Just 3 months old, Renaissance Steakhouse is a real gem in this area. A really beautiful restaurant/banquet hall used for private events (weddings, etc) on the weekends as far as I can tell. There is a nice balcony overlooking the dancefloor or you can sit in front or outside the restaurant also. They are very new and are still working out some kinks but the food is excellent and the atmosphere matches. I've eaten here twice and been really impressed with the food thus far. It is cooked perfectly and decently priced. Clearly they have a talented chef. The menu is usually small and changes each time I go, but I like that, it shows me what is fresh and it is good to change things up. It's not a typical steakhouse, they offer far more than just steak and seem to be heavy on the fish. That said, the steak is excellent. I've had the Filet Minion and the sirloin (blackened on our request) and they were both excellent, tasty, cooked perfectly, and lean.
The Filet Minion was really out of this word. It was a filet, wrapped in bacon, topped with cheese (Roquefort perhaps, maybe blue I forget), fried onions and onion rings. Overkill for sure, but fantastic flavors and textures. The crispy onions and the soft caramelized onions are a great contrast, really work with the meat, cheese and bacon. Yea this is a meal you shouldn't order more than say once a year, which may not be a problem, as it was not on the menu the 2nd time I visited Renaissance.
For appetizers I've had a salad, which was huge and very tasty. The calamari in tempura batter was extremely tender calamari, not chewy at all. Perfectly fried in a great tomato sauce. Not a large appetizer and a bit steep for $11, but excellently cooked and very tasty. My fiancé loved her Shrimp stuffed with crab with a lobster sauce. Great flavors, cooked well. The only problem is that it did not come with a side dish, yet the other entrees came with a side dish. The last time I ate there I had the baby lamb chops. Not a large portion but cooked and seasoned well, served with spinach. Good dish.
Overall the service is a bit slow, but they are very nice and the food is just excellent. The prices are decent, better than many steak houses in NYC. Highly recommended for a great meal, but only if your not in a rush, this is dining. They also have a nice bar, and show movies on Tuesday nights.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Gowasabi Astoria
Not great, but not terrible. Went on Mothers day, and my mom loved it,although she is easy to please when it comes to food... Personally I'd say almost everything was a decent to not so good.
Our waitress had no idea what she was doing, and was not listening at all. I had to repeat a few things, and she ended up standing over me looking over my shoulder while i pointed to the menu... Even then she got a few things wrong.. Really bad service.
The miso soup was bland and it tasted fishy. Strange miso, not so good. The Shumia was the same standard stuff you buy in the freezer section. This was ok but not hot enough. We had asked for all the sushi together, which being in a sushi restaurant i expected to be served in some kitch boat or something, instead they put 3 rolls on 1 huge plate, and 1 big roll on another large plate.... So we each had to reach over a plate to grab the rest of our meal, terrible presentation...
The rolls themselves were not put together well at all, maybe that is what they are going for? Or maybe the sushi chefs are amateurs.. The spicy salmon tasted alright, the best roll of the 4 we had, but they cut it into 8 thin slices instead of 6 and the salmon was falling out... the spicy tuna was good, same problem thu. The smoked salmon roll was mostly cucumber, but what salmon was there was not fresh even for a smoked fish. We ordered some big role with about an entire eel on it... Sounded good, but by the time it arrived the eel was nearly room temperature. Still a good roll, but unless its cut in small pieces and served hot from a toaster I shouldn't order Eel. We ordered 2 pieces of White Tuna sushi to finish off the meal. Of course what we got was 4 pieces of sashimi... This i enjoyed a lot, but it was cut way to large.
We waited forever for the bill but when it finally came we were informed that they have a special where you save 5% if you pay cash, which is nice. So i paid cash and it was surprisingly inexpensive, it came to about $40. The food and service was pretty bad, but its inexpensive.. So maybe if you went for some avocado or shitake rolls it might be worth it? Not recommended.
Our waitress had no idea what she was doing, and was not listening at all. I had to repeat a few things, and she ended up standing over me looking over my shoulder while i pointed to the menu... Even then she got a few things wrong.. Really bad service.
The miso soup was bland and it tasted fishy. Strange miso, not so good. The Shumia was the same standard stuff you buy in the freezer section. This was ok but not hot enough. We had asked for all the sushi together, which being in a sushi restaurant i expected to be served in some kitch boat or something, instead they put 3 rolls on 1 huge plate, and 1 big roll on another large plate.... So we each had to reach over a plate to grab the rest of our meal, terrible presentation...
The rolls themselves were not put together well at all, maybe that is what they are going for? Or maybe the sushi chefs are amateurs.. The spicy salmon tasted alright, the best roll of the 4 we had, but they cut it into 8 thin slices instead of 6 and the salmon was falling out... the spicy tuna was good, same problem thu. The smoked salmon roll was mostly cucumber, but what salmon was there was not fresh even for a smoked fish. We ordered some big role with about an entire eel on it... Sounded good, but by the time it arrived the eel was nearly room temperature. Still a good roll, but unless its cut in small pieces and served hot from a toaster I shouldn't order Eel. We ordered 2 pieces of White Tuna sushi to finish off the meal. Of course what we got was 4 pieces of sashimi... This i enjoyed a lot, but it was cut way to large.
We waited forever for the bill but when it finally came we were informed that they have a special where you save 5% if you pay cash, which is nice. So i paid cash and it was surprisingly inexpensive, it came to about $40. The food and service was pretty bad, but its inexpensive.. So maybe if you went for some avocado or shitake rolls it might be worth it? Not recommended.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
El Mariachi Restaurant
My favorite Mexican place in Astoria, I would give this a 3.5 were it possible, but I'm always so satisfied that I'll bump it up to a 4. The food is very good, taste fresh, huge portions and its cheap! I've ordered in from this place a few times, but have yet to eat in the restaurant so this review is mainly about the food.
I really enjoy the tacos. Queso is excellent, its grilled white cheese, i usually get it with guacamole. Its a nice size taco with tons of flavor for 2.50. The carnitas is very good. Its lean, cooked well and tasty. The rice and beans are very good, standard. I've had the green and red tamales, they are excellent and taste fresh, with lean chicken or pork inside. The nachos are standard, very good, and the chips were not stale, which is the norm when I get mexican in Astoria. What we usually order are the Tortas. They are HUGE, excellent value for $6-$7. I enjoy the Piernas Torta, the spicy pork leg is very good. Excellent sandwiches, big enough to have 1/2 for lunch and 1/2 for dinner. Their fried shrimp is a dish I like very much, they use large shrimp, fried well in I believe breadcrumbs until crispy.
If you are thirsty they have an excellent Mexican hot chocolate! Its warm and perfectly seasoned, really unique hit sweet drink. They also carry large bottles of Jaritos, Tamarindo is my favorite. They are very nice over the phone and the food arrives very fast. Huge portions and cheap prices, highly recommended for delivery!
I really enjoy the tacos. Queso is excellent, its grilled white cheese, i usually get it with guacamole. Its a nice size taco with tons of flavor for 2.50. The carnitas is very good. Its lean, cooked well and tasty. The rice and beans are very good, standard. I've had the green and red tamales, they are excellent and taste fresh, with lean chicken or pork inside. The nachos are standard, very good, and the chips were not stale, which is the norm when I get mexican in Astoria. What we usually order are the Tortas. They are HUGE, excellent value for $6-$7. I enjoy the Piernas Torta, the spicy pork leg is very good. Excellent sandwiches, big enough to have 1/2 for lunch and 1/2 for dinner. Their fried shrimp is a dish I like very much, they use large shrimp, fried well in I believe breadcrumbs until crispy.
If you are thirsty they have an excellent Mexican hot chocolate! Its warm and perfectly seasoned, really unique hit sweet drink. They also carry large bottles of Jaritos, Tamarindo is my favorite. They are very nice over the phone and the food arrives very fast. Huge portions and cheap prices, highly recommended for delivery!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Piccola Venezia Restaurant
Excellent northern Italian food, my favorite Italian place in Astoria. Someone at my table said, in an affectionate way "They have not changed the menu in 25 years". The meal was just like i expected it to be, fresh food, great service, expensive, busy for a Tuesday night. When we walked in they had about 5 cooked dished to view which was a nice touch, and did influence our choice in entree. The roast veal looked amazing, although we did not end up ordering it. Nice decor, simple and effective. A warm place. I've eaten here many times, this review is based on the first experience there.
The meal started with warm bread, always a plus. Butter, which being northern Italian cuisine I guess i should have expected that , but i was hoping for olive oil. We were also given a complementary plate of small pieces on cheese, a cured meat and some olives. Nice touch, good starters.
For appetizers i had the Fussi alla Grappa (bowtie shaped pasta with mushrooms, grappa and parmigiana. This was alright. The pasta (which i was informed is made fresh daily) was not great, it was not a bowtie at all and more like thin flat pasta rolled over itself, not a great texture. The sauce was good, again not great. Very heavy on the garlic, which I love but it might turn some people off. We also had the crab cocktail. That is an item I order ofter, this one was excellent. Very large portion (which it should be for $16.50), large pieces of moderately sweat crab, lemon and cocktail sauce. Standard but excellent.
For the entrees I had Salmon with a white wine, garlic, lemon type of sauce. Huge portion of fresh salmon, nothing else on the plate but the salmon and its fantastic oily sauce. They removed the skin and the gray part which I appreciate. Strange presentation for sure. The side plate had spinach (excellent, sauteed, standard ) and potatoes gratin (on the cold side but full of flavor). Both were excellent, but it would have been nice to have it on the plate with the salmon, so the sauce would flavor both. Overall this was an excellent dish i would order again, the salmon was bursting with flavor. My table also ordered the Arrosto d'Anatra (Roasted LI duck in Gran Marnier Sauce), which is another dish we have shared many times in other restaurants. The sauce was fantastic, not the usual orange sauce i'm used to, it was thicker and richer. The duck however was on the small side. I love a crispy Long Island duck, but they can run on the small side. Once you have had a very large 1/2 duck with the fat between the skin and meat trimmed off by say La Primavera on Long Island, its hard to enjoy this duck. Aside from on the small side, it was way to fatty. Still the taste of the meat and the sauce was excellent. While not every dish was totally satisfying, the food overall was very good. Quite expensive, but worth it for the right occasion.
After multiple visits it keeps getting better and better. The Buccoloni is amazing and very unique, fresh sheets of pasta wrapped around Osso Bucco in a light tomato cream sauce i believe. One of my favorite dishes in all of Astoria. Order it for an appetizer, then get fish for your main. The Oysters are always excellent, so you could also start with those then finish with the buccoloni. Almost everything I've had here is great and the service is attentive and friendly. Every time I go here its packed, every single time. Its worth a wait. Highly recommended.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Cavo
I had a good meal here although nothing was great, besides for the fish, which they did next to nothing to, so if anything the fish gets the credit! If i had the option i would give this place a 3 1/2 star rating.
I went on a Tuesday night, it was busy but not packed, still a few tables and we did not have to wait. Very nice large open space, great staff, helpful friendly and professional. Meal started with warm pita and olive spread which was very good. For Aps we had the chicken suvlaki, it was not great. In a tomato and onion sauce, not alot of flavor, kinda a miss. We also had the Greek spreads: Humus, tzaziki and a feta and red pepper spread. It was all good, nothing great, the humus was a bit flat, the feta and red pepper spread was a bit intense and not easily spreadable.
For the main course we had the black sea bass, head left on but deboned, very nice fish, very fresh, cooked perfectly. The spinach on the side was bland, could have used garlic, the same can be said of the potatoes, which were slightly undercooked. There was a special with sirloin steak over mashed potatoes (with of course a much fancier name, was it 'pureed'?) which came with a 'garnish' (???) of short ribs! This was alright but misleading, it was not sirloin steak, but a few cuts OF a sirloin steak, my father was disappointing. The steak it self was ok, not very tender.
Overall not bad, not great, kinda overpriced, but a very nice place that would be perfect on a date. They have red and white sangria, the White i preferred much more, i think i tasted a hint of peach in it, more like a fruity beverage than a wine drink, but very good, recommended, although it was $10 which is crazy high for basically 1/2 a cup of wine.
I went on a Tuesday night, it was busy but not packed, still a few tables and we did not have to wait. Very nice large open space, great staff, helpful friendly and professional. Meal started with warm pita and olive spread which was very good. For Aps we had the chicken suvlaki, it was not great. In a tomato and onion sauce, not alot of flavor, kinda a miss. We also had the Greek spreads: Humus, tzaziki and a feta and red pepper spread. It was all good, nothing great, the humus was a bit flat, the feta and red pepper spread was a bit intense and not easily spreadable.
For the main course we had the black sea bass, head left on but deboned, very nice fish, very fresh, cooked perfectly. The spinach on the side was bland, could have used garlic, the same can be said of the potatoes, which were slightly undercooked. There was a special with sirloin steak over mashed potatoes (with of course a much fancier name, was it 'pureed'?) which came with a 'garnish' (???) of short ribs! This was alright but misleading, it was not sirloin steak, but a few cuts OF a sirloin steak, my father was disappointing. The steak it self was ok, not very tender.
Overall not bad, not great, kinda overpriced, but a very nice place that would be perfect on a date. They have red and white sangria, the White i preferred much more, i think i tasted a hint of peach in it, more like a fruity beverage than a wine drink, but very good, recommended, although it was $10 which is crazy high for basically 1/2 a cup of wine.
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