Ovelia's Mighty Kobe Beef Slider

Ovelia is dipping into some exquisite luxury eats, as they've added the Kobe Beef Slider to their menu. Playfulness combined with decadence; what a combo! They're available for dinner and happy hour for a slightly lower price.

Co-owner Pete Giannakas gives us the scoop about these mini burger sensations:

Ovelia Kobe Beef Sliders: Made with 100% Kobe beef, sliders come lightly seasoned and cooked to a temperature of your choice. They're served on a mini bun with mixed greens, tomato and grilled halloumi (Greek cheese) and are accompanied by your choice of fresh cut potatoes or sweet potato chips. The dish is enhanced by three sauces--cilantro-lime mayo, house feta sauce and good ol' ketchup. Dinner: $16, Happy Hour: $12.

Check them out and hit me up with your comments.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.7217
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Mother's Day in Astoria

Mami and Me - Mother's Day '07

Mother's Day is this Sunday so I thought I'd provide you with helpful hints on where to take Mama. The great thing about an Astorian Mother's Day is that you can choose between a high-end prix-fix or a casual brunch or dinner. The choice is yours!

Below are some of Astoria's great eats for Mother's Day.

Akti: This new Greek eatery is social and fun but also has an upscale feel, which Mom will like. Their seafood is out of this world and so fresh! Although they are not having a specific Mother's Day special, I encourage you to try their regular menu.

34-19 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.3530
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Brick Cafe: A charming bistro style eatery with great outdoor seating and yummy Mediterranean dishes. They're offering a brunch/dinner combo menu on Mother's Day but prices will remain as usual.

30-95 33rd Street, Astoria, NY 11102. 718.267.2735
N/W Train to Broadway or 30th Avenue

Cavo: This elegant Greek haven is celebrating Mother's Day with a bang! Cavo is known to be expensive but you get great quality food. Their Mother's Day special includes a 4-course $49 prix-fix special. An added bonus? All moms get a $20 Cavo gift card.

Click here for menu.

42-18 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.1001
R/V/G Train to Steinway or 46th Street

Mojave: This modern Southwestern joint and sibling of NYC's Agave will serve their regular menu items on Mother's Day. You will not feel like you are in Queens here--the space is absolutely gorgeous, which will impress Mom.

22-36 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.545.4100
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

Ovelia: A contemporary Greek eatery and the heartbeat of Astoria's 30th Avenue, Ovelia offers amazing eats and a fun indoor and outdoor atmosphere. For Mother's Day, they'll serve their regular brunch menu and for dinner they'll have a Rack of Lamb special as well as their regular dinner menu items.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.7217
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Stove: An endearing and peaceful Irish restaurant with a quaint outdoor garden, friendly staff and delicious comfort food. They're offering a $35 prix-fix menu for Mother's Day, which consists of an appetizer, entree, dessert, tea and coffee. I have the menu on-hand so please email me at critic@foodistanyc.com if you'd like to see it.

45-17 28th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.956.0372
R/V/G Train to 46th Street

Trattoria L'Incontro: This is definitely the Astorian splurge but worth every penny. You'll get the freshest pasta in town, great wine and an a homey atmosphere to boot! They offer a $60 prix-fix menu, including an appetizer, entree and dessert. Space is VERY limited so if you're interested call now.

21-76 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.721.3532
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

For more of my Mother's Day recommendations, see my article on about.com.

Happy Mama's Day Astoria!

Cinco de Mayo is Here - Celebrate it, Astoria Style!

Image by www.buycostumes.com

Cinco de Mayo is a fun holiday and a great reason to go out to eat, drink and celebrate. Whether you're Mexican or not, makes no difference--below check out four Astorian restaurants bringing you their own version of a fiesta.

Mojave - This modern Southwestern eatery is the sister restaurant of NYC's Agave. They're celebrating Cinco with live music and a free margarita with dinner.

22-36 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.545.4100
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

Luna de Juarez - An authentic Mexican joint which makes great enchiladas. Luna is offering a free cocktail (any cocktail) with dinner and they'll have live music as well, so you can shake it!

25-98 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.274.4350

N/W to Train to 30th Avenue

Cafe Bar - Although this laid-back, art deco lounge is not having an official "Cinco de Mayo" special, they are having 2 for 1 drinks from 5-7p.

32-90 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.204.5273
R/V/G Train to Steinway Street

Ovelia - I know, Ovelia is Greek but they serve a mean margarita. Check 'em out and take advantage of their happy hour special. $5 wine, $4 beers and $6 cocktails from 5p-8p.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.7217
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Feliz Cinco de Mayo Astoria!

Bella Via - A Cozy Pasta Heaven

Bella Via - 47-46 Vernon Blvd, LIC, NY 11101
718.361.7510
7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave
www.bellaviarestaurant.com

Bella Via was recommended to me by Vivian, owner of the Little Soap Shop and by my cousin Vicky. It's hard to find quality Italian and this place seemed cozy, nice and reasonably priced. Dan and I had dinner there this past Friday and were very happy with the food. The service still has a ways to go, but overall it was a good experience.

Atmosphere:
Bella Via has a very homey, comfortable feel. It's a warm place to be, both in the literal and figurative sense--the brick oven provides the physical warmth while friends and family give-off a happy, social vibe. The place was bumpin' on Friday night, and especially for a late dinner--we left around 10p and Bella showed no signs of slowing down. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves just like at a big Italian family dinner. Even though Bella is loud and boisterous, there were plenty of couples enjoying quality time, making this great for intimate evenings as well as for big social dinners.

Food:
The food is the area with which we were wowed. Everything was fresh, not heavy and seasoned really well. We got to sample a little bit of seafood as well as their starchy dishes:

Baked Clams Oreganato: We pretty much knew what to expect here--large clams, bread crumbs, butter, lemon, the works. But what we got was all that and so much more! The clams themselves were on the smaller side but so incredibly fresh that we were excited to have four pieces each. The sauce, which they floated on was the best part. While it had tomato in it, it was white wine based and so light that after the clams were gone, we dipped all of our bread into it and basically licked the plate clean.

Gnocchetti di Ricotta e Spinaci: This was my choice for entree and despite its name, "gnocchetti" or small gnocchi they definitely were not small. These were handmade spinach gnocchi that not only tasted delicious on their own, when dipped into the amazing white wine sauce described above, they were pure heaven. The only thing I had qualms with were the Kalamata olives in this dish. They were too salty and did not enhance the gnocchetti at all--they slightly took away from them. Dan tried my dish too and agreed--unbelievable gnocchi, the olives on the other hand were meh.

Tagliatelle with Shrimp and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: What caught Dan's attention about this dish was the shrimp. It was cooked perfectly, which is hard to find in restaurants. The pasta itself was also tasty and cooked al-dente. Once mixed (again) with the delicious white wine sauce, the pasta, the sun-dried tomatoes and the yummy shrimp, it made for a solid dish. Dan enjoyed it but mentioned many times that he liked my gnocchetti better.

Even though we weren't in the mood for this, I must mention that Bella Via also serves a variety of coal fired brick oven pizzas. From Pizza Margherita to Arugula with Prosciutto di Parma to Robiola Cheese with Truffle Oil, this seemed to be a popular dish to order.

Service and Cost:
The service was where I saw need for improvement. First off, our menus weren't given to us immediately, which was a bit strange. We sat there waiting for them and when they finally arrived and we looked through them, it took long for the waitress to come back and take our order.

Another bizarre occurrence was the absence of a bread basket. We were beginning to think that they don't serve them here but then I spied one at a table across from us. Where was ours? It came about 15-20 minutes after we ordered. While the dishes took a while to get to us, they were so delicious that we didn't let the service bother us.

Bella is moderately priced for an Italian joint. Antipasti range between $6.95-$11.95, pasta between $11.95-$15.95, pizza between $10.95-$18.95 and traditional entrees between $14.95-$23.95. Our dinner total was $70, which included 2 alcoholic drinks, an appetizer, two pasta entrees with tax and tip.

2 Mmmms

Important Sparrow Update - Reyes Has Left the Building

Even though it's still LIC week, I had to interrupt it to bring you the latest news about Sparrow and its chef Reyes who I love very much. Reyes is the mastermind behind Sparrow's delicious eats including their phenomenal burgers, sandwiches and of course the decadent pain perdu. So it was with great dismay that I learned yesterday that not only was Reyes leaving Sparrow, last night was his last hoorah. He was gracious and wrote to me personally to break the news. I was shocked and sad but wish him all the best and much success in the future.

With that said, Dan and I went over there to pay our respects to the man, the legend, the burger genius. He was expecting me and came out of the kitchen to say hi. We conversed and I thanked him for all that he does. His future plans are still unknown but he said that he wants to "explore more, learn more and to move forward." I have no doubt that he'll succeed and can't wait for the day when he tells me where we can find him next. Mark my words, I will follow this man wherever he ends up--and Dan is right there with me.

And although we already had dinner, we saved room for a Reyes dessert. Chocolate mousse was the special treat last night and not only was it presented beautifully, with Reyes' careful touch but it tasted oh so luxurious. I kid you not when I say that we finished it in less than a minute--destroying this generous piece and licking the plate clean (see picture for proof). The best part of the mousse cake was the cinnamon-liquor embellishment on the side--it was fun to dip the cake into it and the liquor gave it an unexpected kick. You can always count on Reyes to deliver something special and make the ordinary unique.

It was a bittersweet goodbye last night but I'm glad that we saw this culinary genius off. Good luck Reyes--Astoria will miss you!

Where will he go next? I promise to let you know...

Slovak-Czech Varieties - My Home Away from Home

Slovak-Czech Varieties - 10-59 Jackson Avenue, LIC, NY 11101

718.752.2093

7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave

Strolling around LIC with my cousin Vicky, she told me about a Slovak-Czech specialty store that she passed while walking from her boo's house. What!? Can it be? A little piece of my home country right in the 'hood! Actually, I wasn't that surprised because I've heard about this place from my Slovak friend Katarina. I knew it was there I just didn't know exactly where.

We found the place by mere process of elimination, "Ummm, I think this is the block," Vicky said. We walked and poked our head out in anticipation and low and behold, there it was. The itty-bitty Slovak-Czech Varieties store. If I didn't know about the treasures it holds, I wouldn't go in because it looks shabby and dirty from the outside. But once inside, the "oohing" and "ahhing" didn't stop. We recognized almost everything and got very excited, exclaiming effusively. The woman working behind the register didn't know what to make of us! American-looking girls with weird Slovak accents; she though we were some strange Slovak impostors. We asked her for help finding some of our beloved Slovak treats. She was sweet and we ended up conversing briefly at the end of our visit--good times.

Here's what you could expect to find at this store:

Snacks Galore: Tons of European chocolate treats. They have Milka, Delissa, Kinder and even one of my favorite wafer bars called "Fidorka." Actually, wafer treats are a Slovak and Czech obsession and this place carries a lot of varieties.

Cold Cuts and Cheeses: Looking for European-style salami and sausage? Slovak-Czech Varieties carries imports from Hungary and of course Slovakia and the Czech Republic ($7.50 on average). I highly recommend the smoked cheese and even the "bryndza" a sharp sheep's cheese that is very hard to find in this country. If you do go for the "bryndza," I'd recommend pairing it with dumplings or egg noodles.

Homemade Delicacies: I was happy to discover that you could buy "knedlik"--a dumpling bread. It's a moist, hearty side-dish, which goes especially well with mushroom or pork gravy. Want to try it before you buy it? They serve it at Astoria's Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, Koliba and Zlata Praha. Slovak-Czech Varieties sells this for $7.29/loaf.

Wooden Toys and Fine Crystal: Slovakia and the Czech Republic are known for their meticulous craftsmanship. You can find various tchotchies such as handmade figurines, children's toys, bookmarks, and of course their famous crystal vases, bowls, ashtrays, and other unique goods.

I'll definitely be hitting this little Slovak-Czech haven again soon. On my way out, I saw a children's book that my mom recently got in Slovakia for my little cousin Emma. It made me smile. For all you Slovaks and Czechs, I have no doubt this store will do the same for you and for ya American friends, I know you'll appreciate it too.

Lounge 47 - A Groovy Brunch in LIC

Lounge 47 - 47-10 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101

718.937.2044

7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave

Brunch is one of my favorite meals and I was excited to check out this casual spot in LIC--an untapped neighborhood for me. I learned about Lounge 47 from a fellow blogger Jon from EateryRow and what sold me was their endearing outdoor garden. It was unfortunate that the weather was too chilly for me to experience it, but I'll be sure to come back and enjoy some sun and more grub soon.

Atmosphere:

Lounge 47 is a funky, 70's era kind of place. The lamps are a bright orange color and the walls are pretty bold too, with brown and orange geometric wallpaper. The space is set up like a lounge in the front, with a comfy chaise, low tables and a nice bar; and like a restaurant in the back, with simple wooden tables and chairs. The back of the house leads to a quaint outdoor garden, which is rustic and colorful--it actually has trees and bushes, which a lot of so-called outdoor gardens in the area don't.

The clientele at Lounge is young and trendy. You'll notice hipsters wearing ultra cool clothes, chatting away happily over eggs and French Toast. I even saw some families with kids and they were cool too--the middle aged mom sitting just one table away had a hipper haircut than me! Overall, Lounge offers a chill vibe and is a pleasant hideaway on weekend mornings.

Food:

While the food satisfied me, it didn't wow me by any means. I'd call it solid and satisfactory but wouldn't rant and rave about it. Here's what we tried:

Mini-Muffins - These were my favorite part of the meal and they came out as a complimentary starter, in place of bread. It was obvious that the muffins were freshly baked--they were sweet, moist and a little crunchy on the outside--just the way I like 'em. Two varieties were served--corn and banana. And while the corn looked better, the banana muffin simply hit it out of the ballpark in terms of taste--it wasn't overly sweet and tasted so natural. You could sense that real fruit was used to create this lovely snack.

Huevos Rancheros - Wow! This sounded absolutely amazing on the menu--eggs, tortilla chips, pico de gallo, jalapenos and avocado. What more could a girl ask for? I have to be honest though and say that I was a bit disappointed. The most surprising ingredient in this dish was the curry. I didn't dislike it and actually started enjoying it until it became overpowering and I didn't care for it anymore. There was also a problem with the avocado that was sliced on top of the eggs--it could've been cut thicker. The thin slices weren't hearty enough and seemed to melt into the eggs. Meh...

Spinach Egg white Omelet - This was my cousin Vicky's dish. She enjoyed it and let me taste it. Again, good but not excellent. I thought that the eggs could've used more seasoning but she cleaned her plate and seemed satisfied.

A side note about the portions--they are generous and you get great value.

Dining Tip #1: Go for the burgers--they're pretty gnarly and even won a TimeOut New York award.

Dining Tip #2: Don't forget to try Lounge's signature Wasabi Deviled Eggs--talk about hot!

Service and Cost:

No complaints about the service, it was quite good. Our waitress was nice and unobtrusive. She gave us good recommendations and tips about each dish. For example she told me to get jalapenos on the side with my huevos--a smart choice considering that I probably would've passed out from all that heat.

Lounge offers great value for brunch. $13 will get you an entree, those delish mini-muffins, coffee and a morning cocktail. And if you do go for the burger and the Wasabi Delived Eggs, they'll cost you around $8.50-$11 and $3 respectively.

2 Mmmms