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.

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.