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.