Precious Water - Astorians Join the Tap Project!

Image by www.tapproject.org

Thousands of restaurants around the country are joining the Tap Project--a campaign that recognizes and appreciates clean and available tap water in our communities and at the same time helps UNICEF distribute clean water to children around the globe.

How the Tap Project Works:

All participating restaurants encourage their patrons to donate a $1 for their drinking water during their visit. Yes, that water is normally free but by giving a $1, you'll help provide clean water to those who need it most.

I was excited to see that Astoria's restaurants stepped up to support the cause. Visit these eateries between Sunday, March 16th and Saturday, March 22nd, give $1 for your water and help needy communities around the world.

Participating Restaurants in Astoria:

Ovelia Psistaria - Fun place for traditional and modern Greek cuisine--and a great brunch option. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.7217

Sanford's Restaurant - Astoria's landmark diner--has been in the 'hood for over 75 years!

30-13 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106. 718.932.9569

Chocolate Spoon Coffee House - A new cafe/bakery in Astoria--known for serving drinks in amazingly oversized mugs. 37-03 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.204.0780

JJ's Asian Fusion - A neighbor of the Chocolate Spoon, you'll find tasty sushi and other eclectic Asian grub. 37-05 31st Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.626.8888

Locale - Trendy cafe/bar, serving Italian dinner specialties and various brunch options. 33-02 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106. 718.729.9080

Support this cause and enjoy Astoria's delicious cuisine along the way.

All Day Brunch--Euro Style!

Euro Delights - 32-02 Broadway Astoria, NY 11106

718.777.2270

N/W Train to Broadway

I used to frequent Euro Delights a lot when I lived in that part of the 'hood. For those of you who haven't tried it yet, their crepes are superb. Walking by the other day, I saw that they serve brunch food all day long! How great is that? Pop in for a delicious and inexpensive crepe (both sweet and savory--your choice), an omelette, french toast or pancakes. Their sandwiches and wraps are yummy too!

Here's a sampling of their menu--and some great prices that won't hurt your wallet.

Omelettes: $6.25 (include various toppings)

Wraps: $5.95 - $6.95 (the higher priced wraps include shrimp) All wraps are served with a side salad or fries.

Pancakes or French Toast: Start at $3.25 and you get three pieces per serving.

Crepes: $3.95 - $9.95. These include both sweet and savory. My favorite is the Marie Antoinette with Nutella, bananas, strawberries and a sweet liquor. I've only tried their dessert crepes but that's just my thing--put anything in front of me with Nutella and I'm happy.

Enjoy it and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A New FoodTube? Check Out This Site!

Image by www.devour.tv

Margot, my food expert friend found a great new site called devour.tv. It's all about food and drink, with recipes, real-life testimonials and funny food clips. The site has a friendly, tongue-in-cheek tone, which definitely resonates with me. Although you won't find a plethora of content on devour just yet, they're enriching it bit by bit--so stay tuned because it'll get better.

Check it out for some pretty informative stuff--and for some good laughs too.

My favorite clips include:

Lunch with Mia: This girl's uncut expressions are guaranteed to crack you up!

Chocolate 101: For serious chocoholics, it talks about the history of chocolate including white, dark and milk and a general chocolate 101

Pet Chef: Yes, these are clever recipes for both pets and people. Have they lost their minds? Maybe, but they sure look delicious!

Have fun with the site and you might even pick up some tips along the way.

The 4-Foodies at Los Dados

Kimberly and I attended the 4-Foodies Mexican Madness event yesterday, held at Los Dados in the trendy Meatpacking District. And while I've been to this spot a couple of times already, I love the food so much that I wanted to experience it yet another way--through a private tasting.

About the 4-Foodies...
They're a networking group that organizes interesting foodie events throughout NYC. Each event has a unique theme and the past one was at the new restaurant Lunetta which now occupies the old Mayrose Diner space. Their gatherings aim to bring passionate foodies together, forge new relationships and allow New Yorkers experience great food at a fair price.

Los Dados:
A hip venue in the Meatpacking District, Los Dados is relatively new--and already gaining momentum. The decor is a combination of modern and traditional. You can find funky, goth chandeliers hanging from the ceiling alongside traditional Mexican folk art, such as the famous Dia de los Muertos depictions. The chef, Sue Torres while young is confident in her dishes and strives to constantly improve her culinary expertise. She visits Mexico yearly and stays with local cooks, picking up techniques that are later applied to the Los Dados kitchen.

Mexican Madness Menu:

Guacamole - Served with handmade corn tortilla chips, this is one of the better guacs I've had in the city. Creamy while still preserving some hearty avocado chunks, it was mild in flavor and unbelievably addicting. Our party of 4 pretty much finished the entire serving which came in a small-ish bowl.

BBQ Beef Mini Tacos - These were little shells of delight and were again mild in flavor, seasoned with pico de gallo and cheese. The serving size was bite-size which was nice for a quick mouth popper--I must've downed at least three. The beef was spectacular with a hint of sweetness--I'm suspecting Chef Sue threw in some brown sugar.

Coriander-Crusted Tuna Tostadas - While I usually don't eat raw tuna, I took a chance on these and am so glad that I did. They were a lovely combination of savory and sweet--savory from the guacamole and chips and sweet from the tuna and the charred serrano-pineapple salsa. Out of this world but unfortunately, I only scored two pieces.

Mini Roasted Organic Chicken Quesadillas - Again a beautiful and hearty combination of roasted chicken, paired with three cheeses and charred corn-tomato salsa. The salsa was glazed on top, which provided the perfect, creamy condiment. And unlike some quesadillas where the meat is dry, this one was super moist and packed with flavor.

Rice and Beans - Although this dish was simple, it was one of my favorites. The rice had nice texture and the beans were smooth but not overcooked. I paired it with some handmade corn tortilla chips, which I used in place of a fork and a spoon.

Churros - Mmmm, this is a beloved Mexican snack of mine and I only get it as a special treat. The great thing about the serving size was that like the tacos, it was bite size. Coated in cinnamon sugar, the churros were accompanied by two sauces--dulce de leche and dark Mexican chocolate. Being the chocoholic that I am, I went for the chocolate but then also mixed in the dulce de leche, which was excellent.

Overall Experience:
Very positive and we met a lot of nice new people. The event was fabulous for networking and meeting people with similar (culinary) interests--way to go 4-Foodies! My only complaint, which Kimberly also shared was that we wished there was more food. The food that was on the tables was scrumptious but we felt that we did not get our $50 worth. It's true that the evening also presented us with unlimited margaritas, but we would've been happier with more grub.

Another interesting highlight of the night was when Julianne Moore showed up with her husband and two children. Very cool--and we of course sneaked many glances her way.

Christos Steakhouse - A True Hidden Gem

Christos Steakhouse - 41-08 23rd Avenue, Astoria, NY 11105

718.777.8400

N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

www.christossteakhouse.com

Dan and I came here to celebrate his 29th birthday last week--and man, were we impressed! Although somewhat hidden in our 'hood, this old school steakhouse really shines in all areas--the food, the service and the atmosphere are all fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone for a special occasion or just an all around great meal. Watch out Peter Luger, Christos is a serious competitor!

Atmosphere:

Christos is the epitome of a good, traditional steakhouse. The decor is simple yet classic with a lot of wood embellishments and simple wooden tables and chairs. The coolest part about the front of the house is the huge lobster tank, which separates the lounge area from the formal dining room. Sitting right next to this thing, we saw lobsters being fished out and brought straight into the kitchen for preparation--this way you knew you were getting fresh seafood.

Another interesting thing about Christos is that they have a butcher shop, offering raw cuts of meat for sale. How cool is that? The beautiful red meat greets you as you walk in--you see it in the front window with the prices and all. While some would find this a bit too raw and real, I loved it--the gorgeous meat communicating a sort of authenticity and confidence to the customer.

Food:

The food here really surpassed our expectations. And in addition to traditional steakhouse dishes, they also offer several Greek specialties such as assorted Greek spreads, Saganaki--a pan fried Greek cheese, Loukaniko--Greek sausage; and so much more. Dan and I stuck to the basics and here's a taste of our celebration dinner:

Christos Baked Clams: A combination of clams oreganato and clams casino, this starter blew us away. We couldn't decide which we liked better because both were superb-ly hearty and fresh--and had a great salty but not fishy taste. The clams casino were topped with crispy bacon which was definitely the piece-de-resistance, while the clams oreganato had a refreshing citrusy essence with a loud crunch from the breadcrumbs. Far out!

The Steak:

Dan went for the big boy--the 24 oz Ribeye--and I got the 18 oz. Steak au Poivre with Metaxa Brandy sauce. Once again, we scored with these, and demolished them vigorously. Dan got his steak medium rare and boasted about its soft texture and juicy interior. And although it was a 24 ouncer, he was able to finish it because of the bone that ran down the middle.

My steak was also something special. The cut of meat was a Ribeye, infused with extra deliciousness that came from the sauce. The concoction included peppercorns, shallots, Metaxa and the luxuriousness of cream, which brought it all together. And again, while the portion was large, I finished it with grace--and with the help from an outside bone.

The Sides:

We ordered creamed spinach and fried onion rings for our side dishes. The creamed spinach was nice and silky while still earthy. It came topped with crispy shoestring onions, which we both couldn't get enough of.

The onion rings were beer battered and presented beautifully in a size order stack. While they tasted fine, this was the only dish we weren't impressed with. The batter was a bit bland and didn't do much to enhance the steak. We much rather prefer the bodacious onion rings they serve at Ruth's Chris.

Dessert:

Dessert was da bomb and included a silky creme brulee with dark chocolate, lining the bottom of the bowl. We both thought this was the most exceptional creme brulee we've ever had--no exaggeration. The custard was decadent, creamy and tasted of fresh vanilla. And the chocolate on the bottom was a fun surprise that we both looked forward to and devoured ridiculously quickly.

Service and Cost:

The service was impeccable. All of the waiters looked and sounded serious about their work and we held them in the highest regard for expertise. Every time we asked something, it seemed like they anticipated it beforehand and had an answer or a recommendation lined up. Our waiter was polite, proper and knowledgeable about the different cuts of meat offered. He made a great recommendation for our steaks, getting us genuinely excited for our meal.

Christos is definitely a splurge. For a three course dinner, including an appetizer, main course, dessert and a drink, I paid $65 per person. Appetizers go for $10-$20, steaks range from $28-$96 and desserts are mainly in the $8 range.

3 Mmmms

Riverbay Seafood Bar & Grill - An Island Treat

Riverbay Seafood Bar & Grill - 700 Willis Avenue, Williston Park, NY 11596

516.742.9191

www.riverbayrestaurant.com

We tried this place for the first time, celebrating a double dose of birthdays--Dan's 29th and his dad David's 60th. Although Riverbay happens to be on Long Island, it's in Williston Park, which is only about a 25-30 minute drive from Astoria--so don't be shy to venture out there. The owner also runs Major's Steakhouse in East Meadow, Long Island as well as the legendary The Boathouse Restaurant in Central Park.

Atmosphere:

This large, no frills brick building looks like a rustic house on the bay--hence its name. And even before you go in, you start to develop a mental picture of what awaits inside. As the exterior implies, the interior is also simple, yet elegant--decorated with rich wood moldings, fish sculptures and plenty of old photographs depicting life at sea.

The dining room itself is separated into three sections--all are very open and designed to hold a mix of tables both large and small. The great thing about Riverbay is that it accommodates large groups very well--as a party of six, we scored a round table in the far back corner which was both relatively quiet and private.

Food:

Wow! Simply put, the food blew me away and everything I tried was fantastic. Just have a look at a sampling of tonight's dinner:

New England Clam Chowder: Creamy but not too thick, this soup was the perfect starter. It was mixed with fresh ingredients like celery, potatoes and onions which intensified its deliciousness even more. And once I put those beautiful puffy oyster crackers in, I was in creamy soup heaven.

Grouper Gratinee - This happened to be tonight's special and what drew me to it was the topping of crispy breadcrumbs and lump crabmeat. The breadcrumbs formed an airy peak on the grouper and I ate them immediately, enjoying their crunchy, buttery taste. The fish itself-- despite being served in cream sauce--was really light and flaky. And although the portion was more than generous, I finished it to the last bite simply because it was so superb.

Aside from Riverbay's traditional fish dishes, they've also infused their menu with modern sushi alternatives. Here's what Diana and Vicki tried--and loved!

Volcano Roll: I'm nicknaming this the "big kahuna" roll because of its overwhelming height and its myriad ingredients, including king crab and cucumber wrapped in avocado and topped with scallops, octopus, king crab, masago and mayo. I had the chance to taste this dish and the mayo was my favorite ingredient--it not only seasoned everything nicely but also bound it together, creating a super creamy mound.

Spider Roll: Also a lovely plate, this one combined deep fried soft shell crab, lettuce, cucumber and masago. I didn't try this but it looked a lot lighter than than the Volcano roll and the portion was also substantial. Diana enjoyed it very much but she said that the Volcano Roll was slightly better.

Service and Cost:

Our waiter was very competent and brought an element of humor to the table--he had fun with our group, playing off the already sarcastic vibe we created. Good dinner recommendations were made and our waiter made sure we were all happy with our choices. I like that the waitstaff here looked the part--dressed in white overcoats and dark ties. They looked very official and portrayed their roles as seafood experts perfectly.

In terms of cost, this place is definitely a splurge. A three course dinner with an appetizer, entree, dessert and a drink will cost you about $60-$65 per person. Appetizers run from $4-$15 and the seafood entrees average somewhere in the mid $20's.

3 Mmmms