richg35's Profile
30th ave in astoria? what's good?
Went to Ovelia this past Saturday and loved it. Not rushed, good service and excellent food.
Greek takeout in Flushing?
Depends on what you want. For Gyros I like Gyro World. Avli on Bell Blvd is pretty good for an all around tasty and affordable meal.
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Avli
38-31 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361
Gyro World
194-23 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY 11358
What's the Status of Stasi Bakery in Corona?
They are still at Krystal Cafe, mentioned above. Would be skeptical that it's the same baker from the 1970's, but who knows.
Any Suggestions for Group of 14 in Long Island City or Astoria?
Manducatis (the place you posted) and Manducatis Rustica (the name you referenced) are two different places.
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Manducatis
13-27 Jackson Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Manducatis Rustica
46-31 Vernon Blvd, Queens, NY 11101
Restaurant Depot's Sweet Potato Fries
I thought that only businesses could become restaurant depot members. I don't think they're open to the public at large. It's like a costco for people with business Tax ID numbers.
Good meatballs at Yankee Stadium?
I like the Lobel's sandwich. It's huge and messy and expensive (well, all ballpark prices are), but I usually get that and an order of garlic fries and stuff my face.
Artopolis
I don't want to start another thread about this for some reason, but a totally under the radar place in Astoria is Victory Sweet Shop. Everything there is always super fresh and they are super friendly there as well.
Their prices are also super reasonable.
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Victory Sweet Shop
21-69 Steinway St, Queens, NY 11105
Rosario's restaurant? (Ditmars and 38th St., Astoria)
That's really was the only place I could think of - was wondering if there were any others I was missing.
Hellgate on the Park is supposed to be good but I haven't gotten around to going.
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Hellgate on the Park
19-19 Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 11105
Rosario's restaurant? (Ditmars and 38th St., Astoria)
Just curious - what nearby red sauce Italian places would be hard to beat?
Rosario's restaurant? (Ditmars and 38th St., Astoria)
Based on someone actually asking him about it back in September.
Rosario's restaurant? (Ditmars and 38th St., Astoria)
My understanding is that it is not the same Rosario.
Birthday Cake Needed in Queens!
I'll take a Costco cake over Martha's any day of the week. I don't get why people think that place is good. Style over substance, I guess.
Help choosing between 2 Greek restaurants in Queens
Second Avli. It's great. We live in Astoria and actually go there for our Greek fix.
Kyclades is good but overrated and waiting hours for a table isn't really worth it, IMO.
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Avli
38-31 Bell Blvd, Queens, NY 11361
Danny Brown Kitchen and Wine Bar
It seems odd to fault the restaurant restaurant itself because of poorly behaved patrons.
Nutella from Italy: Where to find?
What's the difference between Italian Nutella and "American" Nutella?
New coat of paint and new floors, Dom had to raise prices.
That place is on every list imaginable now. There's no need to cater to longtime customers. People who visit our city to see the Empire State Building will also go to DiFara to see this pizza man and wait on line and experience the spectacle for themselves.
Maltese Pastizzi at JMJ Bakery, LIC (mini-review)
I'm pretty sure you can get pastizzi from the Maltese Center on Hoyt Ave South.
Astoria favorites
delivery.com is another great site for ordering food online. I've noticed that not all of them have the same restaurants listed, so changes are if there's something you're looking for that one site doesn't have the other might
Fresh vs. Frozen turkey for Thanksgiving
I've read in numerous places that a fresh turkey is good until the date marked on the packaging as long as they're kept in the wrapper. I've never bought one that far in advance though.
Turkey basting is an unnecessary step, IMO. Using a brined bird is the best way to ensure juicy and flavorful meat. Brushing with melted butter and starting off in a 425 convection oven for 1 hour and then 350 for the remainder will lead to juicy meat and crispy skin every time with a brined bird. Last year I did a 24 lb turkey and did it breast side up the entire way, this year I did a 20 lb bird which I started breast down and then flipped to breast side up after the initial 1 hour at 425.
Great Meal at Danny Brown
My wife and I have been there two times and really liked it each time.
Wines are definitely super marked up, but I'm not a big wine guy so I don't know how much compared to most other places. We got a bottle of the cheapest Echelon Pinot Noir with sells for like $9.99 a bottle but they have priced at $33.
VALENTINO'S ON THE GREEN
I'll answer your questions from our experience
1) Our reservation was for 7 o'clock
2) The place was full
3) There seemed to be a lot of staff but yes they were all young. For some reason they had 3 or 4 hostesses at the front door. Why you need 4 girls to mostly mill around and do nothing, I don't know.
At one point a maitre d' admonished one of the food runners right at our table for not knowing which position was which at our table which I thought was sorta unprofessional and ruined a bit of the experience.
But it was a lot of little shit like that that just adds up - not asking if we need more drinks, not placing the right plates at the right table positions, etc.
VALENTINO'S ON THE GREEN
It's disturbing to read that almost 2 weeks later and it seems like your experience was worse than ours.
I definitely agree on the menu - sorta generic but very expensive.
The service was definitely scattered when we went - 3 or 4 different people came over at different points to do different things, but the left hand never knew what the right hand was doing.
The Caffe on the Green website has said for a while that they've found a new location about 1 mile from the old location. Anyone know what's going on with them opening up a new place?
VALENTINO'S ON THE GREEN
If I had to describe the element, I would say a very similar crowd that was eating there when it was still Caffe. I'm sure a lot of people have come back to see what's become of it.
The decor was nice, but there were some cheesy elements. For instance, they have these big glass wall sconses with candle-type fixtures inside. Rather than using a regular lightbulb, they put those orange flickering-style ones in them to simulate real candles. In the bathrooms, they used very modern stone on the floor and walls and that just felt out of place with the rest of the space.
They also sort of created a new room inside of the main room - it's still open so the best way i can describe it is that it's sort of a small alcove within the main room. I guess you have to see it for yourself really.
No more tablecloths.
Caffe really seemed to pack people in, so I can say that the tables now seem fewer and farther apart, so you are afforded some privacy in terms of your next table not being able to hear your every word. The actually furniture was very nice - some tables have big leather chairs which looked very comfortable.
The upstairs room seemed brighter and whiter. I think they now claim they can pack 220 people up there - we had slightly north of 100 for our wedding and it was pretty full, so I can't really see having an event with double that number up there. They also replaced the wooden dancefloor with some kind of polished stone tile dancefloor.
In terms of landscaping, the parking lot for the golf course seems way more visible than it ever was. They really should erect a nicer fence to cover the chain link fence or put some kind of greenery to cover it. I think most of all I was displeased with the changes outside the most. The new deck is nice (it's not wood - it's a composite "Trex" style) - but I preferred the more expansive green area that Caffe had. There isn't much room for outdoor photography anymore which was appealing to us when choosing it as a wedding venue.
Oh, also, I forgot RE: the food...my mashed potatoes were cold.
VALENTINO'S ON THE GREEN
We went on Saturday with friends of ours (table of 4, total). We had our wedding reception at Caffe on the Green, so obviously the location has some special meaning to us.
We got there early, so my wife and I each had a drink at the bar. The bartender was really nice and friendly. They've removed the piano from that side of the restaurant. Bartender said a lot of people have been asking about it, so perhaps it will make a comeback?
Outside they've removed a lot of the garden area and replaced it with a deck. The deck was nice enough, but personally I enjoyed the more garden-like feel of the old place.
First week open so service wasn't that great, but I expected that. Bringing food out and giving to the wrong table position, not offering cracked pepper or fresh grated cheese, nobody one inquired if we wanted refills on our drinks, etc.
The food was fine but not outstanding, especially that the prices they are charging. I feel the food was better at Caffe. Valentino's menu offers a greater selection, however. An appetizer special (which our waitress did not tell us about - we found out somewhat by chance by an entirely different server that came over to tell us about it) was a fresh mozzarella, tomato and onion plate. It came with intact slices of red onion - I don't know whose idea that was - way too much onion! It should have been omitted completely.
We used to try to go to Caffe every year for our anniversary, but I am not in a big hurry to go back to Valentino's. I will definitely give them some time to work out the kinks and give it another shot, and that would be my recommendation to everyone for now.
Also, very strangely the place seems to have more security cameras than a bank or casino. In the dining room, upstairs in the reception all, everywhere.
What happened to Marino's Fish Market in Astoria?
I suppose reading comprehension is not your forte. I was comparing their quality to other local supermarkets, not to a specialty store.
What happened to Marino's Fish Market in Astoria?
I find Best Yet to have some of the best quality meat and produce of any of the local supermarkets. I have had fish from their fish department that was of good quality.
If they said "see us at pathmark or stop and shop" I'd be inclined to agree with you, but Best Yet is local and family owned and I find to be better than most other supermarkets in the area.
Yankee Stadium Food Review
I had Lobel's back at a game in May. It was delicious. I feel like the bun was too sweet, but the sandwich was huge and delicious. Paired up with a gigantic order of garlic fries and it was a bad day for calorie counting.
