This place is excellent. The food is tasty and CHEAP! I believe its 5.95 a pound. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. The restaurant itself is quite small, about 7 tables or so, all close together, I have yet to eat in. They do amazing take out.
The food is mostly salad bar style with the grilled meats in the back. Typical churrascaria selection, but quality ingredients for sure. They usually have talapia in a coconut sauce, it is excellent thu. The rice and salads are good, standard. They usually have a pasta that is always tasty and platanos. As well as rice and beans.
For the meats, it is exactly what you would expect, lots of styles of meat. Rotisserie style. Lean cuts, usually on the well done side. Lots of flavor, lots of salt too. Very juicy meat. I really like the turkey wrapped in bacon. The sausage is great too as are the cuts of red meat.
Sometimes when they are slow the grilled meat can be a bit overcooked when served, but its still a steal for the price.
Highly recommended for take out, good to eat in if you don't mind it being small. They have great deserts and juices also, this place is a wonderful addition to the area. So cheap to!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Astoria Diner (Closed)
I have eaten here once.... And ordered from here about 100 times!
I live this dinner. I would give it 4 stars, but its just a diner. Almost nothing they do is excellent, but nothing is ever bad. Fast service, very friendly people taking orders, large portions and cheap prices, basically its your typical dinner.
One thing you have to try is the large fried shrimp as an appetizer, its amazing. Excellent large shrimp, really good portion and well cooked always, worth the price. They seem to always have cream of turkey soup, which is alright, a bit bland, but the red peppers in it add a nice touch. The french onion soup is very good, and the matzah ball is ok. The turkey burgers are good, standard. The burgers are better then usual dinner burgers, i really enjoy them. Panini's are great, good bread. The crazy fries, like the Disco fries or the lord of the (onion) rings are good but arrive soggy most of the time, those may only be good for eat in, avoid smothered fries for take out. Shakes are fun, the Elvis shake with bananas and peanut butter and chocolate... yea its great. The baklava is usually very fresh and excellent, this being Astoria i would expect no less. Salads are great, fresh quality ingredients. I usually order a turkey sandwich of some sort, its always lean. Good turkey.
24 hours, cheap, fast, and about a million items on the menu. Love it.
I live this dinner. I would give it 4 stars, but its just a diner. Almost nothing they do is excellent, but nothing is ever bad. Fast service, very friendly people taking orders, large portions and cheap prices, basically its your typical dinner.
One thing you have to try is the large fried shrimp as an appetizer, its amazing. Excellent large shrimp, really good portion and well cooked always, worth the price. They seem to always have cream of turkey soup, which is alright, a bit bland, but the red peppers in it add a nice touch. The french onion soup is very good, and the matzah ball is ok. The turkey burgers are good, standard. The burgers are better then usual dinner burgers, i really enjoy them. Panini's are great, good bread. The crazy fries, like the Disco fries or the lord of the (onion) rings are good but arrive soggy most of the time, those may only be good for eat in, avoid smothered fries for take out. Shakes are fun, the Elvis shake with bananas and peanut butter and chocolate... yea its great. The baklava is usually very fresh and excellent, this being Astoria i would expect no less. Salads are great, fresh quality ingredients. I usually order a turkey sandwich of some sort, its always lean. Good turkey.
24 hours, cheap, fast, and about a million items on the menu. Love it.
Nuevo Jardin De China Restaurant
Good Chinese food, decent Cuban style food, not much mix. I guess i expected more of a mash between the two styles, instead either one or the other, not really fusion. Still good food overall. Better than the usual Chinese food in Astoria.
The meal started with hot bread which is certainly not usual. We started with the fried dumplings. Not enough meat, all breading, thu it tasted good. The Yat Gaw Mein Roast Pork was my favorite item of the night, the port was very tender, lean and tasty. The broth was simple, a tad salty, but good. The Corn Chicken soup was decent, also a bit bland. For entrees, the Shrimp and salmon were not very good. Both overcooked, bland and not as fresh as they should have been. The General Tso's chicken was good, typical. The Arroz con Pollo con Jamon was not very good. Bland, boring. The platanos were exactly the same way you would get anywhere, they gets points for that.
The service is good, they are nice and attentive. They make good mix drinks, surprisingly. The prices are a bit high for food of this quality. Recommended if you love Chinese food. If not, its not really worth it.
The meal started with hot bread which is certainly not usual. We started with the fried dumplings. Not enough meat, all breading, thu it tasted good. The Yat Gaw Mein Roast Pork was my favorite item of the night, the port was very tender, lean and tasty. The broth was simple, a tad salty, but good. The Corn Chicken soup was decent, also a bit bland. For entrees, the Shrimp and salmon were not very good. Both overcooked, bland and not as fresh as they should have been. The General Tso's chicken was good, typical. The Arroz con Pollo con Jamon was not very good. Bland, boring. The platanos were exactly the same way you would get anywhere, they gets points for that.
The service is good, they are nice and attentive. They make good mix drinks, surprisingly. The prices are a bit high for food of this quality. Recommended if you love Chinese food. If not, its not really worth it.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Seva
Decent Indian Food. Nothing special, not worth going out of your way for. The one thing that this place has going for it, are the VERY cheap prices, it is one of the cheapest Indian places I've had.
We waited about 10 minutes to get menu's after being seated and the manager took our order after waiting another 10 minutes. They were very busy with take out as well as it being a packed restaurant, so they need more staff. I asked the bus boy for the check at the end of the meal, since our waiter (the manager) was very busy.... Of course the bus boy never passed on our request and we waited another 10 minutes before i simply asked the manager for the check. Frustrating.
The food was OK, and that's because i just love Indian food, but it was some of the worst Indian food I've ever had. The Crab Cake Masala tasted like fake crab (should have expected that...), the chicken malai kabab was very tasty but i had a huge chunk of fat or grissel that was just nasty. The chicken samosa, a first for me, was good, simple, nothing special. The maleghotony soup was bland.
The entrees were also bland. The shrimp korma was extremely overcooked, its almost like the chef does not understand that it really only takes 60 seconds to cook mini shrimp. They left the tails on, which i never understood, i am supposed to dig my fingers into the sauce and rip off the ends of the shrimp??? The Shrimp tandoori was very overcooked and nearly burnt, terrible tasting. The chicken Korma was boring. The Korma sauce was very bland, not a good dish at all.
Overall the only reason i MIGHT go back or at least call in, would be the prices. $12 for 3 courses is quit good. They need more staff and a better chef thu!
We waited about 10 minutes to get menu's after being seated and the manager took our order after waiting another 10 minutes. They were very busy with take out as well as it being a packed restaurant, so they need more staff. I asked the bus boy for the check at the end of the meal, since our waiter (the manager) was very busy.... Of course the bus boy never passed on our request and we waited another 10 minutes before i simply asked the manager for the check. Frustrating.
The food was OK, and that's because i just love Indian food, but it was some of the worst Indian food I've ever had. The Crab Cake Masala tasted like fake crab (should have expected that...), the chicken malai kabab was very tasty but i had a huge chunk of fat or grissel that was just nasty. The chicken samosa, a first for me, was good, simple, nothing special. The maleghotony soup was bland.
The entrees were also bland. The shrimp korma was extremely overcooked, its almost like the chef does not understand that it really only takes 60 seconds to cook mini shrimp. They left the tails on, which i never understood, i am supposed to dig my fingers into the sauce and rip off the ends of the shrimp??? The Shrimp tandoori was very overcooked and nearly burnt, terrible tasting. The chicken Korma was boring. The Korma sauce was very bland, not a good dish at all.
Overall the only reason i MIGHT go back or at least call in, would be the prices. $12 for 3 courses is quit good. They need more staff and a better chef thu!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Christos Steak House
I've lived a few blocks away from here for over a year now and I had no idea this place was here! I went in and was pleasantly surprised, this was a fantastic meal! I love all the exciting new foods I get to experience in Astoria, I've been eating lots of Moroccan, Egyptian, Spanish, and Thai in particular so my father was thrilled to hear about a good steak house in the area. He's a meat and potatoes kinda guy, thu he has really enjoyed Brazilian, Spanish and a few other styles in Astoria. This place exceeded all expectations.
The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice, soft lights, nice size, you're close to but not right on top of the table next to you as you would be in NYC or at either Peter Lugar locations from my experience. I only bring up PL because so many people have compared the two. While I did not try the porterhouse, which is the real test of how this place compares to PL, I will say the rest of the meal exceeds PL.
As mentioned by others this place is like the best steak house you can imagine, only about "1/3 cheaper then Bryant and Cooper" as my father stated. Even more exciting is that because it is a Greek place, they deserts, apps, and sides far exceed anything at most NYC steak houses.
The meal starts with cold bread, and an olive spread. Decent, very unappetizing looking. For starters we had the corn chowder with lobster and orzo which was very good thu not outstanding, the lobster was small and hardly noticeable and the orzo was kinda a strange combination with the corn soup. We also had the lamp cigars which were excellent! Ground lamb and vegetables wrapped in filo and either lightly fried or baked, I could not tell because they were not greasy at all, they way that type of dish usually is. Very highly recommended. They also has sweetbread which I did not get to order but will in the future.
For the main course I had the 14 ounce (!!!) filet minion with a Roquefort topping and a red wine garlic reduction. Very very good, strong flavors, lean meat, not as flavorful as the ribeye, but I prefer my meat lean, so this was excellent. My father also got the filet with a béarnaise sauce. Another excellent cut of meat, perfectly cooked, although the sauce was a bit thinner than usual and not quite as flavor full.
As side dishes we shared the lemon potatoes and the creamed spinach. The spinach was excellent, less of a blended item and more leaf's of spinach than PL does, which I really enjoyed. The lemon potatoes were the only thing we did not like. They were not very lemony and actually very very spicy, too much pepper I think.
Dessert was a real treat... I had the best Greek yogurt I've had since, well, my time in Greece! Sheep's milk yogurt with honey, walnuts and quince. Absolutely to die for! Rich and creamy and worth the trip back is only for this one item!
Overall wonderful meal, friendly knowledgeable staff, nice location and vibe. Highly recommended!
The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice, soft lights, nice size, you're close to but not right on top of the table next to you as you would be in NYC or at either Peter Lugar locations from my experience. I only bring up PL because so many people have compared the two. While I did not try the porterhouse, which is the real test of how this place compares to PL, I will say the rest of the meal exceeds PL.
As mentioned by others this place is like the best steak house you can imagine, only about "1/3 cheaper then Bryant and Cooper" as my father stated. Even more exciting is that because it is a Greek place, they deserts, apps, and sides far exceed anything at most NYC steak houses.
The meal starts with cold bread, and an olive spread. Decent, very unappetizing looking. For starters we had the corn chowder with lobster and orzo which was very good thu not outstanding, the lobster was small and hardly noticeable and the orzo was kinda a strange combination with the corn soup. We also had the lamp cigars which were excellent! Ground lamb and vegetables wrapped in filo and either lightly fried or baked, I could not tell because they were not greasy at all, they way that type of dish usually is. Very highly recommended. They also has sweetbread which I did not get to order but will in the future.
For the main course I had the 14 ounce (!!!) filet minion with a Roquefort topping and a red wine garlic reduction. Very very good, strong flavors, lean meat, not as flavorful as the ribeye, but I prefer my meat lean, so this was excellent. My father also got the filet with a béarnaise sauce. Another excellent cut of meat, perfectly cooked, although the sauce was a bit thinner than usual and not quite as flavor full.
As side dishes we shared the lemon potatoes and the creamed spinach. The spinach was excellent, less of a blended item and more leaf's of spinach than PL does, which I really enjoyed. The lemon potatoes were the only thing we did not like. They were not very lemony and actually very very spicy, too much pepper I think.
Dessert was a real treat... I had the best Greek yogurt I've had since, well, my time in Greece! Sheep's milk yogurt with honey, walnuts and quince. Absolutely to die for! Rich and creamy and worth the trip back is only for this one item!
Overall wonderful meal, friendly knowledgeable staff, nice location and vibe. Highly recommended!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Brick Cafe
Good food, great atmosphere nice staff, however the food was not great. The food was exciting on the menu, but somewhat disappointing on arrival. The bread was not fresh and while it still tasted good, i would have perfected it reheated/baked slightly instead of the the cold somewhat chewy bread we got. It did come with a good olive mixture.
I started with a salt cod (Bacalao) over polenta. This was very good, the highlight of the few dishes i tried. They removed almost of the salt, very nicely done. It was in a pile, broken up almost like crab. They could have done alot more with the flavor, but the fish was excellent and went well with strips of grilled polenta. Very large portion, nearly the size of an entree. My fiance had the prosciutto and mellow which was good, but instead of wrapping the melon in prosciutto they just piled it on top it, kinda strange. People at my table said the Onion soup was not very good.
For the main course I had the veal cannelloni which was strange. 2 large cannelloni with a veal and cheesy type filling. There appeared to be 2 sauces, a Béchamel, which was way to thin, and a brown sauce that might have been drippings from the meat. It was almost sour like they used vinegar, i did not love it. There was something a bit off about the taste. Overall a ok dish.
My fiance had the Gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce. This was a big disappointment. The sauce was weak, and a poor match to the bland Gnocchi. It did have a very nice texture, to often from restaurants its gooey and mushy, this Gnocchi had a bite to it. Aside from it being a bland dish with thin sauce, there was no color variation at all and no herbs added. Off white pasta on a white plate with off white sauce. Very boring and kind of shocking they would serve it like that. Jazz it up!
Over all the food was decent but lacking something. it is also too expensive for the quality of food, although to portions are big. It is very cute and you can eat outside. They do have a nice menu with many options, so i might be have to try something else. Slightly recommended.
I started with a salt cod (Bacalao) over polenta. This was very good, the highlight of the few dishes i tried. They removed almost of the salt, very nicely done. It was in a pile, broken up almost like crab. They could have done alot more with the flavor, but the fish was excellent and went well with strips of grilled polenta. Very large portion, nearly the size of an entree. My fiance had the prosciutto and mellow which was good, but instead of wrapping the melon in prosciutto they just piled it on top it, kinda strange. People at my table said the Onion soup was not very good.
For the main course I had the veal cannelloni which was strange. 2 large cannelloni with a veal and cheesy type filling. There appeared to be 2 sauces, a Béchamel, which was way to thin, and a brown sauce that might have been drippings from the meat. It was almost sour like they used vinegar, i did not love it. There was something a bit off about the taste. Overall a ok dish.
My fiance had the Gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce. This was a big disappointment. The sauce was weak, and a poor match to the bland Gnocchi. It did have a very nice texture, to often from restaurants its gooey and mushy, this Gnocchi had a bite to it. Aside from it being a bland dish with thin sauce, there was no color variation at all and no herbs added. Off white pasta on a white plate with off white sauce. Very boring and kind of shocking they would serve it like that. Jazz it up!
Over all the food was decent but lacking something. it is also too expensive for the quality of food, although to portions are big. It is very cute and you can eat outside. They do have a nice menu with many options, so i might be have to try something else. Slightly recommended.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Mombar
This was such a wonderful meal! I'm a big fan of the Kebab Cafe so i figured i needed to try his brother's place... We walked in and were greeted with big smiles and welcoming attitudes.
My friend and i had the tasting menu, fantastic deal! $30 for bread, appetizer, and THREE entrees... Sure they were smaller than your usual entrees, but only slightly... We walked out of there totally stuffed!
The meal started with farmers bread in a sauce that i think had balsamic vinegar, hot fresh and wonderful. The chef asked us what we like and we told him he could surprise us. He asked if we ate tripe and feeling adventurous we said we would try it.
The appetizer was kinda like sausage stuffed with rice and other things... Like someone mentioned below it was a little bland, but overall very good. It was definitely stuffed in some sort of Offal. Good start to the meal. The first entree was some sorta fish dish, perhaps tilapia, with tomatoes and peppers with couscous. This was fantastic. Moist fresh fish with wonderful flavors. Excellent dish.
The next 2 meals were almost identical to each other which was a slight disappointment. They were both with rice tomatoes, peppers, carrots, zucchini, chick peas served with rice. The first dish was Lamb tagine and was just incredible! The lamb was very noticeably Lamb, meaning it has that funky lamb taste that i love. It was extremely tender, moist and lean. The second dish was the tripe. This was my first time eating tripe and thu i'm proud that i tried something new and sorta adventurous, i really did not enjoy it that much. I've never had something so soft yet chewy at the same time... Very very strange texture. Not much flavor to the tripe itself beside the sauce, which is guess is a good thing considering what it might have tasted like were it not cleaned properly! It was disappointing that both the last 2 dished were basically identical, thu they were very good.
The house wine was $4 a glass! Decent wine to. The waitress was the chef's wife and was very nice. They were both thankful for our business and i will certainly be back. We had a feast of a meal for $30 each... No room for dessert, but we did walk up the block for some mint tea and hookah. Wonderful evening. I highly recommended this place for those that want to dine. I believe the meal took over 2 hours, which is fine with me! If it were possible, this would be 4.5 stars.
My friend and i had the tasting menu, fantastic deal! $30 for bread, appetizer, and THREE entrees... Sure they were smaller than your usual entrees, but only slightly... We walked out of there totally stuffed!
The meal started with farmers bread in a sauce that i think had balsamic vinegar, hot fresh and wonderful. The chef asked us what we like and we told him he could surprise us. He asked if we ate tripe and feeling adventurous we said we would try it.
The appetizer was kinda like sausage stuffed with rice and other things... Like someone mentioned below it was a little bland, but overall very good. It was definitely stuffed in some sort of Offal. Good start to the meal. The first entree was some sorta fish dish, perhaps tilapia, with tomatoes and peppers with couscous. This was fantastic. Moist fresh fish with wonderful flavors. Excellent dish.
The next 2 meals were almost identical to each other which was a slight disappointment. They were both with rice tomatoes, peppers, carrots, zucchini, chick peas served with rice. The first dish was Lamb tagine and was just incredible! The lamb was very noticeably Lamb, meaning it has that funky lamb taste that i love. It was extremely tender, moist and lean. The second dish was the tripe. This was my first time eating tripe and thu i'm proud that i tried something new and sorta adventurous, i really did not enjoy it that much. I've never had something so soft yet chewy at the same time... Very very strange texture. Not much flavor to the tripe itself beside the sauce, which is guess is a good thing considering what it might have tasted like were it not cleaned properly! It was disappointing that both the last 2 dished were basically identical, thu they were very good.
The house wine was $4 a glass! Decent wine to. The waitress was the chef's wife and was very nice. They were both thankful for our business and i will certainly be back. We had a feast of a meal for $30 each... No room for dessert, but we did walk up the block for some mint tea and hookah. Wonderful evening. I highly recommended this place for those that want to dine. I believe the meal took over 2 hours, which is fine with me! If it were possible, this would be 4.5 stars.
El Jamon (CLOSED)
One of my favorite places in Astoria, never ever busy, closed not long after it was open, but it was amazing...
Review #1
I called up, the person on the phone was really nice and explained a few items to me, being one of my first Spanish meals. For appetizers or Caciones we had the Datil (Dates stuffed with almonds and wrapped with bacon), this was incredible. Really rich, and layers of texture. The outside bacon was perfectly crispy, the date was soft and juicy and the almond was a nice crunch to finish it off. Really unique flavors, excellent appetizer.
The Queso Frito De Cabra (Fried Goat cheese with honey and Sweet onion) was also very good. It amazes me how many countries have a fried cheese dish... This was great, i like the combination of honey and cheese. It was not greasy at all either. Although we did not order it, in our bag was something that might have been the Patatas Bravas, (Fried Potatoes with spicy sauce)... Although it was more like sweat potato and there was no spicy sauce. This was very rich, kinda heavy, but not greasy, good stuff.
We skipped on main courses and instead got 3 Tostas (toasts). I really did not know what to expect, they were offering expensive ingredients for cheap. I was really impresed with what arrived. Each order was 3 peices of bread with topings... We had Hogaza De lomo (Melted Manchego Cheese topped with grilled marrinated pork loin and piquillo pepper). The meat was very lean, flavorful and jucy. The Pechuga De patp (Grilled Sliced duck breast with a balsamic vinegar and shallots soy sauce) was excellent, the duck was cooked well, and it was a generous portion on each piece of toast. I like soy sauce in dishes outside of asian cuisine, it made this dish really stand out, compaired to the other flavors. This was my favorite of the three. The last one was also very good thu, Gambas al ajo blanco (shrimp sautee with scallions and almond puree). No suprise here, a very nice portion of small juicy shrimp. This one was the lighest on flavor, but still very good, maybe some lemon would have helped. The bread used for the toast was excellent, very fresh.
Most of the food was inexpensive, the Tostas were $6-7 each, the dates were only $5, the fried goat cheese was expensive at $8. I want to sit down for dinner and check it out, the pictures on the website look nice. Highly recomended at least for delivery/takeout!
Review #2:
Since writing my first review, i've ordered take out 3 times as well as visited the restaurant for a sit down meal. I cant speak highly enough of this place. First off its owner is a very nice person who is a great host. I brought my father here who is very picky and he described the food as "phenomenal", which is rare for him.
Beside what i have previously mentioned, i've tried many other things. The shrimp with garlic app is small perfectly cooked shrimp that arrives at your table in what i would describe as an oil bath! its bubbling hot and very garlicky when it arrives at your table, nice presentation. The lentil soup is the best i've EVER had, its smokey and meaty due to the churizo they added. For only about $11 we had a half chicken with crispy potatoes and what i believe was broccoli rabe, fantastic juicy chicken for cheap.
Review #1
I called up, the person on the phone was really nice and explained a few items to me, being one of my first Spanish meals. For appetizers or Caciones we had the Datil (Dates stuffed with almonds and wrapped with bacon), this was incredible. Really rich, and layers of texture. The outside bacon was perfectly crispy, the date was soft and juicy and the almond was a nice crunch to finish it off. Really unique flavors, excellent appetizer.
The Queso Frito De Cabra (Fried Goat cheese with honey and Sweet onion) was also very good. It amazes me how many countries have a fried cheese dish... This was great, i like the combination of honey and cheese. It was not greasy at all either. Although we did not order it, in our bag was something that might have been the Patatas Bravas, (Fried Potatoes with spicy sauce)... Although it was more like sweat potato and there was no spicy sauce. This was very rich, kinda heavy, but not greasy, good stuff.
We skipped on main courses and instead got 3 Tostas (toasts). I really did not know what to expect, they were offering expensive ingredients for cheap. I was really impresed with what arrived. Each order was 3 peices of bread with topings... We had Hogaza De lomo (Melted Manchego Cheese topped with grilled marrinated pork loin and piquillo pepper). The meat was very lean, flavorful and jucy. The Pechuga De patp (Grilled Sliced duck breast with a balsamic vinegar and shallots soy sauce) was excellent, the duck was cooked well, and it was a generous portion on each piece of toast. I like soy sauce in dishes outside of asian cuisine, it made this dish really stand out, compaired to the other flavors. This was my favorite of the three. The last one was also very good thu, Gambas al ajo blanco (shrimp sautee with scallions and almond puree). No suprise here, a very nice portion of small juicy shrimp. This one was the lighest on flavor, but still very good, maybe some lemon would have helped. The bread used for the toast was excellent, very fresh.
Most of the food was inexpensive, the Tostas were $6-7 each, the dates were only $5, the fried goat cheese was expensive at $8. I want to sit down for dinner and check it out, the pictures on the website look nice. Highly recomended at least for delivery/takeout!
Review #2:
Since writing my first review, i've ordered take out 3 times as well as visited the restaurant for a sit down meal. I cant speak highly enough of this place. First off its owner is a very nice person who is a great host. I brought my father here who is very picky and he described the food as "phenomenal", which is rare for him.
Beside what i have previously mentioned, i've tried many other things. The shrimp with garlic app is small perfectly cooked shrimp that arrives at your table in what i would describe as an oil bath! its bubbling hot and very garlicky when it arrives at your table, nice presentation. The lentil soup is the best i've EVER had, its smokey and meaty due to the churizo they added. For only about $11 we had a half chicken with crispy potatoes and what i believe was broccoli rabe, fantastic juicy chicken for cheap.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Trattoria L'inco
I've lived in Italy for a few month and i tend to have high standards when it comes to Italian food. This place was kinda hit or miss for me, and it was expensive, thu not to bad. Huge place, really impressive size and the fact that we had to wait 10 minutes for a table on a Wednesday certainly speaks highly of the food. The waiter spent literally 5 minutes reciting the specials from memory. There must have been 40 different specials, and i'm not exaggerating! It was really impressive, if not somewhat frustrating to not have them listed in front of us. The meal started with good bread, a flat bread and a tomato spread, very tasty.
The food was decent to very good, thu I don't think anything was excellent. There were 5 people at the table and I got to try a bite of everyone's meal, one benefit of eating with family :) ...
The pizza was not hot and not impressive, neither the sauce, cheese or bread were that good. We had 2 ravioli dishes to start, both very small and good thu not great. One had apple, cheese and nuts, good flavors. The meat ravioli with a nut sauce was also good. Both were to small.
For the main dish i had the bronzini which was fishy. Everyone at the table who had a bite said it was to fishy. Kinda sad to get not so fresh fish at a place that serves 2-300 people a night, very unexpected. The flavors for the fish were ok, it was ginger and gran marnier, although i did not taste the ginger. We had the pork chop in a red wine sauce that was a big disappointment. Not much sauce, and it was not really that tasty. The pork itself was hardly seasoned at all.
One thing that was excellent was the hazelnut gelato, the best i've had since Italy! Really excellent stuff!
Overall i walked into this place with high expectations and was slightly disappointed. Not sure i will return.
The food was decent to very good, thu I don't think anything was excellent. There were 5 people at the table and I got to try a bite of everyone's meal, one benefit of eating with family :) ...
The pizza was not hot and not impressive, neither the sauce, cheese or bread were that good. We had 2 ravioli dishes to start, both very small and good thu not great. One had apple, cheese and nuts, good flavors. The meat ravioli with a nut sauce was also good. Both were to small.
For the main dish i had the bronzini which was fishy. Everyone at the table who had a bite said it was to fishy. Kinda sad to get not so fresh fish at a place that serves 2-300 people a night, very unexpected. The flavors for the fish were ok, it was ginger and gran marnier, although i did not taste the ginger. We had the pork chop in a red wine sauce that was a big disappointment. Not much sauce, and it was not really that tasty. The pork itself was hardly seasoned at all.
One thing that was excellent was the hazelnut gelato, the best i've had since Italy! Really excellent stuff!
Overall i walked into this place with high expectations and was slightly disappointed. Not sure i will return.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Ristorante Ponticello
I had a very nice meal here, but it was very expensive. The food was very good although nothing was excellent. I ate here on a Wednesday night with 3 family members, the place was busy. Nice looking restaurant, very high ceilings, mirrors all around.
The meal started with cold bread and butter. Kinda strange not to be offered olive oil. I don't think i had butter once in the 3 months I lived in Italy, to be fair this was northern Italian and i lived in southern Italy, so for all i know this is typical, although I doubt it. I ordered the Stuffed Avocado with Crab, it was good. Crab was good quality canned crab, on a 1/2 avocado with some onions, red peper and lemon.
Others at the table ordered the Lobster Ravioli, which was a very small portion even some a heavy dish, there were only 3 ravioli's. My fiance had the Eggplant Rolatini, which she liked very much, but it was not actually rolled it was more like eggplant parm. The table also had the Pasta Vongolette, it was very good, huge portion of small New Zealand clams.
For the main course i had the Stripped Bass with a light tomato and Onion sauce and polenta. This would have been great if the fish was better, it was not as fresh as i would have liked. Good but not great dish. The polenta was a huge disappointment, because i was expecting the traditional version, and instead it was more like polenta cakes, still good but not the best way to enjoy polenta in my opinion. My father had the Chicken and Filet Minion combination, you would have thought he died and went to heaven. He loved the meat, very nice size piece of filet with surprisingly a marsala sauce that worked real well. The chicken turned out to be fransais, well done. The Swiss Chard potatoes were very good and something i've never seen before.
4 people had apps, entrees, desert and a drink each and the bill came to a little over $200. The service was very good and they were very accommodating turning entrees into apps and vice versa. I would not go out of my way for this place, but if your in the area its worth a visit.
The meal started with cold bread and butter. Kinda strange not to be offered olive oil. I don't think i had butter once in the 3 months I lived in Italy, to be fair this was northern Italian and i lived in southern Italy, so for all i know this is typical, although I doubt it. I ordered the Stuffed Avocado with Crab, it was good. Crab was good quality canned crab, on a 1/2 avocado with some onions, red peper and lemon.
Others at the table ordered the Lobster Ravioli, which was a very small portion even some a heavy dish, there were only 3 ravioli's. My fiance had the Eggplant Rolatini, which she liked very much, but it was not actually rolled it was more like eggplant parm. The table also had the Pasta Vongolette, it was very good, huge portion of small New Zealand clams.
For the main course i had the Stripped Bass with a light tomato and Onion sauce and polenta. This would have been great if the fish was better, it was not as fresh as i would have liked. Good but not great dish. The polenta was a huge disappointment, because i was expecting the traditional version, and instead it was more like polenta cakes, still good but not the best way to enjoy polenta in my opinion. My father had the Chicken and Filet Minion combination, you would have thought he died and went to heaven. He loved the meat, very nice size piece of filet with surprisingly a marsala sauce that worked real well. The chicken turned out to be fransais, well done. The Swiss Chard potatoes were very good and something i've never seen before.
4 people had apps, entrees, desert and a drink each and the bill came to a little over $200. The service was very good and they were very accommodating turning entrees into apps and vice versa. I would not go out of my way for this place, but if your in the area its worth a visit.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Telly's Taverna
This place is very loud and the staff is overwhelmed. Its a huge place, with few waitresses. Hard to get anything at all, although they were all very nice when they did stop at our table. They moved us twice during the meal, first when we sat down they moved us after a few minutes to the back where it was quieter. Then before we were done they moved us to another small table in the middle of the room, kinda annoying.
The actual food was good to great, but took a while to get to us. Just like a few other Greek fish places in Astoria we were able to walk over to the grill and ask what was fresh and recommended. I always like that, when i can see the fish up close and know its fresh and when i ask they give me an honest opinion.
The bread tasted fresh out of the oven, very hot and toasted on one side, so i'm assuming they actually grilled it for a minutes or so. The sea bass was excellent, slighly charred on the outside, which i actually loved, its not often that i eat the skin but this was crispy and tasty. Very fresh, great simple grilled fish. The waitress removed the fish from the bone which is always a nice touch. Came with excellent lemon potatoes, very starchy, particularly tasty, but arrived a good 10 minutes after the fish. My father had the lamb chops, nice sized portion, you get 4, decent sized chops. He did not think they were great, but i enjoyed them very much.
Saganaki for starters was good but the batter was falling off and slightly burnt on the bottom, not quite the stuff i had in Greece, nor in other places in Astoria. The grilled sausage was excellent, enjoyed by all. Complimentary desert really good, hot out of the oil balls of dough that reminded my of zepoli but with honey and cinnamon. We devoured it!
Many of the Greek fish places in Astoria are similar, this one is not bad at all, the food was very good, but it is very loud, and its hard to get a hold of the waitress, still recommended, and enjoyed.
The actual food was good to great, but took a while to get to us. Just like a few other Greek fish places in Astoria we were able to walk over to the grill and ask what was fresh and recommended. I always like that, when i can see the fish up close and know its fresh and when i ask they give me an honest opinion.
The bread tasted fresh out of the oven, very hot and toasted on one side, so i'm assuming they actually grilled it for a minutes or so. The sea bass was excellent, slighly charred on the outside, which i actually loved, its not often that i eat the skin but this was crispy and tasty. Very fresh, great simple grilled fish. The waitress removed the fish from the bone which is always a nice touch. Came with excellent lemon potatoes, very starchy, particularly tasty, but arrived a good 10 minutes after the fish. My father had the lamb chops, nice sized portion, you get 4, decent sized chops. He did not think they were great, but i enjoyed them very much.
Saganaki for starters was good but the batter was falling off and slightly burnt on the bottom, not quite the stuff i had in Greece, nor in other places in Astoria. The grilled sausage was excellent, enjoyed by all. Complimentary desert really good, hot out of the oil balls of dough that reminded my of zepoli but with honey and cinnamon. We devoured it!
Many of the Greek fish places in Astoria are similar, this one is not bad at all, the food was very good, but it is very loud, and its hard to get a hold of the waitress, still recommended, and enjoyed.
Kabab Café
After hearing so much about this place, and since i live walking distance i had to try it. This was not just a meal, it was an experience. Knowing it was small and imagining it would be busy, my fiance and I arrived at about 6:30 which is early for us. We dined for about 2 hours, gotta expect a long meal here, Ali takes his time, as he should, this is slow food. When we arrived there was one other person getting take out, but he left and for the majority of our meal we had the place to ourselves. When others did arrive it was clear that they were all locals who knew Ali well.
The place itself is like walking into a kitchen or a living room, When you walk in your surrounded by amazing looking food right in front of you... and the smells! It smelled incredible. Such a small place with not much of an outside, i never even noticed it before. But i'm glad i went.
Awesome meal! We tried the sweatbread of i believe lamb, thu it might have been veal, for the first time and loved it! It was heavy on the salt, but rich with flavor. The lambs cheek was good, not great, kinda this big black mushy stew with an egg in it, very strange and not appealing in appearance. The appetizer plate with hummus and apples, falafel and a few more dips was amazing. Not oily at all, and most dips were a bit chunky, which i enjoyed. From where i was sitting i could watch Ali cook, it was really interesting.
After the appetizers Ali left to go to the store or something so we hung, thankfully he was back 10 minutes latter to take our dinner order.
"What are you in the mood for? We have fish... Whole bronzini, porgies, grilled sardines, soft shell crab... meat? Lamb, goat, duck..."
No menu, which was fine as it was an experience and i imagine he is telling me whats best and fresh and recommended.
My fiance ordered the duck. Very tasty and moist with rice and Asian broccoli, which i really enjoyed, and i generally don't enjoy that stuff very much at all. I ordered the stuffed lamb. It was very good but not great. Not enough meat for me, and to many carrots, but the flavors were fantastic and the spinach was really good too. We both enjoyed our food very much. Had a crepe type dish with yogurt and fig jam for desert, it was fantastic, smooth, rich, hot, perfect way to end the meal. Which was good to because we were totally stuffed!
One thing i really liked was the music, it was like i was at home! fantastic mix of jazz, drum and bass, and world music, really enjoyable to listen to for 2 hours.
Including tip we paid exactly $100, which is kinda expensive, but we ordered alot of food, 3 apps, 2 drinks, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert, so i guess $100 is not that bad. Very memorable meal, we will return for sure. Highly recommended for unique food and for a unique experience. The place is so small you have to interact with the other patrons, which is kinda nice. I'm not giving it 5 stars because the lamb and the lambs cheek were not great, but if i could give it a 4.5 i would, this is one of the most memorable places i've ever eaten in, i cant wait to go back!
(I've been back 3 times after this first visit)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Psari Seafood Restaurant & Bar
I found this place after trying to get into a certain fantastic fish place on Ditmars on Wednesday night. Unlike the other place, Captain Fish had no line, in fact it was a large place with ample room to accommodate the many families. They serve huge portions, and it was exactly what it sounds like, a wonderful fish meal, Greek style. I had recently returned from a week in Greece and this did reminded me somewhat of the food i had on the coast in Greece, although the selection of fish was expectantly different.
When you walk in it looks like a fish market at first, but around the corner are the tables. Before ordering I walked over to the large selection of seafood and asked for recommendations. I checked out the quality up close which is nice to be able to do, and the fish all looked very good. They were very helpful and told me what was good and even what was not so good today, I appreciated the honestly.
As I mentioned, the portions are just massive, they do most items family style. The garlic bread with herbs was fantastic and hot, great way to start off the meal. The salad was simple but very good, huge again, lots of feta and olives. The three of us ordered red snapper, lobster and I believe black snapper. The fish in particular were recommended after we told them we wanted the whole fish. Great recommendation, it was all very fresh. Very simple too, not much added to the fish, just grilled, and some lemon. Exactly the way to enjoy fresh fish in my opinion. The sides were chips, really excellent homemade potato chips, of course with the salad and bread it looked like a feast on the table.
If memory serves me correctly they do not serve dessert, but there is a Baskin Robins down the block which is nice on a summer night after a light fish dish. Nice service, good staff. Great food, simple, fresh, great. Decently priced and was there they did accept credit cards. Its not fancy at all, nice relaxing place. I recommend it.
When you walk in it looks like a fish market at first, but around the corner are the tables. Before ordering I walked over to the large selection of seafood and asked for recommendations. I checked out the quality up close which is nice to be able to do, and the fish all looked very good. They were very helpful and told me what was good and even what was not so good today, I appreciated the honestly.
As I mentioned, the portions are just massive, they do most items family style. The garlic bread with herbs was fantastic and hot, great way to start off the meal. The salad was simple but very good, huge again, lots of feta and olives. The three of us ordered red snapper, lobster and I believe black snapper. The fish in particular were recommended after we told them we wanted the whole fish. Great recommendation, it was all very fresh. Very simple too, not much added to the fish, just grilled, and some lemon. Exactly the way to enjoy fresh fish in my opinion. The sides were chips, really excellent homemade potato chips, of course with the salad and bread it looked like a feast on the table.
If memory serves me correctly they do not serve dessert, but there is a Baskin Robins down the block which is nice on a summer night after a light fish dish. Nice service, good staff. Great food, simple, fresh, great. Decently priced and was there they did accept credit cards. Its not fancy at all, nice relaxing place. I recommend it.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Malagueta Restaurant
This place has fantastic food, very large portions and is an excellent value. The ambiance is not great, simple lights and paper table cloth, but the food and service more than make up for it. I've been here a few times and enjoyed the meal very much every time. Yuka fries are so much better than potato fries, and here they are well fried My father got a HUGE plate of garlic shrimp. Massive portion for $7 and it was cooked perfectly, the shrimp had a bite. For the main course, I had the Pollock, made with a s fish paste sauce, very strange, and totally excellent. Wonderful bold flavors, fresh fish and cooked very well. My fiance had the duck with crispy skin the way duck should, but still a little pink inside, cooked perfectly. She enjoyed it very much. We had 2 desserts that were as good as the entree. The passion fruit pudding was quite tart which I enjoy very much. There were many new taste experienced at this meal, Brazilian food is interesting, and I quite like it. The Brazilian Tiramisu was light and airy, really surprising and enjoyable. The staff was helpful and nice. I highly recommend this place, they also have outdoor seating which is nice.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Taverna Kyclades - 5/13/2008
Might be my favorite restaurant in Astoria! This place is fantastic. Although its very busy and you usually have to wait a while. The fish is very fresh and cooked to perfection. I had the red snapper and it was excellent. The lemon potatoes were great also. The typical Greek complimentary was very good. Very nice service, they asked if it was our first time there because they did not recognize us. It was our first time there, and they said it in a nice way, implying that they know everyone who eats here because they all become regulars. After that first meal, I will become a regular also.
Walima Restaurant and Cafe (CLOSED) - 5/13/2008
Three friends and i ate here a little back. Great food, nice server. We were the only ones in the place, but we did not mind. The we ordered both types of Bastillas, they were excellent. My first time having one, and i will order it again. A chicken dish i cant recall the name of had an amazing sauce, very tasty moist chicken. Recommended. The second time i went the food was really good and it was much more busy. The chicken couscous was fantastic! Now they have couches and hooka's which is a nice touch. The chicken shawerma is really moist and has fantastic flavors. White meat, no fat, really good chicken dish, and i don't order much chicken.
Pollos A La Brasa Mario - 5/13/2008
The chicken is really amazing. When they are done cooking it, instead of keeping the chicken under hot lights to maintain temperature, they keep the chicken in some kinda steamer. The result is a very moist chicken. Lots of flavor. One of the best chickens i've ever had. The yuka fried are great also, much better and less greasy than regular french fries. I don't enjoy the soups or the rice porridge at all, but the yellow rice is very flavorful and moist. I recommend this place for take out, i doubt i will ever cook a full chicken again, when this is about the same price and much better than what my oven could do. Corner of 41st Street and Broadway in Astoria, 24 hours a day on the weekends.
Las Margaritas Restaurant Bar & Grill - 5/13/2008
I like the food a lot, but the service is a bit slow bad and the music is too loud. I've been there about 5 times, always good food, although sometimes the portions seem small. The ceviche is good, I always order the one with shrimp and fish. I've been here with friends and family and everyone always loves it. If you can get past the service and music, its a good local place for partially authentic Mexican food. Not only the typical quesadillas but also mole, tamales, and tres leches desert. Good stuff.
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