Astoria Lurker's Profile
Piccola Venezia, L'Incontro, Manducatis, or Manetta?
All 4 are different type places. My favorite is L'Incontro, but it is much more "modern" Italian.
Piccola Venezia is old school Istrian, but NOT red sauce. Try the osso-buco and gnocchi with gorgonzola.
Manducatis is old school red sauce and excellent. Try the ricotta gnocchi in red sauce or a traditional southern Italian/Sicilian dish.
Manettas is nothing too special, much simpler than the others and less fancy. Their pizza is good, but I've had mixed experiences with other things.
L'Incontro has a huge breadth and their daily specials list will make your head spin. Try any of the homemade pasta. They also do wonders with various game meats like Elk, Venison and Ostrich. Don't miss the grilled octopus and the burrata appetizer.
Chorizo in astoria or anywhere in queens
International Meat Market on 30th ave and 36th in Astoria usually has a few different types of Chorizo.
Best wine and liquor prices/selection in Queens?
Hunters Point Wine in LIC (Vernon & 47th ave) has a great selection of well priced bottles from small producers. Lots of great finds and a very helpful staff make this my favorite wine store.
Group dinner suggestion - Astoria area
S'Agapo is definitely not under $20 per person. I would suggest Favela or Sabor Tropical for Brazilian. Both have great food at reasonable prices and fairly inexpensive drinks.
Birthday dinner in Queens, prix fix or value?
L'Incontro is quieter on a weeknight, and their food is definitely amazing. It can be pricey depending on what you order but not everything will break the bank (try the pastas).
Another suggestion is Philoxenia, the best Greek in Astoria.
Bread in LIC?
Don't go to Masso. I agree on Blend's brunch, excellent and underrated. Their pernil and is great, and their cubano excellent. Overall it is hit or miss (the yucca fries are limp and mushy) but there are a number of hits.
I prefer Bella Via's pizza to the other options in the neighborhood, but all of them are good, really a great place to live if you like pizza (whole pies only, no slices).
I really like Manducatis Rustica so far, I think it will continue to be a great place for the neighborhood and even possibly a food destination.
Bread in LIC?
Tomcat is also located in LIC, as are several other commercial bakeries. I often see their trucks delivering bread to the restaurants on Vernon, but not to any retail places. I think this could be a great business opportunity for someone looking to open a shop in LIC.
Bread in LIC?
There isn't a source of great bread in the neighborhood yet. My hope is that someone will open a nice bakery instead of yet another Asian fusion place. Manducatis Rustica sells bread but I'm not sure how good it is, worth a try at least. Also, some of the bread at foodcellar is decent, I liked their sourdough ciabatta.
For my bread needs I just order the par-baked stuff from Fresh Direct (which is a very good option) or bake my own.
Oh, and this part of LIC is nowhere near the N/W Broadway stop, though there are indeed many many wonderful chow options there.
Philoxenia in Astoria is now my fave Greek in Astoria
I reached nearly the same conclusion several months ago when I tried the new Philoxenia for the first time. Definitely the best Greek around.
Arcos Restaurant --- Astoria
Amazing, go on Friday and try the suckling pig special, it is incredible. I loved everything about this place, the food, the service and the wine (lots of Portuguese steals).
Shawarma or Gyro or Doner Kebab?
Gyro is the Greek word, Doner is the Turkish word and Schwarma is the Arabic word. They all describe the same preparation: some kind of meat spit roasted. The type of meat depends on the region, for example pork is the favorite in Greece, but you won't find pork Doner or Schwarma. Lamb, beef and chicken are common across all 3. I know it seems confusing but if you just think about it as ways to describe the same meat preparation in different languages then its easier. Also, some gyro/schwarma/doner is with ground meat but this is usually the inferior stuff, look for the real stuff which is spit roasted chunks of meat. If you are looking for pork or chicken, BZ Grill in Astoria is amazing.
Real Eyetalian
Agreed that L'Incontro and PV are definitely NOT red sauce joints (but both awesome). I would recommend Manducatis in LIC if you are looking for Western Queens red sauce. It has the great food and vibe of an old school NYC Italian American eatery.
Astoria or Jackson Hts Recommendations?
You could check out one of the Brasilian places in Astoria. Malagueta, Favela or Sabor Tropical, in order of good-ness, but all 3 are wonderful.
Huitlacoche - where to eat it??
De Mole in Sunnyside has huitlacoche quesadillas that are excellent.
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De Mole
45-02 48th Ave, Queens, NY 11377
Queens Restaurant Week Recommendations
A few good references:
http://www.foodistanyc.com/2008/09/reminder-about-queens-restaurant-week.html
http://astorianyc.blogspot.com/
Astoria Blvd Tacos
Today I was walked down Astoria Blvd between 31st street and 21st street for the first time in a long while and noticed about 7 or 8 places that serve tacos. There were several taquerias, several Mexican grocery stores with food in the back and a few Mexican restaurants. The most promising one was on the north side of Astoria Blvd close to 21st street, a sign outside indicated they had barbacoa, lengua and other specialties. Has anyone sampled the many offerings? I wish I had the time to today, but was in a hurry, I plan to go back and do a full report at some point.
Astoria
The homemade pasta dishes are excellent. I especially love the pappardelle with rabbit ragu and the chestnut and wild boar sausage ravioli. They are specials so they may not be available all the time, but it seems they usually are. They have a good homemade spaghetti with seafood (mussels, clams, shrimp, langoustines etc) as well.
For appetizers, anything mozzarella based is awesome (can't go wrong with burrata + prosciutto), and their grilled baby octopus is great as well.
For main courses, the "Kobe" pork chop is wonderful, either just plain or stuffed with fontina cheese and spinach. I've never had beef steak there but have enjoy elk and venison. They also have a number of other game meats. My favorite meat main course has to be the wild boar sausages, but they seem to only be available in the late fall. If you are a fan of sausages, you must try these. So tender, sweet and with a rich porky flavor that makes the best pork-based Italian sausage taste like chicken breast in comparison.
For fish, I am sure they have salmon but I've never tried it. I have tried their Mediterranean sea bass (branzino?) with a nut crust, and some kind of sole. Both excellent.
Their wine list is also quite comprehensive with many options in a wide range of prices.
The downside of this place is how crowded and noisy it can be. I try to go on off notes for this reason but it can still be overwhelming. They have somewhat solved the problem of waiting by opening a wine bar next door. Now you can go to the wine bar, order a bottle from their full wine list and have a glass while waiting and then bring it into the restaurant.
Astoria
Trattoria L'Incontro may be my favorite restaurant in NYC. There are a few here that like to bash it but I think in general it has a good reputation.
Best Gyro?
You're thinking of the garbage that gets called a "gyro" in "greek" diners across the US, and at many places in NYC. What this thread is about is the true Gyro which differs based on the nationality that prepares it. Greek gyros are usually pork (sometimes chicken), roasted on a vertical rotisserie, and this is the specialty at BZ Grill. Turkish gyro or doner is lamb (or beef sometimes) as is schwarma, the Middle Eastern gyro.
None of these should be made with ground mystery meat, and if it is, you know it's a poor representation. What you should look for is stacks of sliced pork/beef/lamb/chicken roasting vertically. You sir, need to try a real gyro asap.
Visiting from SF, not sure where to start
I think something excellent for you would be Brazilian, Greek and Bosian in Astoria.
For Brazilian, check out Malagueta, Favela or Sabor Tropical
For Greek, try Philoxenia, Agnanti or Zenon
For Bosnian, I'm less familiar but a search here should yield good results.
Astoria Suggestions for Group
Thanks for all the excellent suggestions. We ended up with 8 people and went to Favela. I called about an hour ahead and they saved a table for us so we had no problem. The food was excellent, I had the picanha and a side of yucca fries, both of which were as good as I've had anywhere else. The service was a bit uneven, but given how packed it was, and the late notice we gave them, it certainly was forgivable. We had live music for most of the night, which added to the festive atmosphere. I definitely will be back to explore the menu more.
Astoria Suggestions for Group
How does Favela compare to Malagueta and Sabor Tropical? I've always been meaning to try it but haven't had a chance. I think L'Incontro is out of the budget though it probably would be my first choice if we had more to spend. I thought about eating at the Beer Garden but other than the grilled food I haven't been that impressed.
1 day in Williamsburg, what's not to be missed?
I would suggest Fortunatos for Italian pastries, coffee and gelato.
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Fortunato Brothers
289 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Astoria Suggestions for Group
Hi All,
I've eaten at tons of places in Astoria but never really tried to go out with a large group (12+). Any ideas for a crowd pleasing place that can accommodate that type of group on short notice? All my favorites are either too small (Malagueta, Bistro 33 etc) or likely to be too crowded (Agnanti, L'Incontro etc). We'd be eating after leaving the Beer Garden so proximity to there is a plus and would be looking to spend around $25 pp (no drinks).
Thanks!
What neighborhood is this, and where to eat?
FYI, in NYC (week Queens and Brooklyn at least), major roads that have the same name as neighborhoods are usually named after the places they lead to and end, not the places they go through. So, Coney Island Ave ends in Coney Island, Flushing ave leads to Flushing (well sort of), and Greenpoint ave leads to Greenpoint. Hope this helps...
Long Island City Dining Guide
Rustica is on Vernon, east side of the street between 47th ave and 46th road. Shi is in the older Rockrose building next to Blue Streak wine, on Center Blvd.
Oh, also it's no longer "The Creek and the Cave" its just "The Creek". And they've opened Sweet Leaf tea + coffee around the corner which looks quite promising. Still no word on when Ihawan is opening though, I thought they were ready to go about the same time as BANY but nothing happened.
Oh, also for Ice Cream, the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory is a short walk over the Pulaski bridge and it is far better than any other options in LIC right now.
Long Island City Dining Guide
Nice list, just a few updates:
McReilly's is closed, as of Friday which is sad
Manducatis' Rustica store/cafe is opening very soon and will serve gelato, I tried it on the 4th of July and it was excellent, definitely the best ice-cream place in the area.
Shi is open now for takeout and the restaurant will open soon. Judging from the takeout it will easily be far better than any other Chinese place in the area.
New BBQ joint in LIC?
Lucky Mojos is just a fun place to go, the food isn't spectacular, but it is good (yes even the sushi). The best dishes are the BBQ and Cajun/Creole but like I said this is not a destination place. If you happen to be in Queens and want to drink some Abita beer from the tap and have some decent comfort food it hits the spot.
