Sac's Place

 Had a wonderful filling meal here recently with family, we all enjoyed the food tremendously as well as the service and ambiance.  I like the look of the place, the wooden tables appear to be made from the wine cases, very slick tables, great reminder of Italy.  The place is well staffed and friendly.  The vibe is relaxed, great neighborhood place.  It also smells good and is quite warm from the pizza ovens.

The meal started with fresh bread of the oven, great crisp bread with a dash of tomato.  I would have preferred Olive Oil instead of butter to dip, but we loved this as a start.  For an appetizer we shared the Fried Artichokes.  I was glad to see that they were not deep fried as it would have been too oily, although the version they served was not exactly light.  Very well seasoned tender strips of artichoke in oil, memorable dish, recommended for sure.  It was however a bit expansive and not a large portion for $12.  The pasta fagioli was decent, not memorable and under salted but not bad at all, the table enjoyed it.  The linguini inside the soup maintained some of its texture, it had not boiled to mush in the soup as sometimes happens.

For entrees we enjoyed them as much as the start of the meal.  The Fettuccini with shrimp and caramelized portabellas in alfredo sauce was excellent!  Likely the best alfredo I've ever had, it was not just a thick creamy sauce, there were subtle flavors in it, the shrimp itself had flavored the sauce too which was nice.  The caramelized portabellas were a perfect unexpected sweet component that helped to counter the rich cream sauce.  A well balanced meal with a great portion of about 7 large shrimps, great value.  The shrimp parmesan special with prosciutto was also good, the sauce was pungent and thick, enjoyed by all.  The last entrée we had was a red pepper fresh ravioli stuffed with I believe shrimp and lobster.  Another great dish, the ravioli was large and thin, well stuffed and delicious.  Memorable meal, great, simple Italian food.  I look forward to returning to try the pizza's, they looked amazing.

Stove

Decent food and service, nothing above average but nothing bad either.  On a recent Saturday night it was busy and very loud.  The place is simple, painted white walls, not much going on.  They do have Guinness and Blue Moon on tap which is good.  Although specials are often the freshest and recommended items on a menu, i'd pass from this place.  Both specials we had were tasty, but they were very expensive, especially for the informal style of the restaurant and when compared to the other items on the menu.  Its a few blocks north of the busy Steinway area, and it has a feel of a real local place, with a few large tables of friends and family. 

The french onion soup was decent, not memorable at all.  They did not serve us bread although I noticed on the way out every other table had a bread basket.  For main courses the Shepherds pie was again decent, but not nearly as good as you can get at Cronin and Phelan.  Great value at $11, it a typical huge portion, however it came out a few minutes after the other entrees and was not quite broiled enough on the top.  One of the specials, Chicken in Whiskey Cream, was under-seasoned and a terrible value at $19, served with boiled vegetables and good mashed potatoes.  I had the fish special, sea bass with olive and sun dried tomatoes and a cream sauce.  The best dish of the night for sure.  The sea bass may have been a touch overcooked, but the sauce and veg topping were very tasty, good dish.  I would not have ordered it if I knew it was $24, more than double most of the items on the regular dinner entree menu. 

Service was ok, she was a touch cold, we waited a bit long for the good and it did not come out at the same time.  Value was mixed, some items well priced (soup, Shepherds Pie) but the specials being way over priced.  I'll give this place one more shot.

MexiQ

Some things about this place I like (beer selection, service, ribs) some things I don't (the pork skillet), but overall a decent place.  As noted by others they have 48 beers on tap (actually 46 plus 2 ciders I believe), which is a huge and awesome variety.  Our waitress, Cat, was super friendly, and very helpful with choosing our drinks, even gave us little samples of a few we had not heard of.  Her beer recommendations were great, I really liked the Chocolate Stout.  The place is nice, big, clean, a bit random, and the music is a bit too loud.  The host, runner and busboy were also very friendly, great attentive service.

The food was hit or miss.  The guacamole is inexpensive ($5 or $6 with a topping) and was decent, a bit too much onion for my taste, but well seasoned and nicely citrusy served with not stale chips.  The Ribs were really good in a decent sauce.  They were extremely soft (in a good way) and "fell of the bone" as the saying goes.  I actually ate them with a fork and knife.  Very meaty and quite delicious, I'd recommend this dish for sure.  They are served with a large portion of French fries and a moist, light jalapeño goat cheese cornbread.

If that were all we ordered I would likely give this place 4 stars but the pork skillet was a big disappointment.  The sauce itself (mustard like) was excellent, bright, tasty, not too overpowering.  The meat lean, but very overcooked, to the point that it was dry and chewy, not appealing at all.  I was also confused at how they served it.  I asked for no coleslaw (as I don't personally enjoy it), so they served me a skillet with HALF of it filled with food (the pork) and the other half empty.  They did not substitute any vegetable, or starch.  Even my corn bread side was another sent out another 2 minutes latter, so my plate stayed half-full.  It irked me that a kitchen would send out an "entrée" with no side at all, kind of lazy and confusing actually.  Also from a presentation standpoint it was a disaster, dark charred meat with dark sauce on a black skillet (again only  1/2 full).

Despite the pork dish I would recommend this place and I would like to return to try a few more items, the beers are well priced and the service is excellent.

William Hallet

Super impressed with this food.  It is not perfect (the double cut pork chop was undercooked so was the brownie, completely soupy in the middle), but the food is very very tasty in huge portions and modestly priced.  Its also a bit funky and neuvo (Foie sliders, wild boar chili, turducken, bacon caramel, etc).  I've been here twice and both times have been impressed with everything we ordered.  I enjoy the music they play, mainly consisting of Indie rock (Built to Spill), nu-folk (Fleet Foxes) and the like.  The waiter/bartenders are all young, hip, fun, and friendly, the service both time I went was excellent, very knowledgeable about the food.  Our server even gave me a few samples of the various dark beers on tap before I made my selection, nice service for sure.

 The best item I've ordered here is likely the Suckling Pig, (which was much more like pulled pork), with cheddar grits.  This was awesome. I did not leave 1 bite of food on the plate, and it's a big portion!  Appropriately salty and a bit sweet (which I like), this was a great memorable dish and a good value at $17 (although the menu says $16).

 

The double cut pork chop aside from being slightly undercooked was excellent!  Massive piece of meat, enough for dinner and lunch the next day... Another sweet sauce in a delicious demi-glaze and well cooked potatoes.  Excellent dish, very tasty pork chop.

 

The turducken sandwich is decent, I'm not sure I could distinguish between the three types of meat, but it was tasty.  The bread was delicious.

 

The lobster roll is another winner, big pieces of lobster, good value.  Served in a nice open top bun, as I think it always should be.

 

The wild boar chili cheese fries are out of this world.  HUGE portion (as it should be for $15) of well seasoned chili over thick-cut, crispy potato wedges.  This is an item that must be shared, and I recommend you do just that, really nice appetizer.


 My brownie dessert I was informed is cooked to order and needed 15 minutes, which I did not mind waiting, but it arrived soupy and very undercooked.  Still very tasty and they took it off the bill so I'm not really complaining, mistakes happen.  I did like the bacon caramel.

The only thing I don't love about this place is that it can get quite loud at times, so even if you are trying to have a private meal it feels a bit like you are sitting at the bar at all times.  To their credit the music is not that loud, which often forces people to speak louder to be heard, its just loud enough to be heard but not intrusive.  The value is quite good, this food in Manhattan would cost much more, and for the most part its prepared well.  I'd highly recommend this place for dinner, drinks or lunch, I look forward to returning soon!

Psari Seafood Restaurant & Bar

Great place.  I used to eat at "Greek Captain" occasionally, and did not realize it changed, dramatically... I believe its  1/2 the size now that it once was.  They still have the old "Greek Captain" sign up in addition to the new sign, which is kind of funny.  The old place was bigger, not nearly as friendly and felt old and stale... This place is very nice, great ambiance and the staff was very friendly and professional.

We sat outside which is always nice.  It is not a very busy street so it was decently quite.  The meal started with great warm garlic toast, very tasty, perfect start, much better than regular bead and butter/oil.  They have pitchers of sangria which of course are not Greek, but who cares!  My dinner partner and I love sangria and we were happy to order it.  It was very strong, fruity, sweet, and a great price for $18.

For appetizers we had the Saganaki.  Very good, although not quite as good as the flambe version at Zenon Taverna.  Still delicious, not very greasy, but as expected quite salty fried cheese.  Very good start, although not particularly memorable.

For our entrées I had the Stripped Bass, which was excellent.  I ordered it Broiled (cooked in butter and garlic) instead of the grilled version that I'm usually offered (which has oil and lemon).  Perfectly cooked, moist fish, very fresh, topped with garlic, spices, and other accoutrements.   The lemon potatoes on the side were standard but excellent.  The table also ordered the fillet of Sole, which is not a fish i'm partial to, but my guest enjoyed it very much.  It was a huge portion, perfectly cooked, moist and delicious.  It was served with decent rice with a few veggies in it.  Simple, clean, well cooked, healthy and delicious food.

We ended our meal with a great Red Velvet cheesecake which was like Red Velvet on the bottom and Cheese cake, which was much nicer than a mix of the two.  Great dessert!  We were also given a complementary Greek desert as well, which is tradition.  Excellent food, well cooked, great friendly service, outdoor setting, not overly crowded, and a very good value, highly recommended.

John Brown Smokehouse

 

Amazing BBQ!  This is exactly what this area needs.  The BBQ flavor is deep, the spices are perfect, not just salt, pepper, paprika, but a lot more.  Walking in for the first time we were greeted by the owner with a sample of most of the meats to try, nice service.  I love that they do Pork Belly and Lamb Sausage in addition to the more typical BBQ cuts (Brisket, Pulled Pork).  The Pork Belly was delicious and perfectly fatty, I look forward to ordering it next time.  The brisket was as expected juicy and delicious, with a small strip of melt in your mouth fat on the top. 

 

  


After trying a few items my company and I both decided on the Burnt Ends.  One of the best BBQd items I've ever had, ever.  Despite the name 'burnt' they do not have a burnt taste, are perfectly crispy on the outside and still miraculously moist on the inside.  Its well marbled, and served at the perfect temperature, the fat just melts in your mouth and helps to keep the meat perfectly moist.  Salty, sweet from I believe brown sugar in the rub, umami, and spicy from the addition of the excellent BBQ sauce, make this perfect food!

The selection of the day

The side dishes was good to great.  The Mac and Cheese was good and cheesy, very tasty, although it was a bit on the mushy side, which I find typical at BBQ places, its not a dish cooked to order.  The BBQ beans however were memorable, they tasted like the usual canned, sweet, rich, smokey beans, however instead of the more mild pork that is usually added, this version has (it was explained to me) brisket and some burnt ends.  Really good beans, very rich.  The portion too is a large size, very good value.  The fries are standard frozen fries, but they did cook them well done, as ordered, so they were good, and perfectly seasoned.

Burnt End sandwich 1/2

  The platters are very well priced considering the quality and portion of the food.  Absolutely delirious real BBQ, unmatched in the area, perhaps in NYC.  Go out of your way for this place!

Got Empanadas?

 Decent little Empanadas, one note food, slighly oily, not memorable, but rich and perfect for desert.  The only savory one i've had was the "Cheeseburger" Empanadas, which was ok, nothing special.  These are not light fluffy baked Empanadas seasoned with olives, or eggs or raisins, these are simple.

Slightly undercooked inside but nice color on the outside.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

They seem to coat all the dessert ones in sugar, which is not necessary, nor does it match with the guava and cheese.

Oreo cheesecake, surprisingly light.



Chocolate, Caramel & Peanut Butter... Almost too rich... Almost.

Junko Sushi

Only 2 weeks old and despite a few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Junko, as did my company.  The location is great, right on the corner with big windows from floor to ceiling letting you watch the busy Broadway street.  I enjoy the view but there are also less busy tables towards the back.  Immediately upon entering we were showered with greeting from the staff and sushi chefs, nice enthusiasm, friendly, accommodating service.  Nice large menu, many sushi options as well as a wide variety of cooked dishes, i look forward to returning to try the yellowtail collar.  We started with a large portion of edemame, which was perfectly seasoned and delicious.  Complements of the kitchen we were given an order of fried whitefish.  Whitefish is so simple and bland, and the texture is not that appealing either, so their fried preparation was perfect.  Very crispy but not oily, surrounded by a few sauces including spicy mayo.  Very tasty appetizer, i would love to see them do this with salmon or another fatty fish. 

The sushi rolls were on the whole very good.  The fish itself was good, not the best I've had, not do I believe its the best in Astoria (that distinction still goes to JJ's).  The rolls that were not covered in sauce or fried were just alright, both the Salmon roll and the White Tuna and Avocado were not particularly memorable, but still enjoyable.  All fresh fish, nothing we did not enjoy  The presentation was excellent but at times a bit strange, one plate came with Strawberries on the side, although it was not clear what it was meant to be eaten with, if anything at all.  Also the Banana Leaf over the sushi was a nice decoration but strange to have inedible food sandwiched between edible food.  The sauces, presentation, size of the rolls and value was all very good; I was also happy with the depth of the sushi menu, so overall the food was very good.  I'd stick with the elaborate multi fish rolls, they one covered in eel was excellent.

I like the fact that it is a big place and I don't feel like i'm rushed during my meal.  A few of the places I like in Astoria are too small to, so this is a welcomes addition to the neighborhood.  The servers went over and above to ensure we were having a good meal and were very friendly.  They filled up our water every few minutes.  I'd drop the top 40's music, but that's just me.  Recommended for sure.

Ovelia

 I've eaten here many times for brunch, and its always very good.  The service in particular is excellent, they are attentive but they do not rush you.  The last time I was here with friends, they let us sit for an extended time after eating and did not try and rush us out at all.  The food is exciting and fresh.


I often have the Greek yogurt stuffed French toast, which is a great play on the more popular cream cheese stuffed French toast.  Excellent variation, great flavors, although I think I would like to try it with some jam inside also.  Its well prepared and not runny, as I might imagine stuffing bread with yogurt would be.  The sausage is interested, I'm pretty sure its lamb which I enjoy.  It's different than most breakfast sausages and the addition of what I believe are Greek spices.


One dish I think is really good and quite interesting is the feta bread sandwich with bacon and apples.  Fantastic mix of salty, sweat, savory and umami with the rich bread.  Great mix of flavors here, really fun breakfast!  The coffee is good and strong, although I would much rather fresh milk then the little milk packets.  The mugs are quite nice.


 We asked for well done hash fries and these delicious potatoes arrived, perfectly crispy with just the right amount of seasoning, great side dish.  The mimosas are strong, and the prices are decent.  Highly recommended, my favorite place for brunch in Astoria.

Queens Comfort

I've eaten here once and the food was for the most part fantastic, really excellent flavors, but the restaurant itself needs a bit of work.  The pecan sticky bun was one of the best baked items I think I've ever had, and my dining partner agreed.  Outstanding flavor and texture. Tasted like a thin light brown butter caramel, really amazing flavors.

The Pork and Grits was for the most part also excellent.  Nice large portion of creamy grits in a deep red strong sauce, with a huge pile of pork on top.  Excellent dish, however parts of the pork were burnt.  There was not 'brunch' option to speak of, everything we paid for was separate which i found strange for a Sunday morning in Astoria.

The only negatives were that the music was way to loud, causing people to speak loud.  It was also very hot in there.  It has been brutally hot lately, when I go to a restaurant I expect to cool off.  Also the service is a bit off, there seem to be a lot of people working but not really paying attention to the tables.  For example one waitress filled the water glasses of the table next to us, but missed ours, perhaps it was because it was not her table?  Our server stacked the plates in front of my and a dirty fork fell into my lap...  The coffee was to strong for my taste.

Despite the small service issues the food is well priced and quite memorable, I want to return again and try a few more items, but for now I'd certainly recommend it at least for these 2 dishes.  A very welcome addition to the neighborhood.  

JJ's

This is the best Sushi place in Astoria, nobody else comes close.  You know what to expect at 95% of the sushi places in NYC; Miso soup, spicy tuna, green tea ice cream, etc.  This place does all the usual stuff with class and has introduced me to a few amazing, not often served cuts of fish.

I particularly enjoy the Salmon belly they serve often in the Sushi B combo.  A few years ago they started serving White Tuna, before I saw it featured in other places, I really like the texture and taste of this, much more than the usual tuna.  They also serve an excellent well seasoned Makeral which is not as fishy as Makeral often is.  The Miso as mentioned is above the usual grade, its very rich and delicious.  The spicy tuna, while not everyone taste, I find just perfect.  They seem to season it lightly with sesame oil, which adds that nutty almost smokey essence and gently coats the tuna.  Love this! The crunchy rolls have tempura flakes that are prepared with green food coloring, at least that's what I assume, because they do nothing for the flavor but the fun is kicked up a notch, and they are perfectly crunchy.  Love this also.  Memorable food.

Aside from the Sushi, the other items I've enjoyed are their famous Edemame dumplings.  The soft creamy inside is a bit strange inside a dumpling, although they are tasty and everyone I know who has tried them loves them.  Also the Miso Eggplant is fantastic.  Is is rich, salty and delicious, they do not skimp on the Miso.  My favorite thing to order is the Sushi B combo, it is a great mix of all pieces of sushi and a tuna roll, with soup or salad.  Perfect mix of hot and cold food, perfect size, great selection of whatever is fresh, although usually its the same types of fish.  I don't eat here very often anymore because they are quite busy and frankly their delivery is fast and courteous, so I order from here whenever I've craving sushi.  Highly recommended!

Astoria!

I'm Dave Shichman, Astoria Queens resident since 2007.  I dine out often, at least once a week, every week.  Thankfully Astoria is a food paradise.  The diversity, authenticity and quality of the food here is incredible.  Since I often post on Yelp, i figured i'd start this blog to track all my reviews.  I worked in the food industry in high school, summers in college, and briefly after getting my masters while job hunting.  Food has always been a big part of my life, my parents say i got extreemly excited after tasting strawberries for the first time as a child, and Sunday BBQs at my house were a weekly tradition.  I love to cook as well.  If you have a place to recommend that I perhaps have not tried (or blogged about) let me know, questions, comments, recipes to DaveShichman@gmail.com

Zenon Taverna

Zenon has always been one of my favorite places in Astoria.  It impresses my on all fronts.  The food is consistently excellent, well cooked, tasty and massive portions.  The service is perfect, its a family place and they are warm and friendly throughout the meal, one reason I've enjoyed birthdays and holidays here (thanksgiving 2009).

I visited here again Friday night with friends and family, we all loved it.  Everything in these pictures was included in the Meza Meat meal (aside from the Grilled Octopus which is a must order at Zenon).

 

Here is my review of Zenon from 2009:

I've been here twice in the last week and i absolutely love this place.  Its nice inside, like someones home, friendly, clean, busy, but the tables are far enough apart so your not on top of the next table as you might be in Manhattan.  You can take your time here, they wont rush you out at all, in fact, its slow food, as its excellent.  The wait staff is very friendly, knowledgeable about the food and attentive.  The prices are very good for huge portions.

The food is the best part, huge portions of perfectly cooked/prepared Greek food.  Excellent flavors, and textures, everything was fresh, nothing was disliked at all.  The first time we went to Zenon was on Thanksgiving for their thanksgiving meal.  Not your average thanksgiving dinner.  Started with a cream of turkey soup, and as expected it had lemon in it.  Great flavors, the lemon was a perfect fit.  The stuffed grape leaves are some of the best ive ever had, sweet and salty filled with i believe pork and other things.  The fried pork and potato meatballs are good, but not my favorite thing here.  The turkey was moist, included some dark meat which i enjoy and was accompanied by a great rice stuffing with raisins.  Great meal and at $22.95 or so, it was a great value.

The Meze platters are what they are famous for, and reading about them here on yelp, I had to try it.  It was extra special for me because one of the best meals i've ever had was at a well known restaurant in Rhodes Greece called Ta Kioupia , where they just kept bringing plate after plate of wonderful food.  This meze platter is the closest thing i've had to that.  A huge feast of a meal for 2 or more people, choosing from either fish, meat or vegetarian options for around $20.  A tremendous amount of food and an excellent price.  Appetizers were excellent, Tahini, tzaziki, tarama, salad too was excellent, few more items too.  We had the meat option and it was a huge portion of quail, pork and more pork.  Would have been good to have a little lamb with the meal, but thats my only complaint.  Smoked pork loin was excellent, so were the grilled pork meatballs or sausages.  Grilled hallumi was excellent and salty as expected.  Best quail i've ever had, very tasty.  We did not have room for desert but we ordered it anyway, both items we had were just alright, passable to say the least.  Fill up on the meal.

Overall a wonderful meal.  Very inexpensive for what you get, tasty, cooked well, excellent selection, friendly service, perfect meal.  I'll be back soon.

BareBurger

Interesting night.  Excellent burgers.  Other things can be improved but overall very cool, fun place with good food.  To start we ordered the fries which were not as crispy as they should have been.  They are not double fried, which is easy to do, but they are still good and well seasoned.  I enjoyed 2 of the 3 sauces, decent, but nothing memorable.

Onto the burgers, I had the MAUI WOWIE BURGER... AMAZING!  But let me clarify, the burger itself was well cooked and thick as a burger should be, but on the lean side.  That is not a bad thing, certainly when I cook burgers at home I'm looking for a lean piece of meat to ground, (90%/10% ground chuck is my usual mix) but when I go out on a Friday night and order a burger I expect it to be juicy.  This was not.  It's surprising to see such a lean burger as the only Beef variety as they also offer the much leaner Ostrich.  That said, the toppings, buns and sauce really took this burger to the next level.  I've never had smoked mozzarella on a burger and it might become my favorite topping ever!  The smokiness was just perfect, and way more intense than the usual smokiness you get from a bacon burger.  This burger left a smoky, umami aftertaste, just awesome.  The only thing that was a miss for me was the canned pineapple, I would have much preferred grilled fresh pineapple.  The other burger at the table was BIG BLUE BACON BURGER which was also very good, thoroughly enjoyed by the table.  

After a 2nd visit I have to recommend the Lamb burger!  Rich and gamey, but not that funky, although clearly lamb.  Loved this burger! I thought it would be dry but it was actually much more juicy than the beef burger, and with much more flavor.  We also tried an additional sauce this visit, the pesto mayo, and again it was a disappointment.  I was also confused as i expected it to be some shade of green, and it was instead light pink... Perhaps they gave me the wrong sauce?  Decent but not memorable and one note kinda sauce.

Overall fun place with good to excellent food.  Good prices for the area, the pitchers of beer are super affordable.  The service is decent, they certainly do not rush you, they let you sit and drink which is nice.  However our waitress ignored me twice... The first time I thought maybe she did not see me, but twice?  Really?  Oh well, it reflected in her tip... And it is not a reflection on the rest of the staff, the busboy, runner, and hostess were all very nice, as was the waitress until she ignored me.  I really enjoyed the vibe, music, decorations, and of course the food.  Good value also.  Great location and highly recommended!

Gandhi

This is my go to place in Astoria for Indian food in Astoria, I much prefer it over Seva around the corner.  I ordered from here countless times and have never been disappointed.  For starters the sampler platter is a great deal ($8) and a good variety of food.  The samosa's are standard, but excellent still.  Well fried crusty shell, not oily at all, great flavor on both the meat and the vegetable version, which has corn and carrots in addition to the usual potatoes and peas.  The onion Bhaji is another item I enjoy, but it is one of the heavier versions of the dish I've had.  My favorite dishes here are the Lamb Korma and the Chicken Makhani, both fantastic.  The Korma is very thick, rich, buttery and nutty with shredded coconut and raisins.  It is packed with flavor and the lamb has a good balance of meat to fat.  The Makhani is fantastic, very strong flavors, not quite as thick as the Korma. Very buttery and just delicious.  The chicken is very lean and cooked well, still juicy.  The nan is good but not quite as crispy as I like.  The service is very calm and attentive, they are friendly and relaxed.  They play excellent classical Indian music, slightly louder than you might expect, which I really enjoy.  It is not background music.  They have a good selection of wines including a few Indian wines.  The prices are very good and the portions are huge.  Highly recommended, for delivery also.

Spiced

I've eaten here once and the food was so good I ordered it for lunch the next day!  As expected the food was extremely spicy, although they are happy to turn the spice level down upon request, and not every dish is a killer. The first time I ate there we started with the Honey Chili Tofu to start, good fry on the tofu it was very crunchy but I did not love the sweet sauce it came with, a bit one dimensional.  For my entree I ordered the Chili Garlic Chicken.  The choice between ordering it 'dry' and 'gravy' was new to me but I'm glad I tried the dry as it was excellent.  Very spicy, lots of rich flavor, glazed onions, excellent textures.  I really loved this dish.  Someone at the table has the Spiced Triple Szechwan which was really good and also spicy.   The next day i ordered from the Indian menu and it was also excellent.  The chicken korma was packed with flavor, rich heavy deep sauce, really good dish.  The nan is well cooked and light.  The chili paneer is also excellent, again I ordered it dry. Worth mentioning is the value here is excellent, the portions are large for very inexpensive prices.  They deliver far (thank you!) and its worthy of takeout and a visit as the ambiance is very nice (sans music).  Highly recommended!

M Wells

(Not quite Astoria, but walking distance... Excellent food!)

 

This is a real special diner.  There are so many aspects that make it seem like a normal everyday diner, of course its set in a traditional diner building and has the classic booth and counter seats, but the food and vibe bring this place to another level.  Even the warm, motherly service you get at any diner was present here, in a hip, young kinda way.  Nice friendly attentive service.  I was very excited to try this place after all the great reviews and i must say i was very impressed.  I sat across from the flat top grill at about 11:30AM and watched the action.  This place takes classics and gives them a high class spin, such as searing a piece of Foie Gras to accompany a corn chowder, or adding a piece onto grilled cheese.  They also make alot of creative food that seem exceedingly original, such as the spaghetti sandwich which looks awesome, although heavy and greasy.  I opted for the Esgargot and Bone Marrow.  Although it was not a large plate, it was a fantastic, and had my begging for more.  I enjoyed the breadcrumbs on top also, a really rich dish i'd order again in a minute.  I opted for the soup sans Foie and I really enjoyed it but in retrospect i should have gone all the way with that soup.  The coffee was much better than normal diner coffee, it was excellent.  I took home a Cuban sandwich as i'm a sucker for pork, and i have to say it was fantastic and might have been one of the best Cubans i've ever had.  Sometimes they get dry and a bit flat on taste, but this was packed with flavor and grilled on the flat top with butter, can you get any better?  Excellent flavors, really good sandwich!  I cannot wait to return here, the baked goods looks great and very fresh.  The staff was running around prepping food and cooking, it was quite and exciting little place to eat in, highly recommended!

Djerdan

 
This place is excellent.  The Burek's are fantastic light and tasty, the cheese version is my favorite but the mean one is good also.  They are always fresh, and perfectly crispy one the outside without being greasy.  A really good pie.  The Cevepi is excellent also, HUGE portion of nicely grilled and still juicy little veal kebabs. The meat seams to be of good quality, really enjoyable with the red pepper spread.  They have a dessert I like very much that is like a Napoleon filled with layers of cream.  The cake is very light and moist.  It is delicious.

Overall great place, the service is decent, they are nice but sometimes there is a slight language miscommunication, but the good is excellent and well priced.  There is also a sparsely decorated but still charming back courtyard.  Highly recommended, especially if you have never had a Burek.

Cronin & Phelan's

My favorite pub in Astoria.  I'm not much of a drinker so i come here for the food alone, its worth it.  They always have a great selection of specials, tons of variety.  They food is as expected served in large portions, heavy, filling, and delirious.  The burgers are great, typical juicy burger, great toppings.  The wings are huge, well fried and offered with a good selection of sauces, typical quality wings.  The soups are always something we enjoy, whether  its the French Onion Soup or the soup of the day, its usually excellent.  Sometimes they have a fried brie appetizer that is excellent, heavy, rich, and on occasion, the perfect thing to order.  They pork dishes they serve are always good and moist, not dry boring pork.  The ribs are just OK, not my favorite thing here.  The Shepherds Pie is excellent!  BIG portion of piping hot beef covered in creamy mashed potatoes.  The fish and chips are also very good, although a bit greasy.  Overall almost everything I've had here is excellent, highly recommended for pub food in Astoria.

La Casa Del Pan

I absolutely love this place... Its my go to place for a quick bite in Astoria.  Their chicken and beef empanada's are excellent.  They have the yellow ones that are greasy and often filled with potatoes.  I enjoyed the white baked ones that are not at all greasy and have a great crust.  They are always fresh and the filling is lean and tasty.  My favorite item they make is I believe called Treme but I call it a Mexican challah because that is what i looks like... It is stuffed with white cheese, gauva and pineapple, its fantastic and everyone i share it with loves it.  Sometimes I pick up a few potatoes here so i don't have to cook a side dish for dinner, cheap, fast tasty.  They are very nice and the food is always fresh.  Recommended for sure.

Pachanga Patterson

 (This picture is from a recent visit for Brunch.  Excellent value at $10 for food and a drink)

I said to a friend just 2 weeks ago that Astoria needs a modern Nuevo Mexican place, thankfully a few days latter I found this place!  It is exactly what the area needed.  The food is fresh, tasty and exciting.  I like the small menu, I don't need a million options, and it is a lot easier to keep food fresh when there are fewer options on the menu.  The staff is very friendly, casual, knowledgeable about the food.  We had the spiciest of the salsa's, the Charred Tomato & Serrano Chili. It was good, although not quite as strong, or spicy as I would have liked.  The chips were fried fresh and a bit on the thick side, which I like.  Their house hot sauce was way to mild.

To start we ordered the Mussels which we did not enjoy very much.  They were just OK, the taste was a bit flat, under seasoned.  It could have used something to sharpen the flavor, perhaps citrus, or vinegar or just more salt.  Both my company and myself did not enjoy this very much, although we did not return it.

The entrees were very good.  I had the Roasted Pork Belly Enchilada, chocolate, fig & peanut sauce, cumin crema which were excellent!  The pork belly itself was cooked well, although not falling apart it had a good texture.  The sauce, chocolate, figs and peanuts were a wonderful balance to the pork, I really enjoyed the flavor combination and the crunch of the peanuts.  Great dish!  The fish taco's are excellent also, good portion of well fried fish.  Very tasty and not greasy.

For dessert I had the cold fruit soup with whipped cream.  It was alright, tasted more like a fruit salad, the actual broth was not memorable, however it was tasty and a great cool refreshing end to the meal.

I'm looking forward to returning to try the Duck and the Pork tacos.  Chips and salsa are not complementary, and neither are side dishes, which may push the price a few dollars higher than I would normally spend for Mexican food.  It is worth it for the food and the great outside sitting area.

Mojave

I had a really good meal here the other night with 3 other people, most of the food and drinks were excellent.  As a few others have mentioned, the service is a bit slow.  Our server disappeared for about 10 minutes just when we were ready to order.  Thankfully it was a beautiful night and we were sitting in the nice back patio, so we did not mind the wait.  The inside is cavernous and also quite nice.   We had a pitcher of sangria, not very good, not good wine and to expensive at $32.  A lot of the food seemed a bit overpriced, but with a place that big I can only imagine the staff/rent costs.  Although the Sangria fell flat, the frozen margarita was much better and expectantly stronger.  

The food was very enjoyable, in large portions and cooked with skill.  For starters the Mojaves Margherita Garlic Gulf Shrimp was excellent!  Reminded me a bit of a ceviche with a thicker, tomato based sauce.  This was enjoyed very much by everyone at the table.  The Calamari too was excellent and enjoyed by all, great texture, well fried, not a chewy bite.  The Queso Fundido was also good, super heavy, and not as spicy as i would have liked, but good.  The only miss was the Grilled Corn on the Cob, which should have been the easiest thing to do.  It was very under seasoned, I could hardly taste any of the expected flavors, lime, butter, cheese.  It even needed salt and pepper.  I really wanted to try the fried Oysters, but $15 seemed a bit high, for what i imagine are canned oysters.

Onto the entrees, the Santa Fe Shepard's Pie is something I've ordered a few times in Manhattan in Nuevo Mexican places, basically mac and cheese over chilli.  Great dish, big filling portion.  The chili was distinct, it packed a punch but it was not quite spicy.  I think they were heavy on the chili powder.  Either way, i enjoyed it very much and the mac and cheese was the perfect rich foil to match the bite of the chili.  The Salmon was excellent, perfect cooked, nice sized fillet, and a great (I believe) mango salsa on top.  Another great dish.  The Salmon taco's were another hit, but the best was the Slow & Low Braised Short ribs of Angus Beef.  Very lean piece of meat, with excellent flavor, and it was as it should be falling off the bone.  Extremely tender, and just wonderful.  The rich Mole sauce it was served in was a great compliment to the meat.  This was loved by everyone at the table.  The mashed potatoes it was served with had perfectly cooked still crunchy corn inside and I enjoyed the textural contrast very much.    Although we did not order it, it was nice to see Chilaquiles on the menu, which is essentially a thrice cooked tortilla.

Despite the waiting a few times for the waitress, she was friendly and helpful with suggestions, and the rest of the staff was very nice.  The food as mentioned was excellent, with only the corn being a miss.  It is a tad pricey, however  I will absolutely be back and i would highly recommend giving it a visit.

King of Falafel and Shawarma

This is outstanding!  Its a gut buster for sure, but worth every calorie.  I think I have to rescind the "best falafel ever" comment i gave to a previous establishment, because this is simply better.  Although it was a bit greasy, I was excellently seasoned and perfectly crispy.  I like the oblong shape, a bit different than the usual falafel.  The owner is very friendly and entertaining which is nice, since there is usually a few minutes wait.  Last time i was here they gave everyone on the line a free falafel for waiting, a nice gesture.  The food is expectantly cheap and SUPER filling.  I think i was full for the rest of the day.  Highly recommended!!!

Muncan Food Corp

One of my absolutely favorite stores in Astoria.  This place is amazing!  All the meal hanging from the ceiling, the smokey smell, i love it!  They staff is very helpful and patient if you need to ask a million questions, as i usually do (what kind of meat is that? what animal made that cheese?  is that pork belly?!?!).  One time they said to me: "every time you come in, try something different".  They are kind enough to always offer a taste even if they need to cut into something new, very helpful and accommodating service.

There are so many items i love here its hard to list them but i will try.  They do a great bread that is almost a phyllo stuffed with beef, or sometimes apples, its fresh, and excellent.  They salami's and other style meat in that category are excellent as is the selection.  I enjoy the one with paprika.  The stuffed cabbage is the best I've ever had, it comes with bacon on top so that it cooked down and the fat flavors the cabbage while its cooking.  Its always fresh because they sell a huge amount as far as i can tell and whenever i have it for guests for family everyone loves it.  It is stuffed with ground meat and maybe rice or something?  Not ever sure what kind of meat is it but its fantastic!  They have fried pork chunks that are perfectly fried and crispy.  Very crispy actually, they are super rich and heavy, but a few bites is perfect.  They always have a few items fresh and still hot, or a few hours from the oven/smoker/etc.  Just try them all.  The lamb sausages are good, a bit hard but that is to be expected.  The smoked and dried pork loin is one of my favorites, its a great lean meat.  They have a great selection of cheese and deli meats also.  They have excellent black olives and feta.  I also hear they roast baby pig on request for catering, something I'm very much looking forward to ordering in the future.  Even the bread they have is excellent and fresh.  The best part are the prices, everything is so cheap, i never spend more than $20 and i walk away with days worth of food.  Excellent value!

If you are in queens and you like meat, you must go out of your way to visit this place.  They get busy so arrive early or be patient, it is worth the wait.  This place is amazing!

L'Artiste

4/14/2011
Here is what I like about this place: EVERYTHING!  The vibe is perfect, dimly lit, cozy, perfect relaxing jazzy music both old and new.  The staff is very friendly, warm, and accommodating.  The food is fantastic! The best course I've had here is the Salmon dish with baby bok choy, sherry tomatoes and more.  Perfect dish, absolutely bursting with flavor, well cooked. I finished the plate and practically wanted to lick it clean. Yes it was that good.  The price was great too, under $20.  The amuse bouche was great ratatouille in a small pastry shell with balsamic vinegar, great simple fresh start.  Even the bread comes with an olive spread which I love and is so much more exciting than butter/oil.  Highly recommended, love the vibe here, can't wait to return!

1/1/2011
It is a shame it took me this long to try this place, its a welcomed addition to Astoria, something distinct in an area that already has so much fantastic food.  I really enjoyed my meal here on New Year's Eve.  We had a reservation but were not informed about the special menu, I did not mind but my company would have liked to order from the regular menu.  That said, we had a wonderful meal and it was a great value.  $75 for champagne, wine, 3 small sampler appetizers, 2 entree courses, sorbet palette cleanser, and 3 sampler dessert course.

The appetizer  while a very good start was so small it was almost a 3 taste Amuse bouche.  Not sure the three items worked together either.  The beef was the weak link, not very tender, nothing special, although it was flavored very well.  The salmon tartar was excellent but again small.  The squash shooter was the best, great rich flavor.

For the second course I had the duck and my company had the crab cake.  They were both excellent, petite, but seasoned very well.  The duck was cooked perfectly.  For the third course I had the Fillet Mignon with potatoes, not the best choice in hind site, i think i played it safe.  It was very good, but a bit standard and the piece of Fillet I got was one of the fattier end pieces.  The potatoes were not as crispy as I would have liked, but overall a very good dish.  My company loved her chicken with mushrooms dish.  The chicken was cooked perfectly and was very moist.

Apply sorbet in i think champagne was the palette cleanser was fantastic, very crisp.  It really woke my palette up.  Onto the dessert round, I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, so this was a bit of a disappointment, but overall it was very good.   The best of the three for me was something like a hot chocolate with brandy shooter, very good and not too rich.  I also enjoyed the Semi Freda.  The chocolate layer cake was just alright, nothing memorable although it looked beautiful.

Overall the meal was excellent, although it was not the largest meal I've ever had.  Petite portions, but i did not leave hungry.  They played very nice diverse music at a good volume, the selection of wines and the house wine they served us was excellent.  The service was friendly and attentive. Great ambiance in the place and a kitchen that clearly knows how to cook.  I look forward to returning here for escargot and a fig desert very soon.  Highly recommended.

La Rioja

Amazing food!

4/10/2011
After a few more visits, this had become one of my favorite places to eat in Astoria.  The best dish i've had, which I cant wait to return for is the roasted pig that they serve on the weekends.  Its absolutely perfect.  I've been the Spain recently and i ate roasted pig at a Michelin star restaurant, and i have to say this is better.  It is extremely juicy, and packed with flavor.  The skin is crispy and the portion is large.  Perfect food!  Everything else i've had here is great especially the sangria.  The Guava Shells topped with Goat Cheese is one of my favorite desserts in the whole words!  This place is worth a visit to Astoria if you are from another borough, its just a few blocks walk from the N or R train. 


7/28/2010
I had a wonderful meal here.  The place is quite large, so you will likely have a table all to your own, and not be right on top of the table next to you.  The service was good, no complaints.  The food was really excellent.  The Dates wrapped in Bacon was the weak link of the meal, instead of the bacon providing that salty crunch around the soft sweet date, instead the bacon was very soft, not very good, but still tasty.  The shrimp in garlic was good, standard, same with the mix of olives, good but not particularly memorable.  The Anchovies with Avocado sauce and I believe a light tomato sauce under it was fantastic.  Excellent mix of flavors, highly recommended for the nice large anchovies and the excellent sauces.  For the main dish we shared the chicken topped with cheese and jamon Serrano, would not have been my first pick on the menu, but I'm sure glad we ordered it.  Excellent dish!  Huge flavors from the strong cheese and ham, which matched perfectly with the sweet blend of onions and tomatoes.  Large portion, served with very nice almost mashed potatoes.  The large pitcher of sangria was only $20 which is less than I usually pay for a pitcher even in the area.  The sangria itself was good, fruity, kinda standard but I'd go back for it as I love sangria.  Really nice menu they have here, large selection of Tapas, decent prices, highly recommended.

Pomme Cafe

4/5/2011
I hate to downgrade a local place, especially a place that has excellent Jazz weekly, but the food here is very hit or miss.  Every time I go, and I've been about 6 times over the last year we seem to get something great and something bad.  The place never fails to deliver something we don't enjoy.  Recently I went for dinner and had the exact same experience.  The foie gras appetizer was incredible.  I thought it was well paired with the jam of apricot I believe, and the crispy toast.  I'd go out of my way to check out some live jazz and order this appetizer, it was amazing!  However the beef bourguignon was bad.  It has zero sauce, over dry pasta.  Really confused but that, I've never seen a beef bourguignon by this dry, it was as if it was not even cooked in red wine.  This was a bad, boring, dish that makes me wonder why a chef would even serve it.  They were also out of about 5 items on the menu, which is never good when you are busy.  The ambiance is excellent, I love how they decorate the place and how low they keep the lights.  Go for the jazz, drinks, and foie!

5/3/2010
I've eaten here 3 times recently with family and have had a very good meal every time, although not without a few issues.  I think they may still be trying to work thru the kinks, for example the food can sometimes take a while to arrive, however I get the impression that's most if cooked to order (even I think the Beef Bourguignon) so a wait is somewhat expected.

I've had the Escargot a few times, probably my favorite dish here.  Very tender, juicy snails in a rich butter sauce.  The first time I had it the sauce was almost milky, which was different and tasty.  Then the next 2 times I ordered this dish, it was mostly butter, which is nice, but not what arrived the first time.  Perhaps the milk solids has started to separate on the first dish.  Either way, not very consistent.  The cheese plate is good, although not every cheese is French nor local (Manchego for example).  The French onion soup is good, kinda standard, not particularly memorable, but they do use a good gruyere cheese on top which is always nice.  The bread they serve with the meal is excellent, fresh, grainy, with a soft whipped butter that is always room temperature so you can spread it, which I always nice.

For entrée's I've had the lamb sandwich (decent lamb, oily sandwich, strange unrecognizable flavors, decent dish); the Pate sandwich (dry, boring); the Beef Bourguignon (excellent, highly recommended, great portion, wonderful flavor, tender, medium lean meat); the salmon w/Israeli couscous (eh, the salmon portion was very small, thin, and cut from the end of the salmon, so no matter how light they cooked it, it was overcooked in just a few minutes, the blood orange sauce was excellent but tasted nothing like blood orange and I honestly thought I tasted peanut butter or something nutty, the couscous I did not like at all, odd flavors, although it did go well with the rest of the dish); the lamb (perfectly cooked, nice size portion, not enough sauce, not enough flavor; the Soft Shell crab (last weekend it was served with I believe fava bean falafel, which is strange as it's a fried dish with a fried side, not a good idea; I had it this last weekend, very tasty, 2 large crabs).

The mac & cheese is waaaay to small a portion and was bland.  Overall I've enjoyed the meals I have had here, although not much is very memorable.  I do recommend this place as the service is great, atmosphere is nice, prices are decent for the quality of food and the food overall is very good.  The music is too loud usually but they don't mind turning it down if you ask.  I'll be back, great to have a place like this in the area.

Ornella Trattoria Italiana

One of my favorite places to eat in Astoria!  Here are my two reviews.


2/14/2011
After a few more visits, Ornella has become one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria.  From he value, to the service, and most importantly the food, this place is fantastic.  Recently I had a wonderful dinner here on a Monday which is steak night.  The steak was amazing, well seasoned, a tender beautiful porterhouse, for $15!  I had the sheet of fresh pasta stuffed with a melange of chicken, pork, mushroom, cheese and various other things, served over a pink sauce.  Fantastic flavors, great rich filling entree.  Then the owner walked over with a new entree he is working on, knowing I enjoy funkier foods as well as the classics he offers me something I've never had, sheep.  This was a great cold sheep salad with vinegar over greens.  It was not as gamey or funky as I would expect sheep to be, this was clean and very nice, although not very lean.  I liked this very much, fun flavors, great match of heavier meat with fresh crisp lightly seasoned greens.

I've also been here for the Pork Night, which I have to say really excited me.  It was by complete surprise and i was thrilled with this dinner.  It started with Porketta over greens, a good cut of meat not featured often enough, love this start.  As with everything, this was a big starter.  The The best course was the pork tenderloin in red wine sauce.  One of my favorite cuts of meat, in a very rich sauce, rich and velvety.  Pork heaven.  The pork blood pudding was very good, the texture was strange but delicious.  Love the creativity and the fun that Ornella brings to the table.  The standards are excellent and huge, from the Parmesan to the steaks as mentioned.

They have excellent wine by the glass, or half carafe as it seems they serve.  Great value again.  The owner cares about the food he serves, its something different than you can get pretty much anywhere.  Quite a few dishes i've never seen and are I hear from various little towns in Italy, as well as wonderful house creations.  This is one of the places i recommend most to people in NYC, or looking an amazing meal at Queens prices.  Half a block from the train, this place is highly recommended!


10/17/2010
Really interesting well made Italian food.  Very nice relaxing place, very friendly service.  They serve some traditional Italian dishes (parmigiana) and many smaller dishes you can only find in certain towns in Italy.  They do not limit the food to region either, its diverse Italian food.  We started with a small carafe of Chianti for $15 which was about 1.5 glasses each, very nice price for dinner.  For an appetizer we had the Duck Meatballs in what I believe was a cognac sauce.  Really nice appetizer, like nothing I've had before.  They were large and stuffed with cheese, the sauce was very sweet but i thought it went very well with the meatball.  For my entree i had the Chestnut fresh pasta with pistachio cream sauce.  Fantastic dish, a bit heavy, but that's what i expected.  Very rich creamy sauce, lots of flavor, highly recommended.  The veal parmigiana was very good, standard.  For desert we the lemon cake and the eggplant cake are both good choices, not very sweet, but a good refreshing end to the meal.  Excellent flavors and service, I'll be back here for sure.  Looking forward to trying other things on the menu I've never had before.