round2's Profile
Basil Brick Oven Pizza in Astoria
First time back to Basil Brick Oven Pizza tonight since they expanded into the space next door. Had a delicious Tricolore pizza (from their online menu, "Tomato Sauce, Pesto Sauce, Heavy Cream, Buffalo Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Basil"). Seriously good. Happy too to discover their nice, comfortable expansion.
Moegyo Burmese Food Fair 2012
Dave, thanks again for this vital heads up!
As much as I love the Indonesian Food Bazaar at Majid Al-Hikmah, I'm even more excited about this event. Last year's was sensational. This time I'm buying extra to take home. Truly wonderful, amazing food, and a very welcoming, enjoyable crowd.
Indonesian bazaars, Masjid al-Hikmah, 2012
Yes - it's happening. Just loaded up up and headed home to enjoy it.
Food stalls on the corner of Maple and Main street Flushing?
Add my thanks to City Spoonful. I'm also a vegetarian who loves ferreting out the pleasures in omnivore-land, and took the challenge for a wonderful long bike ride on a gorgeous day last week out to Flushing. Had a fantastic time at Savor Fusion, never getting beyond the Steam Dumpling stall in the back. Seriously wonderful vegetable dumplings, cold tofu and preserved egg, and shredded potato and carrots with chili oil. The folks working there seemed to have very limited English speaking skills, and yet were entirely gracious and lovely. We worked it out.
Have to go back soon to expand my exploration there!
Woodside Cafe dinner (mostly vegetarian)
Thanks for this report - will have to get there. I've been curious about the joint and hesitant due to the apparent focus on pizza, from the outside.
I also am not over Spicy Mina's disappearance, with the Woodside Cafe being the new tenant established in that location. Clearly we should not hold the loss of Spicy Mina against them.
Reasonably-priced wine flights?
Was at Cornelia Street Cafe last night and saw that they offer a variety of wine flights for $15. Didn't try one so don't know how generous a pour they are.
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Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014
Best Indian in Jackson Heights?
I know the sweet shop next door associated with it seems pretty much the same as ever. I didn't have much experience with the restaurant. I wonder if the current menu is some level of an update...
Best Indian in Jackson Heights?
I happened to be at Mumbai Grill yesterday for their lunch buffet as well (after a frigid visit to the valiant year-round Jackson Heights Greenmarket). My experience was much the same. After several lackluster lunch buffet experiences in the neighborhood recently, this one pleasantly surprised me with some genuinely more aggressive spicing. Several items were quite good, the place is comfortable, and the staff notably warm and welcoming. Nice to see less common buffet items like chole bhature, and hakka noodles. BTW, the lunch buffet is $10.95 on weekends (and holidays), and $9.95 during the week.
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Mumbai Grill
37-33 74th St, Queens, NY 11372
Noisette Pastries in Astoria on Steinway
Anyone tried this new (French? French-ish?) bakery out yet? A quick pop of the head in showed that their stuff and the place looks great, as do the prices. Didn't get to actually try anything yet though.
It's on the same block of Steinway just south of Astoria Blvd. as my new crush Duzan, which served me the best falafel pita sandwich I've ever eaten a couple weeks back:
Noisette Pastries
24-21 Steinway St.
Astoria, NY 11103
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Duzan
24-11 Steinway St, Queens, NY 11103
Noisette Pastries
24-21 Steinway St, Queens, NY 11103
What's in Parkchester and vicinity?
A friend has moved from Manhattan to Parkchester, and I'm excited to have an additional push to finally get out there to try Neerob soon. It feels like Neerob is all I've heard enthusiasm about in that area. Does anyone have any other tips or favorites around there?
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Neerob
2109 Starling Ave, Bronx, NY 10462
Save me from Applebees!
I think Veselka, Bill's and Hummus Place should work. I'd be more excited myself with Motorino or Keste, but wonder if they exceed the level of spending comfort. Thanks for this great list kathryn - it should be helpful for others besides me, and beyond this one meal.
Save me from Applebees!
Thanks for these great suggestions! Some may be perceived as slightly more costly than this group is comfortable with, but all are good ideas - much appreciated.
Save me from Applebees!
I'm meeting up with a couple of friends next week who I love, but who don't care near as much as I do about food and restaurants. We do share a lack of fundage in common, but I don't need expensive restaurants to enjoy eating out.
My friends do have some constraints though (no Asian food, no Mexican), and so do I (I'm vegetarian). I've met them at Dallas BB! (twice!) and at Fridays, and now Applebees was suggested (in part for a 2 -for-$20 special). They are not food adventurers, which I am. Even with the vegetarianism I can find a way to make most places work, but not Applebees, please, no!.
Are corporate chains successful in part because they're cheaper, and appeal to quesy eaters?
Hard to find a place really cheap that they will go to and isn't grim (to them) as a place to hang out and visit.
Anyone have suggestions for me?
Indonesian Food Bazaar this Sun 10/9
Your VIP status there is a boon to us. Still enjoying the bounty we hauled home. Thanks for keeping us informed.
Indonesian Food Bazaar this Sun 10/9
the crowds are light and friendly today and the selection is terrific - including the sensational gado gado. Go!
Indonesian Food Bazaar this Sun 10/9
Wonderful, unexpected news! I'd thought the season was over, and the wait was until next May. I hope the masterful ladies will be there mortar & pestle-ing gado gado to order (and to spice level preference). Looks like tomorrow will be a gorgeous day, perfect to join in the happy crowds behind the Masjid Al-Hikmah.
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Masjid Al-Hikmah
48-01 31st Ave, Queens, NY 11103
Shirley Mae's Soul Food Diner in Astoria
Anyone eaten here yet? I stopped in to get a takeout menu on my way home from the farmer's market at the Socrates Sculpture Garden yesterday (attached). Nice people - I look forward to checking it out.
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Shirley Mae's
28-08 21st St, Queens, NY 11102
Looking for sour sop, tamarind ice creams (tropical ice cream place?)
I enjoyed a sour sop milkshake at Pho Bac in Elmhurst, last summer I believe. If I'm not mistaken, they've got a stall at the New World Mall Food Court in Flushing too (am I confusing it with Pho Bang?). A friend got a delicious durian milkshake that we shared there last week.
You did say you were looking for ice cream, so these tips may not be helpful...
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Pho Bang
4107 Kissena Blvd, Queens, NY 11355
Pho Bac
82-78 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373
New World Mall
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Sunday: both the Indonesian and the Burmese food bazaars in Astoria & Woodside?
Thanks for this cgreco. I also saw a sign in the window of the Mosque this afternoon confirming this information.
Burmese Food Fair Sunday - fantastic
What a good thing that was to do, too - thank you Jim! Thanks to all involved in this excellent sleuthing.
Vegetarian Soondubu (soft tofu soup)?
I really like the vegetarian soondubu at Seoul Garden. It's mushroom, I think. I especially appreciate that they have a separate vegetarian menu that you can request. You may have to ask about the banchan, since I think kimchi made without fish products could be rare.
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Seoul Garden
34 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
Sugar Freak Astoria
Were they closed last (Thursday) night? On Tuesday night I went by there and saw that they now have their hours posted on a sign on their door, including Thurs. - Sun. nights (starting at 5pm I believe).
Burmese Food Fair Sunday - fantastic
Do they also have Burmese dishes on their menu?
Burmese Food Fair Sunday - fantastic
Again, I would not have known this event was happening if it wasn't for Dave Cook's Eating in Translation email on Friday. Greatly appreciated!
It seemed to me that the Moegyo Burmese Food Fair was even better than their last, and certainly more crowded. The selection was pretty sensational, and I ended up buying a number of things to take home with me.
At the table where LaphetThohk (Teal Leaf Salad) and GyinThohk (Ginger Salad) were being prepared, I asked (when returning for seconds and thirds) if they were from a restaurant. It was difficult to talk since they were right up front near the (loud) singers, but I believe they said they were from a Chinese/Burmese restaurant in Flushing, on Main Street, but I didn't get the name. Anyone know of a place fitting that description?
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Burmese Food Fair
42-00 72nd St, Queens, NY 11377
Sunday: both the Indonesian and the Burmese food bazaars in Astoria & Woodside?
I was able to get to both of them too, and thoroughly enjoyed them. First we went to the Burmese food bazaar, which took over a public school building, with a large room (the cafeteria?) ringed by tables with a wide range of familiar and unfamiliar offerings. A few tables were already depleted when we arrived at about 1pm. Love a noodle dish, and a coconut pudding/mash type dessert. A box of pickled vegetables was a very new taste to me, and a big hit in our house all week, getting happily added to enhance a variety of different dishes. Possibly less available than at the Moegyo event last year, but fun and much that was delicious. There was a large crowd filling the auditorium next door watching (or socializing during) a series of traditional dance and singing performances.
We zoomed over to the Al-Hikmah Mosque where I too was knocked out by the delicous individually prepared gado-gado. The woman asked me how many chilis to throw in and I only said two, which still added a decent kick. The leftovers were still delicious the next day. I had a fried tofu stuffed with vegetables that I ended up refigerating and microwaving the next day. This of course lost much of what pleasure freshly fried food offers, but the kick-ass spicy peanut sauce (very different from the gado-gado) was addictive. I took home a couple of bags of spicy yucca chips which were fun to have in the house for the few days they lasted. We got to the Indonesian mosque around 2:30, and many things were gone, especially the tempeh dishes I was hoping to find. Very busy, and festive, and I will definitely show up if I can when it returns (hopefully) next month. Arriving early is definitely a good tip.
Sunday: both the Indonesian and the Burmese food bazaars in Astoria & Woodside?
Ah yes, a quick search shows that the event I went to had been hosted by Moegyo. I will still be looking forward to this one!
Sunday: both the Indonesian and the Burmese food bazaars in Astoria & Woodside?
Is this not the same Burmese group that had a similar event in the school in Woodside last year? That one was pretty wonderful - great food, nice people.
Much thanks to you Dave, for turning so many of us on to these extraordinary experiences.
