is never a good sign! Not sure we'll be attempting Filipino food again for awhile!

Bareburger (33-21 31st Ave): A great burger joint that boasts all organic products and natural, free-range meats. They have several different types to choose from.  From the traditional beef, turkey, veggie to the more exotic like ostrich, elk, and bison, there's a burger to meet all's taste buds.  The amazing fries and sides can only help to make this one of the best burgers in town!

Point Brazil (38-03 31st Ave): Amazing Brazilian cuisine. Stopped here for lunch and had the brazilian buffet where you can choose from probably 15-20 different dishes and sides.  Everything was incredible and only $5.99/lb!  We sampled so many tasty foods and got a very interesting and delicious homemade Brazilian juice as well.  We had actually attempted to come to this restaurant for their monthly special that they run on the first Saturday of each month, the "Taste of Bahia," which offers a selection of food from this Brazilian state, but it wasn't ready yet.  No worries, we will definitely be back to try it and get the lunch buffet several more times!

(a partial view of the amazing buffet spread)

That's all for this installment.  Stay tuned for future mouth-watering restaurant reviews!