Xi'an Famous Foods Opening More Upscale Sit Down Branch on Main St. Flushing

Went for late lunch yesterday (2 PM). Place was only 1/5 occupied. Had the following:

liáng pí 凉皮 $5 Wheat-based cold and chewy ribbon-like noodles, with seitan (wheat gluten) slices, blanched mung-bean sprouts, cucumber and cilantro; dressed with chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar

ān chŭn dàn ròu cháng kăo mó piàn
鹌鹑蛋肉肠烤馍片（三套） $6
Toasted slices of mantou (steamed bun), home-made spicy pork sausage, fried quail egg on top; three per order

The noodles were great but I wished they didn't serve it first. By the time they served the buns, my mouth was on fire and couldn't appreciate the subtle flavors of the quail egg. Even by itself, I think the spicy sausage would have overwhelmed the taste of the quail egg.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Good eats in Bayside

My family's favorite pizza in the neighborhood is VIPizza (43-02 Bell Boulevard). Nothing fancy, just good pizza.

If you're looking for Chinese take-out, good luck. I haven't found a good place yet. I will occasionally drive out to Saigon (61-42 Springfield Blvd) for Chinese. It's a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant and it's run by Chinese people. They do a good job with stir frys. If you want just Vietnamese, there is Mekong East (43-13 Bell Boulevard) that is very good. My favorite Thai in the area is Bonne Saison (4004 Bell Blvd). There are also a lot of Korean places nearby, but I can't comment on them since my wife won't eat Korean food.

As for Greek, go to Avli (3831 Bell Boulevard). Unlike Fontanas which seems like a greasy diner, Avli has a nice atmosphere and very good food. Decent prices, too.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Lake Pavilion, new Chinese in Flushing

Had a big family dinner there last week, 20 people, 2 tables. I didn't do the ordering so I don't know the exact names of the dishes.

Everything was done well. Service was good. They went out of the way to cut and serve a birthday cake that we brought. The only snafu was they forgot our cold jelly fish appetizer until the end of the meal.

Some hits were the steamed crabs over flat noodles (the noodles soaked up the crab flavors), chicken with crispy skin (breast was not dry), and salt and pepper fried fish (excellent but don't let it sit too long).

The misses were the lamb chops (overcooked) and noodles with mushrooms (under seasoned).

Best of all, it's easy to find street parking. The parking lot is very small. I didn't witness it but my wife said the parking lot attendant gave a lady's car keys to someone else and the lady was panicking.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Near Fresh Meadows in Queens? Awesome food, either Thai or Indian or Spanish?

I would recommend Bonne Saison in Bayside. Its menu is half French and half Thai, and it does a good job on both sides of the menu. It's not far from the movie theater. Other nearby Thai places include BKNY Thai and Erawan Thai, but my favorite is Bonne Saison.

Also close by is El Patron. It's a Mexican restaurant but its menu also contains a page of Columbian (or Dominican - sorry, not an expert) dishes. I was there a week ago and really enjoyed my churrasco.

Bonne Saison
40-04 Bell Blvd
Bayside, NY 11361

El Patron
194-01 Northern Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11358

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Southern Spice closed and relocating ?

Wow, they have Goat Brain Masala on the dinner menu. Time to gross my friends out.

I've had brains before and it's definitely an acquired taste. My mother used to feed me fish saying it will help me swim, and brains saying it will make me smarter. I pointed out to her that, if the animal was smart, its brain wouldn't end up on the plate in front of me.

Anyway, I wonder how Goat Brain Masala is prepared. Have never seen it on a menu before.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Jumbo Clam Fritters

There are all kinds of edible clams, some over 10 lbs in size (e.g., geoduck clams). I often see very large clams for sale in Chinese markets. A clam that is the size of a finger is not unusual.

I love fried clams. Where did you get yours?

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Food stalls on the corner of Maple and Main street Flushing?

I have not tried anything there yet, but noticed on the Chinese menu that it said an English menu is available upon request. However, this looks like one of those places where you can just point at what you want and order.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

SUNY-Binghamton Reunion/Homecoming Weekend

I would suggest the P.S. Restaurant in Vestal, which serves French/Thai food. I haven't been to it recently, but it's located in a shopping center that's part way up a hill, so I don't think they would have suffered any flood damage.

http://www.psrestaurant.com/door/

-----
P.S. Restaurant
100 Rano Blvd Ste 8, Vestal, NY 13850

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Mytho's in Thornwood Town Center

Is it open already? I went by a week ago and it was still closed. It would be a good addition to the area.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Got a copy of China White's Menu

I have to disagree on PF Chang's. My last few business meals there have been disasters. In particular, I ordered stir fry squid on my last meal and it came out a mushy mess. I guess if I can like Olive Garden, then there are people who like PF Chang's. LOL

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Red House Fusion in Fresh Meadows?

Must be pretty bad if it's rated worse than PF Chang's, because my last few meals at PF Chang's were very forgettable. But in less than 20 minutes, you can drive to Flushing for Chinese food.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

What is the best Mexican restaurant in Jackson Heights?

I love Taqueria Coatzingo, too. But am wondering if there are any Mexican restaurants in Jackson Heights that is more upscale, that features a more innovative menu.

-----
Taqueria Coatzingo
76-05 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Looking for Saturday lunch near Oceanside

My son is going to start swim class in Oceanside this weekend. His class lets out just in time for lunch. Looking for lunch suggestions in Oceanside and nearby towns. I am not familiar with that area so any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Weekday Lunch in Flushing

A recent favorite of my family is Happy Garden near Main St and LIE. They have good lunch specials and their bubble teas really hits the spot in hot weather. It's also easy to find nearby parking. Most of their dishes are Cantonese.

On the other side of LIE is a good Falafel place, Naomi's. Also easy to find parking nearby.

Happy Garden
6006 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355-5341
(718) 961-1388

Naomi's Pizza & Falafel
6828 Main St, Queens, NY 11367
(718) 520-8754

-----
Naomi's Kosher Pizza
68-28 Main St, Queens, NY 11367

Happy Garden
60-06 Main St, Queens, NY 11355

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Is douhua / doufuhua 豆腐花 / tofu fa / tofu pudding served & sold in the outer boroughs ?

I just had a very good version of doufu fa from Kwong Hop Tofu at 8508 Grand Ave, Elmhurst. It's just down the block from Patacon Pisao. They make and sell tofu products to restaurants throughout the city, but they will also sell to people who walk in. Their tofu is very good and cheap. The doufu fa was $1.75 for a quart. They give the sweet syrup on the side. It doesn't get any fresher than that. Both the tofu and the doufu fa was still warm when I got home. Please be aware that the workers there may not speak English.

-----
Patacon Pisao
85-22 Grand Ave, Queens, NY 11373

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Best Thai food on Long Island?

Don't forget about the Sripraphai branch in Williston Park, NY. Been there twice and enjoyed it both times.

-----
SriPraPhai
280 Hillside Ave, Williston Park, NY 11596

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Red House Fusion in Fresh Meadows?

My father said this restaurant has been advertising in the Chinese newspapers recently. It would be interesting to find out whether the people on line are Asians or non-Asians.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Mama Su's Bayside

Checked it out for lunch today. The place was bigger than I expected. It'll seat about 60 people. The waitress came to the table to take our order and later brought the food to the table. But everything was served on plastic or paper. They did not use real plates or utensils.

The food was hit and miss. The soup dumplings and scallion pancake were very good. The soup dumplings had a delicate skin and good flavor (please note that I am not an expert on soup dumplings).

Also ordered two soup noodles (wonton with udon and grilled pork chop with rice noodles) and a spare ribs over rice. The wonton with udon was okay, but the other two were disappointing. The pork chop had a sort of sweet/sour sauce that did not work well. The spare ribs were 4 big ribs that had little flavor.

I will go back and try their other dishes since I live nearby, but I would avoid the pork chops and spare ribs in the future.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Bayside restaurants?

I, for one, would like to see something that we don't already have in the neighborhood. A Peruvian place like Pio Pio would be nice.

-----
Pio Pio
62-30 Woodhaven Blvd, Queens, NY 11374

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Cana Restaurant Punta in Hawthorne, anyone tried it yet?

Decided to give it a try for lunch today. The ladies behind the counter were really nice. They have a small regular menu, but I think most people would just grab something from the steam table. According to the menu, they have different specials every day. And I would guess that the specials are all available from the steam table. I grabbed the pernil with rice and beans, just $6.50 for the order. There was a decent amount of pork, but they gave me so much rice that the pork portion looks small. The rice and beans were good. The pork was okay. Good taste but kind of try. Maybe it's because the pork was leaner than portions that I tried in other restaurants.

I'm going to try it a few more times before I pass judgment, but so far it looks like a candidate for my lunch rotation.

Cana Restaurant Punta
321 Elwood Avenue
Hawthorne, NY 10532
(914) 495-3533

They are open for breakfast. The lady behind the counter suggested that I try their Dominican breakfast, which is mashed plantains with eggs and some sort of meat. I am not a fan of unripe plantain, but I'll give it a try next time.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Tienda Vieja - Colombian in Fresh Meadows

Today, for the hell of it, I went into Google Maps and did a search for "colombian". It gave a hit about a mile from my house. I was fending for myself for dinner so I decided to get some take-out from this Colombian restaurant, Tienda Vieja. Got soup of the day, Mondongo (tripe soup), and a bandeja paisa (country platter with rice, beans, steak, eggs, pork skin, sweet plantain, corn cake, and avocado). It was $19 total for a large amount of food. I am not a light eater, but could only finish about half of it.

The soup was good. It was heavy with tripe and potatoes. I can really taste the tripe in there.

The country platter was well executed, with some high points. There was a large piece of pork skin. The skin was still crispy when I got home. Very tasty. The sweet plantain was the way I like it, ripe and sweet. Too often, I've been to places where it was not ripe enough. The steak was so-so. It wasn't tough, but it was lacking in flavor. The corn cake was a decent Colombian style baked corn cake, but I prefer the Venezuelan style fried corn cake.

It's nice to know that I have this option so close to home.

Tienda Vieja
6562 Fresh Meadow Lane
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
718-321-3644
10am to 10/11 pm
credit card accepted - but there was a sign that there's a $15 min
menu says free delivery with $7 min
no website

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Cana Restaurant Punta in Hawthorne, anyone tried it yet?

Because of construction, I took a detour to work this morning. I noticed this restaurant, Cana Restaurant Punta in Hawthorne, which I haven't seen before. The sign said they serve Spanish and Portuguese food.

Has anyone tried it yet? A search on the web did not turn up much except they opened late last year. Thanks.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

D Thai Kitchen in Thornwood

I stopped by for my first time today to pick up some lunch take-out. There were only 4 diners in there. The food was tasty (although I'll ask them to make it spicier next time), there is plenty of parking, and the front patio is a great place to sit when the weather is nice. Trying to convince my co-workers to join me there for lunch next time.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

El Sabor de Michoacan paletas in Thornwood

I've been here around ten times so far. It's been hit or miss for me. I usually order something from the steam table with rice and beans. I've had more luck with the pork dishes than the chicken dishes. I keep going back because they constantly change what's available on the steam table and everything tastes home made.

It's not as good as Mexican places in Port Chester, but it's close to work for me.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)

Pio Pio Green Sauce

I didn't notice much of a difference after freezing.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Pio Pio Green Sauce

I buy the big container of the green sauce and freeze it. I use a ice cream scoop to scoop some out whenever I want some.

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Williamsburg

I was in Williamsburg about a month ago and tried "Food For Thought" for the 1st time. It was so good that I went back a 2nd time. Food was great and the prices were reasonable.

Robotron in Mid-Atlantic

Packaged foods made in Bronx or Queens??

Tortilleria Nixtamal‎
104-05 47th Ave, Corona, NY 11368

They package fresh tortillas.

-----
Tortilleria Nixtamal
104-05 47th Ave, Queens, NY 11368

Robotron in Outer Boroughs

Where can I buy Malt Powder

I have seen Ovaltine Malt flavor in several Asian supermarkets in Flushing. Don't remember which ones.

Robotron in New York State (exc. New York City)