Greg's Profile
Are there any old-time soda parlor/candy shops still around?
I seem to be making some enemies in this thread. I didn't intend to knock any of the places referenced in my post, just wanted to point out that most of the places that, *in my opinion*, are thick on nostalgia are thin on food quality. There are exceptions, of course. I've never loved anything I ate at Eddie's, Hildebrandt's or Nom Wah (including is most recent incarnation which kept it in the family, but relaunched emphasizing its nostalgic elements). That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself at these places, it just means that if I want a good sundae, a good burger, or good dim sum, I go elsewhere. If I'm looking to soak up some nostalgia, these places are all options.
NB.: On re-reading my earlier post, I did mean to knock Johnny Rockets. I stand by that.
Are there any old-time soda parlor/candy shops still around?
Sadly, Glendale, most of the true nostalgia these days is dusty first, nostalgic second, and quality last. I'm thinking of Hildebrandt's, for example, in New Hyde Park in terms of ice cream joints. Even at Katz's I shudder to think about the last time some one cleaned the neon signs. And don't get me started on Yonah Schimmel's (though I have it on good authority that Schimmel's was never clean). Places like the Soda Shop, Brooklyn Farmacy, Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street or even Johnny Rockets (not that you should actually eat there) are merely retro appealing to people looking for nostalgia, not the real deal. And apparently the real deal comes with a coating of dust - both literally and metaphorically.
Are there any old-time soda parlor/candy shops still around?
Can't dispute jeeg's description of Eddies, but if the OP is after nostalgia, it's got it.
Are there any old-time soda parlor/candy shops still around?
Not that I'm aware of in Brooklyn, but there's Eddie's Sweet Shop in Forest Hills on Metropolitan Avenue. I was going to also suggest the Soda Shop on Chambers Street in Tribeca, but I see that they're now closed.
New Wafa's coming soon.
That rice pudding is awesome. I usually get some to go. The rose water she adds makes it.
Looking for a private room in Queens, NY that has easy parking or parking lot
How about at one of the Chinese restaurants in Flushing that have private rooms. Asian Jewels has its own parking lot, but many of the others are very close to the municipal lots.
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Ocean Jewels
133-30 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
Taiwanese Sticky Rice Balls
What's on the inside? If it's ground pork and/or ground pork and shrimp, you can get them from Jade Asian during dim sum hours.
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Jade Asian
136-28 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
Updates on dim sum options in Flushing?
That's pretty much my go-to. Asian Jewels is still pretty good, and as you noted, Perfect Team is closed. You can also try Grand Restaurant at the top of the New World Mall. I haven't been but have not heard anything particularly good.
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Ocean Jewels
133-30 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
New World Mall
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Grand Restaurant
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Congee at an Asian Grocery?
I'm not aware of a prepared jook or congee product like you're looking for, but it could be out there. You're probably getting referred to the rice aisle because that's the closest you'll get to buying jook in a grocery store. While I haven't gotten around to doing it myself, preparing jook at home is apparently very easy. Here's a link to get you started:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/279036#1479035
Along these lines, I haven't found any place in Flushing that makes a great jook. Corner 28 does an OK version, but if anyone else out there can make other recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
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Corner 28
40-28 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
GOOD UPSCALE CHINESE IN FLUSHING?
I really enjoy the food at Imperial Palace - I've even hosted a large numbers of guests at a banquet there - but they are not very clean. Their letter grade, last I checked, was a C. Jade Asian, Mulan, Grand Restaurant, etc. are all cleaner and have more attractive interiors.
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Imperial Palace
136-13 37th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
Jade Asian
136-28 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
Mulan
136-17 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11354
Grand Restaurant
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Grand Restaurant in New World Mall
I posted on dinner at the restaurant a few months back.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/784853#6605343
The food was fine, but nothing special. I haven't been back since. While I've been tempted to try the dim sum, I have heard that it is also nothing special. Was there a large variety in the dim sum offered or was it mostly typical offerings?
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Grand Restaurant
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Wedding reception at BX Zoo or Botanical Gardens
I've been to a wedding at the Botanical Garden and everything was great. It did get hot sitting in the sun in a tuxedo for the ceremony, but otherwise we enjoyed the rest of the night - food included.
Farrington Street (just north of main drag in Flushing)
Debasaki is a Korean fried chicken place with a focus on low lighting, loud music and beer. The food is good, but not great. I tried exploring the menu a bit - ordering the curry and a couple of other things. Nothing was as good as the fried chicken, and everything was overpriced.
Serious Eats had a write-up a while back. I didn't enjoy it as much as they did.
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2011/04/flushing-a-chicken-fight-at-debasaki.html
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Debasaki
33-67 Farrington St, Queens, NY 11354
Ga Si Ri; Or In Search of Flushing's Best Kalbi
Great information. Thanks. I'll hit one this weekend and report back.
Ga Si Ri; Or In Search of Flushing's Best Kalbi
Really, nothing? New York's list suggests Mapo BBQ, but I was hopeful that someone here might have additional suggestions.
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Mapo BBQ
149-24 41st Ave, Queens, NY 11355
Ga Si Ri; Or In Search of Flushing's Best Kalbi
I don't believe that Ga Si Ri is still in business (though I'm happy to be corrected if wrong), which means that I need to find someplace else to satisfy my kalbi craving? Where in Queens should I go to find the best kalbi these days? Bonus points if they serve bo ssam like they did at Ga Si Ri.
Canton Gourmet – One of the Better Cantonese Restaurants in Flushing
Their salt and pepper pork chops are the best I've ever had. Perfectly fried and seasoned, plus, I can't get enough of the fried shallots and jalapenos they put on top. I end up eating the left over topping with the dao miu - good stuff.
Guang Zhou (Perfect Team) Closed Earlier This Year?
I saw some hand-written note on the gate about labor violations and the like. Sure enough, a little Googling just now shows a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit filed by some of Perfect Team Corp.'s employees in 2010. I guess they were successful.
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-york/nyedce/1:2010cv01637/303241/
New World Mall
I managed to get to the restaurant on the top floor of the New World Mall this past weekend. The restaurant is called Grand Restaurant, and offers your typical Cantonese fare in a more upscale setting than you typically find in Flushing. The dining area is nice, with high ceilings, though the decor isn't exactly to my liking. That said, I'm sure you care more about the food. And of that, I can only say that it was good. Not great. We had a decent variety of selections, from casserole to noodle, vegetable to fried, and nothing was bad, but nothing was exceptional. The quality of the food may have been tempered by the fact that there was a large party filling half the restaurant. I'm willing to give the restaurant another chance, but there's better Cantonese to be had nearby.
It looks as though seafood will be a specialty -as you'd expect. There's an entire portion of the restaurant dedicated to fish tanks, though when I was there only a handful of tanks were occupied, and then only by crabs. Again, this may have been a side effect of the large party. Construction in the restaurant seemed to be ongoing, as there appeared to be about 10 private rooms that were not yet open to the public.
Has anyone tried the dim sum here? I'd be curious to hear any reports.
s an aside, we hit the food court afterward for dessert. I don't know why there aren't more places that sell ice cream in crepes. Holy crap that's a tasty combination.
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New World Mall
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Grand Restaurant
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Any German Bakeries left in NYC or Long Island?
The area around Qingdao was one of the German spheres of influence, hence the Chinese beer that's popular in this country, Tsing Tao. I wonder if German pastries caught on there as well.
Any German Bakeries left in NYC or Long Island?
We'll probably get booted to the Tri-State board (or whatever it's called now), but you can try Reinwald's Bakery in Huntington on New York Avenue as you head into town. Pretty good German cakes and breads.
As an aside, I actually found a half-way decent (though prepackaged) baumkuchen at Mitsuwa, the Japanese supermarket in Fort Lee, NJ.
Hunt for Paletas
Tortilleria Nixtamal has, though they're not homemade. I think they're imported from Michoacan. They're pretty good though, and they have a wide selection of flavors - during the summer at least.
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Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Ave, Queens, NY 11368
New World Mall
Thanks for the update. I believe MS Han Song Ting was previously at the now defunct Roosevelt Food Court on the west side of Roosevelt Avenue. Any sign of other proprietors from the old food court?
New World Mall
Good stuff, thanks. Can't wait to try Pizza 8 and Burger Shack! One or two of the other places looked interesting also...
New World Mall
I took a stroll around this new mall on Roosevelt Avenue, just east of Main Street on Saturday. The first floor is a supermarket, while the basement is a food court. When I was there the food court was off limits and didn't appear to be open to the public yet. Has anyone been able to get down there to figure out whether there will be anything worth eating?
For those interested, the mall also has a second and third floor with a variety of non-brand name vendors selling everything from beef jerky to cell phone covers. Not as bizarre as the Flushing Mall, nor as much of an effort to be high-end as Queens Crossing, but still very different from your typical American-type mall shopping experience.
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New World Mall
40-21 Main St, Queens, NY 11354
Can't seem to find authentic Sichuan in NYC - Where's the ma 麻???
Huh, it definitely does now, though it didn't earlier. Also, you are correct about which side of the street it is on. It was definitely the west side, not sure why I typed east earlier. Thanks for the correction.
Can't seem to find authentic Sichuan in NYC - Where's the ma 麻???
Since this thread has been revived, I thought I'd point out a restaurant that I noticed for the first time in Flushing a couple of weeks ago. It's on one of the less-traveled streets, and may have missed notice by many on this Board. It's called Spicy King and while I didn't eat there, with a name like that, bht2109 might like to at least see if the food lives up to the moniker. The location is on the east side of Farrington Street, between Northern Boulevard and 35th Avenue.
EDIT: The restaurant seems to be in the Chowhound library with a different cross street. Chowhound may be correct.
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Spicy King
35-34 Farrington St, Queens, NY 11354
Gourmet in Queens?
You can probably find some of the things you're looking for at Cheese of the World on Austin Street in Forest Hills.
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Cheese of the World
71-48 Austin St, Queens, NY 11375
Tomatillos?
If you're talking South Brooklyn in the 18th Century sense, then I know that Fairway has them. If you're talking south Brooklyn, as in the part of Brooklyn bisected by the Belt Parkway, then you should try Three Guys or any of the bodegas in Sunset Park.
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Fairway Market
480 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Three Guys From Brooklyn
6502 Fort Hamilton Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11219
