Queens Comfort (Pt 2)

Peanut Butter & Jelly - Skippy Peanut Butter, Grape Jelly, Smoked Bacon

 

 

Mac & Cheese

 Chicken & Waffle – Tabasco Glaze, Maple Syrup, Powdered Sugar

Free-form Tamale with Smoked Pork

The Billionares Salad with Brown Sugar Bacon, Mesclun, Blue Cheese, Poached Egg, Maple Vin

Ring of Fire - Batter Fried Jalapeno & Bell Peppers, Cheddar, Sriracha Aioli (Left)

 Meatloaf Sandwich – Cheddar, Onion Rings, Bacon Ketchup (Right)

House-made Jalapeno Poppers

The Wall of Queens Comfort

In the year or so since I've first reviewed Queens Comfort, I've eaten here nearly 20 times.  It has become my go to place for brunch; when guests are in town and want something funky and fun; weekly dinners with my father who is notoriously picky but loves this place; even for Friday date night with my wife (which is appropriate because our pictures are on the wall). No matter the occasion (aside from perhaps a formal celebratory dinner), this is my place for local delicious food.  The servers seem like old friends, the chef/owner is thankful and passionate about what he serves, and they have an awesome collection of cook books for viewing.  This is a true neighborhood spot where you see the owners of other local restaurants splitting the mac and cheese and nearly every table has friends sharing a bottle of wine or a 6-pack, taking advantage of the BYOB policy, enjoying a few hours while B-movies and classic wrestling moments play on the projector screen.

They have listened to their customers feedback and incorporated change when needed.  Instead of the frozen lego, they now serve a thick fluffy homemade waffle with a tabasco glaze and the most amazing boneless fried chicken breast.  They still serve alot of the delirious southern inspired comfort food with a twist, but now they serve more Mexican food.  The owner Donnie cooks wonderful Mexican food, my favorite dish being his free-form tamale and smoked pork.  The homemade Jalapeno Poppers are the best I've ever had.  Huge, plump jalapenos with the seeds included, fried to a perfect crisp, yet not greasy at all. 

I've had most of the menu and there is not much that is not memorable and delicious.  The Disco Tots with Tater Tots, Sawmill Gravy, Cheddar are a perfect fried snack to share, rich and cream, and begging for the vinegary hot sauce.  The Billionares Salad with Brown Sugar Bacon, Mesclun, Blue Cheese, Poached Egg, Maple Vin is a fantastic spin on a cob.  The flavor is massive, its a perfect start to the meal.

The Peanut Butter, Jelly & Bacon burger is amazing!  It is not as funky as it sounds, its actually a good balance of sweet, salty and umami.  The melting Peanut Butter looks like sharp cheddar cheese but the sweetness reminds me of ketchup.  That may be my favorite burger at QC, but all of them are fantastic.  Served with a huge pile of crispy house-made shoestring french fries.  Absolutely delicious.

The other sandwiches are also worth ordering.  The house-made fresh bologna with a fried egg is excellent and has a very meaty rich flavor.  The Meatloaf Sandwich with Cheddar, Onion Rings, Bacon Ketchup is a huge mess of delicious tender meatloaf paired perfectly with the crunch of a thick Onion Ring.  Even my non onion eating father loved the crunch and taste of the ring.

I love the music they play, the prices are very affordable, the service is attentive friendly and casual, and the vibe is perfect.  This place is a real neighborhood gem, and I look forward to many more meals here.

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.

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!

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.