corgi's Profile
Cuzco Peru in Rego Park, Anticuchos? Leche de Tigre? This is not just another Brasa joint.
The awning of Cuzco Peru crows about it's Pollo a la Brasa, but in smaller letters in the lower right corner, it also says "Peruvian Cuisine." Take a look at the menu and sure enough, there it is, Papa a la Huancaina, Leche de Tigre, Ceviche, Anticuchos, Jalea, Parihuela, Lomo Saltado, Aguadito de Pollo. I've seen a number of online reviews and they all seem to focus on one aspect, they say that the chicken and the green sauce isn't as good as that at Pio Pio. It certainly isn't as highly seasoned, but it's still tender and tasty. More importantly though, the reviews miss the point. Someone here CAN COOK. So far, I've had the Leche de Tigre, Ceviche Mixto, Aguadito de Pollo and the Parihuela, and fellow doggies, I have to report that it's all good. Did it make my eyes roll heavenward? No, but it's good, tasty food at a reasonable price served by friendly folks.
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Pio Pio
62-30 Woodhaven Blvd, Queens, NY 11374
Cuzco Peru
98-102 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11375
Sripraphai Super Seriously Extra Spicy codeword
Yeah. She's definitely sharp. She recognizes me from my order on the phone. It's just when I pre-order for pick-up and it's not her on the phone, or at a table with a new server that I have trouble.
Sripraphai Super Seriously Extra Spicy codeword
Recently, I've found that even when I order my food "pet pet" or "pet ma" I've been getting food that is spicy but not the full throttle capsicum blast that I expect. It seems that they've had too many people asking for heat that they couldn't handle. When I mentioned this to Mrs. Sripraphai she told me about their new codeword. If you like your food HOT and I mean REALLY, REALLY HOT, ask for it "bomb."
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
Nixtamal keeps getting better and better. On weekends (F,Sa,Su) they've added carnitas and al pastor done on a vertical rotisserie. They've got a sweet little outdoor section set up and the loving attention to detail really shows in everything they do. Here are some recent photos. The dishes shown are the Tamal Especial de Italiano (sausage, tomato and mozarella), and the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano y Pollo. Both really excellent.
If you're looking for a cheap weeknight drink in Forest Hills
So I just started to use playfoursquare.com this evening and it led me to Bartini's which had a sign up outside that said "Happy Hour: Tuesdays-Friday 4-8 PM." I figured I'd have a look. The place is definitely a little run down and the ambiance is totally bordello/titty bar/lounge BUT: I had two Bombay Sapphire Martinis for TEN DOLLARS. There are other places that have happy hours in the neighborhood, but TRY to get them to pour top shelf. The bartender is a congenial fellow named Izzy. Tell him that "That chinese guy, Roger" sent you. Won't get you anything better than the usual GREAT DEAL, but maybe he'll buy me a drink or two. Oh and remember: Tip on the number of drinks your server has SERVED you, not on the hugely discounted tab that you've received. :)
http://www.bartinislounge.com/
Best Sam Gyup Sal in NY (Flushing) - Tong Sam Gyup Gui Restaurant (w/ pics)
Migliore is apparently the name of a Korean Department store chain. As for D.D.M., no clue. Going tonight, looking forward to it.
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
So yes, definitely fresh masa de nixtamal for sale here. Also, posole! You get a hearty bowl of posole, a tamale and a drink for $6 (see attached picture). The tamale is traditional in style, but way meatier and nice and spicy. Shauna is very friendly and she tells me that she's planning tacos al pastor, maybe fresh polenta (!), more seating, and a big screen telly for soccer.
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
The little card that I got from them says "Made hot from 11:30-8:00 every day (except Monday)"
Minangasli closing at end of January
She says that it's the economic downturn, alas.
Minangasli closing at end of January
Sad news. Stopped by for Soto Ayam, (inspired by the Times article of course) and learned from the owner that she's planning on shuttering for the last time at the end of this month. She's looking for another location but nothing in the works right now. Anyone who likes this restaurant should come by this month, dine and show the owner some love. She could use it.
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
Well The spanish side of their announcement card says, "Vendemos masa de nixtamal para tortillas y tamales por pedido"
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
I stumbled over a new place, Tortilleria Nixtamal about a block away from Leo's Latticini (Mama's) in Corona. It's not open yet. I spoke to the owner and she told me that they're waiting for Health Department certification of their Mexican made tortilla machine which is proudly installed in the front window for all to see. They plan to sell tortillas, fresh masa, tamales and drinks when they open up, with a further expansion of the kitchen to a full scale taqueria hopefully just a few months away. The owner seemed to me to be a first or second generation Mexican-American drawing on her heritage to start an artisanal food business. At any rate, the whole thing looks promising. As I am in that neighborhood with some frequency I plan to keep an eye on this place.
Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Ave.
Corona, NY 11368
(718) 699-2434
Little Saigon (Elmhurst) Pho Uphill Alert
I don't believe that the Elmhurst Little Saigon is related to the Montclair one. The owners of the Little Saigon in Elmhurst ARE the same people as the ones that were behind the Little Saigon in the Theatre District. I think they lost their lease there and moved. Little Saigon is near the intersection of Simonson and Grand Ave, so no it's not the place next to Kam Man. They are south of Queens Blvd.
Little Saigon (Elmhurst) Pho Uphill Alert
I was in Bac two weeks ago, and although the pho was pretty good, the whole place smelled of poorly dried dishrags, a most unappetizing aroma.
Little Saigon (Elmhurst) Pho Uphill Alert
I just stopped by at Little Saigon in Elmhurst for a bowl of Pho Tai the other day, and I was quite favorably impressed. Although the broth here has always been good; clear, but beefy and lightly spiced, the portions were on the skimpy side. This time we got a nice big bowl, with beautifully arranged sliced raw eye-round on the side. My only minor quibble was that they had no chopped raw chili peppers (I dislike squeezing a dollop of Rooster brand hot sauce into my pho). Another bonus, is that the place is relatively new and clean, so it doesn't have the unpleasant miasma that greets you when you enter older Elmhurst pho joints, Bang & Bac.
Brooklyn Lobster Roll Rec's?
Just went to Jordan's. We didn't have the lobster roll, opting for the 1 lb Lobster Bake instead. This perhaps, was a mistake. The lobster was cooked, split in half, wrapped in foil and kept warm somehow. It was quite rubbery. We also had the baked clams which were like a cafeteria quality jambalaya served in half shells; plenty of bread crumbs, rice and green peppers with little bitty bits of chopped clams. On the upside, the outdoor dining area is near water and pleasant, the fries were good, the beer was cold and the cherrystones were cheap and just fine. Overall rating: meh.
Good bagels in Queens?
In FoHi, Gotta Getta Bagel on Continental. Toward Rego Park, Knish Nosh, toward Kew Gardens, Hot Bialys. All have good bagels. Perhaps not superlative, but good.
Gotta Getta Bagel Neighborhood: Queens/Forest Hills 10709 71st Ave Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 793-1640
Knish Nosh 100-30 Queens Blvd Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 897-5554
Hot Bialys, 116-63 Queens Boulevard (at 78th Avenue) (Near Union Turnpike, E/F subways, and Queens County Courthouse) Forest Hills, NY 11375, 718-544-0900
What's for dinner?
Oh jeeze, I think I'll just open up this can of worms and eat them. :)
Best Chinatown Restaurant
I think it was that the seasoning ingredients, soy, wine etc. came to three cups. If you come across 3 Cup Frog you should jump at it.;)
Dill Dumplings (Chinese) - Authentic? Regional?
Another unexpected but delicious Chinese dumpling umplin* is watercress. Sun Dou carries frozen pork and watercress dumplings by the fifty. They have become my overall favorite, beating out the former champ, pork and chive in a first-round knockout.
* "umplin" is an ad hoc coinage for "stuff inside a dumpling"
Soy sauce + butter = yum!
I pan-sear salmon, then I build a pan-sauce with soy, mirin, sake, and sushi rice vinegar. Then I mount the sauce with a couple of tablespoons of cold butter, toss in some chopped scallion and sauce around the salmon so as not to de-crisp the skin. This is a standard Chez Corgi.
Visiting Philadelphia--Suggestions?
Boy, that is tricky. Thanks for pointing that out. Morimoto's website says "Reservations strongly suggested: ...Saturday 11AM - 10 PM..." OK then, RTM on Saturday, Apamate for brunch on Sunday. Steve's on the way out of town. As for the "wit" business, I thought that meant "with fried onions."
Visiting Philadelphia--Suggestions?
Mwa-ha-ha-ha. I just realized that we can make an easy detour to Steve's Prince of Steaks on Monday as we leave town via I-95...
Perhaps the Apamate brunch on Sunday then...
Visiting Philadelphia--Suggestions?
So after spending some more time perusing the menus, my revised plan is as follows:
Saturday Lunch - Morimoto (Not a lot of the BYOs do lunch)
Saturday Dinner - Ansill
Sunday Brunch - Reading Terminal Market. (Mrs. Corgi is not a giant fan of greasy, cheesy, meaty sandwiches, so a pilgrimage to Steve's would be a chore for her. At RTM I figure I can get a DeNics Roast Pork Wit and we can find something that appeals to her)
Sunday dinner - Lacroix
Ultimately I passed on LBF/BL because it seemed a bit too much that purely classical French cuisine which is delicious but not that interesting.
Matyson, Cochon, Django got the pass because of their smaller selection and appetizer-entree-dessert format. Mrs. Corgi and I prefer to have a lot of little things that we can share.
Sadly, Mrs. Corgi likes but doesn't love pasta and the antipasti selection is somewhat limited so, arrivederci Modo Mio.
Finally, Apamate & Tinto both have the right format, but the dishes at Ansill and Lacroix just seemed more provocative.
And yes, I know that I spend altogether too much time thinking about things like this.
My Philadelphia Restaurant Trip
That Lacroix brunch does look great but it seems like it would be a completely different experience from ordering from the regular tasting menus. Are the items on the buffet anywhere as interesting as the stuff on the menus seem to be?
Visiting Philadelphia--Suggestions?
Mrs. Corgi and I are getting a weekend away from the pups, Philadelphia is just near enough and just not NY enough for us to get away from it all and hopefully get some good eats and just relax a bit together. As for what we like, we're pretty ecumenical eaters. At home in Queens we do a lot of ethnic eats; Chinese, Thai, Uzbek are quotidian staples. A special night out is often Japanese, French or that highly french-influenced "New American." We like our food to be a little on the unusual side but still look like food, and being Chinese, we enjoy offal and other questionable comestibles. Since it's a just the two of us weekend, I'd prefer places that are a little intimate or charming or fashionable but not too cozy, overtly romantic or loud. Great food trumps all, though.
Visiting Philadelphia--Suggestions?
I'm planning a weekend in Philladelphia in April. It's a two night affair so I've been scouring the board. MaryZ, I know that this post doesn't really address your questions, but I think that there's enough overlap that a little thread consolidation doesn't hurt.
Despite the fact that I'm a New Yawker, I've yet to check out Morimoto NYC, perhaps because there are so many other Japanese restaurants that are my go to places; Totto, Tsukushi, Shimizu, Sakagura, Sugiyama. My first thought when considering places in Philadelphia was, "Hey, I'll finally check out Morimoto's. OK that takes care of Saturday night. OpenTable: 8 PM, bada-boom."
Then I started in on Sunday night and now I have so many possibilities that I'm not so sure about my first move anymore. Le Bar Lyonnais (not serving on Sundays), Lacroix, Django, Cochon, Matyson, Marigold Kitchen, Ansill, Modo Mio, Apamate, Tinto. They all sound terrific. HELP!
My current trip map:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7t6
Restaurant Links:
http://www.lebecfin.com/lbf_lyonnais.asp
http://www.lacroixrestaurant.com/menu_and_wine_cellar/menu_and_wine_cellar.cfm
http://www.ansillfoodandwine.com/ansill_contact.html
http://www.cochonbyob.com/secondcourse.html
http://www.modomiorestaurant.com/menu
http://www.djangobyob.com/
http://www.matyson.com/dinner.html
http://www.cafeapamate.com/Menu-914.html
http://www.tintorestaurant.com/menu.php?where=pintxos
Why didn't anyone tell me about the glory that is a Violet Crumble?
I just bought a Violet Crumble at the Super Stop and Shop on Union Turnpike in Queens, New York. They have them in what looks like a Commonwealth section in the International foods aisle along with Marmite, tins of Heinz Treacle Sponge Pudding, etc.
Floor plan of Flushing food court located on Main St between Maple and Sanford (L&N)
um... around midday on a weekday. I was at work in the nabe and looking to lunch.
Floor plan of Flushing food court located on Main St between Maple and Sanford (L&N)
Happened by that block and this place looks very much defunct. Shutters down, door opened but all dark inside with sidewalk vendors storing goods inside and hawking across the frontage.
