Winegasm - An Out of Body Experience

Winegasm - 31-86 37th Street, Astoria NY 11103

718.932.3331

N/W Train to Broadway

www.winegasmeatery.com

My colleague Joey and I checked out Winegasm back in May and just this week, I returned there with my other two Joey in Astoria colleagues Meg and Sooz. We were generously invited to an informal tasting by Winegasm's owners. It was a fun night filled with laughter, delicious food and incredible wine. While I'm going to concentrate on the food here, my colleagues will cover the wine in a later posting.

We couldn't have survived the night without Winegasm's delicious grub--both because of its wonderful flavor but also because we needed sustenance to hold us over from the wine. Here are some of the things we sampled:

Spicy Almonds - In addition to having a nice kick from spices, these almonds were served warm. They were a delight to bite into, as you could taste their natural oil coming out--and the spices provided a cheerful greeting for the tongue. It's a good starter that's nice with both whites and reds.

Gasm Dip - This caught Meg's eye immediately and it consisted of a puree of beans, carrots and truffle oil with melba chips. It was tasty but definitely not my favorite thing here--partly because of the strange flavoring. I thought that I tasted tarragon or some sort of licorice spice, which I wasn't a fan of. Meg and I were saying that we prefer the carrot dip at Mundo.

Bacon Wrapped Prunes - This sounded amazing on the menu and it's one of my standouts of the night. The exterior was crunchy, smoky and salty from the bacon while the inside was ooey, gooey and sweet from the prunes. It tasted like a dessert and a tapa in one! I highly recommend it, especially if you're drinking red wine.

7 Cheese Mac with Country Bacon - This dish spoke to us from the beginning since the three of us love bacon. While it was presented beautifully in a rustic ceramic dish, we were surprised to see that the bacon was placed on top in large strips, as opposed to being cut up into small pieces and interspersed into the mac. But once we tasted it, the bacon faux pas was quickly forgotten. The mac was crunchy on top, smooth and rich on the inside. It didn't feel heavy as it often could--probably because it was split between three people. In the end, it was kind of fun to break up the bacon into smaller pieces and to place it on top of each forkful of mac.

Mozarella, Sun-Dried Tomato, Arugula and Pesto Panini - This hard-to-mess-up sandwich was another home run at Winegasm. The bread was fluffy and fresh and so were the inside ingredients. It was paired well with a mixed green salad and adorable, crunchy cornishons. Although we agreed that it was no Il Bambino, it held its own and I'd certainly get it again.

Fresh Crab Cakes with Arugula Salad - These were suggested by Winegasm and we absolutely devoured them--the crabmeat was super fresh and flavored with lemony parsley and red peppers. The crab cakes were bite sized and their flavor was enhanced when dipped into the spicy mayo and vinaigrette dip. The arugula salad was a nice touch too, providing zest and freshness to the dish.

Molten Lava Cake and Orange Chocolate Mousse - We needed to cap off our night with something sweet and chocolatey so we selected these two favorites. Both were amazing and beautifully presented. The Molten Lava cake was garnished with silky raspberry sauce--it was so soft and rich inside that we had to switch off between that and the mousse. The mousse was also fabulous, with a tart orange flavor from the Grand Marnier. It was garnished elegantly with orange peel and creme fraische. Both desserts were beautiful, decadent dishes that should be tried at least once.

Service and Cost:

The service was superb--mainly because they knew we were coming but even despite this bias, the staff seems to know what they're doing and their passion for Winegasm shines through. We were given tons of wonderful pairing suggestions and even some brief histories of wine, which were informative and interesting. If you'd like to find out more, check out their Thursday night wine tastings from 7-9p.

Winegasm's costs are reasonable and range between $3.50-$8.50 for appetizers, $6.95-$11.95 for paninis and $7.95 - $21.95 for main dishes. Wine is offered by the glass, $7-$14 or by the bottle, $25-$99.

3 Mmmms

The Pretzel Croissant - Queens Vs. NYC

About a month ago, I wrote about a unique snack, the pretzel croissant, which I sampled from Cafe Henri at the Taste of LIC Event. The wonderful fusion of salty and sweet flavor in this treat was so unforgettable that I found myself going back to Cafe Henri and asking for more.

I was disappointed to find out that the pretzel croissant was not yet available there but that it would be coming soon. Since patience isn't my strong point, I decided to seek solace at NYC's The City Bakery, which is known for its fluffy marshmallows, melted chocolate chip cookies and now the pretzel croissant--which has a cult-like following. You can even check out their custom micro-site, dedicated to this baked goodie.

The pretzel croissant is readily available in The City Bakery front-counter display. You'll have no trouble noticing it because it's clearly labeled and the croissants are extra large. I bought one for a whopping $3.50, which is to be expected here--everything is priced at a premium. But despite the steep price, the final product was so worth it that I'll surely be coming back for more (until Cafe Henri starts supplying them, that is). Here's a bit more about The City Bakery pretzel croissant and how it stacks up to its Cafe Henri counterpart.

The City Bakery Pretzel Croissant - The sheer size of this thing was impressive--it was a legitimate croissant, whereas the one at Cafe Henri was a mini version. I loved the large croissant and split it with Dan but I would've been happy with a bite-size version as well. The shape of The City Bakery croissant also mustn't be ignored. While it looks like a croissant, it's joint and crossed at the ends just like a pretzel. It almost looks like a set of forearms in a relaxed pose--quite cool!

The crust on The City Bakery's version was very pretzel-like--super-salty and the sesame seeds were fresh and crunchy when you bit into them. I definitely favor sweet over salty and in terms of the crust, I preferred Cafe Henri's, which was lighter on the salt. The inside however was much better at The City Bakery. It was soft, buttery and as flaky as can be.

Overall, I'd call this pretzel battle a close tie. I'll definitely visit The City Bakery during the week, as it's close to my job but I'll also be hitting up Cafe Henri in LIC on the weekends. What can I say, you can never have enough sweet and salty goodness. Long live the Pretzel Croissant!

The City Bakery - 3 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011

212.366.1414

N/W/R/Q/2/4/5 to Union Square or the V/F to 14th Street

www.thecitybakery.com/

Cafe Henri - 10-10 50th Avenue, LIC, NY 11109
718.383.9315
7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave

Le Onde - New Mediterranean Fusion

Le Onde - 33-04 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106

N/W Train to Broadway

On my walk over to Winegasm last night, I noticed that the old Ethos Estiatorio is being replaced by a new Mediterranean Fusion-Seafood restaurant called Le Onde. Good G_d! I unfortunately had a terrible experience at Ethos (more so with the service than the food) that left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm looking forward to seeing what this new place will bring and will certainly monitor it for any progress. If anyone knows the deets behind Le Onde, drop me a line.

Baklava and Burgers a la Arthur Schwartz

Image by www.thefoodmaven.com

My friend Rikki forwarded an interesting e-newsletter my way, written by no other than the food maven himself, Arthur Schwartz. I highlighted the relevant Astoria touchpoints below. There's a great shout-out to Art-O-Polis bakery and Harry's Water Taxi Beach. The event, that Arthur mentions below is the The Cuisine of Queens and Beyond held on May 20th at Astoria World Manor, which I attended and wrote about.

I passionately agree with Arthur about Art-O-Polis. It's a one of a kind pastry shop and their baklava is to die for. Its discreet location on 31st Street near 23rd Avenue also carries authentic Greek gear such as Greek cookbooks. Check it out, especially after a beer and sausage at the Beer Garden--it's just a short block away.

Dear Friends,

I have been so focused, so consumed with writing, cooking, writing, cooking, writing, cooking for my next book, the big southern Italian opus, due on my editor’s desk at the end of the summer, that I haven’t made time to write to you. Sorry.

Because I have barely left the house in the last month, except to go the gym and to go food shopping, that I don’t have that much to report about life and food. But as is my bad habit, I have collected next to my computer, in the messiest fashion, a small pile of business cards, menus, and notes to myself, a collection of stuff to remind me of things that I want to tell you. Where does the time go? How do thing pile up so quickly?

But let me start. Way back on May 20, I participated in a public dine-around event called The Cuisine of Queens and Beyond, sponsored by Dish Du Jour, a local restaurant magazine. You know the kind of event. In this case, 50-something restaurants, craft beer and fine wine producers—not all Queens based, some beyond—were the big attraction. I don’t remember what the admission fee was but you certainly could get more than your money’s worth wandering around the ballroom with a big appetite.

There was also a table for authors to sign their books, including me. And there was a supposedly city-wide hamburger contest, although it was hardly that. All of the judges agreed, and I was one, that some of the best burgers in town were not represented, and that, we whispered between us, New York City is in big trouble if these are the best burgers that could be found to compete.

The winner was very worthy, however. It was made by Harry Hawk of Water Taxi Beach, which is this totally cool summer place on the bank of the East River in Long Island City (http://www.watertaxibeach.com/). Harry serves light food there, like hamburgers. The view of Manhattan is unbeatable. They sometimes have movies and other entertainment. Harry’s burger had a slightly complicated pedigree. It was “designed” – yes, that was the word used – by the master of ceremonies of the contest itself – George Motz, who wrote a new and quite beautifully photographed and designed book called “Hamburger America, A State-by-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints.” I thought that was something of a conflict of interest. A contestant’s product “designed” by the emcee?! On the other hand, the judges truthfully didn’t know whose burger was whose, etc., so it was fair and square.

Harry’s “Motz Burger,” despite its pretensions to “design,” beat the others because it was nothing more (or less) than a perfectly griddled medium rare glob of unadulterated, freshly ground, well-fatted beef on a squishy white bread bun. I have always thought that the bun should not be intrusive. A white bread bun is fine with me. I prefer it to what we might call “better” bread, something you really need to chew, or at least pay attention to. The bread on a burger should, I think, be merely something to hold the burger neatly in you hand. Apparently, the other judges agreed. So did the emcee. So did Harry. So he won.

Instead of ketchup, the so-called “Motz Burger” was dressed with Harry’s “Schnack Sauce,” a mayonnaise, mustard, and chipotle pepper concoction that Harry invented for his sort-of short lived dive, Schnack, on Union Street. It had a brief vogue among the Aren’t Sliders Awesome Crowd. It is now an empty storefront in … what do we call it? … South Cobble Hill, North Red Hook. I never remember. It’s way at the end of Union St., where it practically goes into New York harbor.

Anyway, although the hamburger contest was fun, if not a definitive, the most exciting part of the Queens event was seeing, in one place (Astoria Manor, a catering hall), the incredible scope of eating possibilities in Queens, probably the most ethnically diverse of the five boroughs, maybe the most diverse place on earth.

Topping my list of discoveries was/is ARTOPOLIS, a Greek bakery and pastry shop in a new shopping center called Agora Plaza, 23-18 31st St. in Astoria; 718-728-8484.

At the show I tasted Artopolis’ baklava and it stopped me in my tracks. I allowed myself just one tiny piece, but took a few pieces home. The next day I confirmed to myself: these are, indeed, the best baklava ever.

Artopolis’ owner, Regina Katopodis, told me she imports sheep’s butter from Greece to make them. I had to respond that although I know the butter makes a difference, it is someone’s genius hands that are responsible for these. Regina had to agree. She treasures her bakers. She has another, formerly of the Plaza Hotel, who does gorgeous decorated cakes in the highest contemporary French style. I’m certain they eat as great as they look because everything I tasted at Artopolis was absolutely the tops.

I actually went to Regina’s gorgeous shop just the other day. (I needed a break from writing, cooking, writing, cooking – and all southern Italian.) That baklava was haunting me, like a Siren call, whispering my name from Astoria. I was prepared for great pastry, but not this gorgeous shop. Regina explained that everything was imported from Greece, the whole store, from the cream-colored paneled walls to the marble floors, the tiled, built-in display cases, the modern refrigerated ones, the tables, the tulle draped over the cookie and pastries to protect it from whatever might be in the air. Regina brings these things and kinds of ideas from Athens, where, although she is American (Madison High – we reminisced together), she lived for 14 years and still maintains ties.

Not so coincidentally, because Artopolis is beginning to be known as the best Greek bakery in New York, I bumped into Michael Psilakis, Manhattan’s star Greek-American chef, the partner of Donatella Arpaia in two of his restaurants. Mia Dona, which Michael likes to think is Italian, although it is really Micbael Psilakis food, and Anthos their contemporary-original Greek restaurant, one of only two Greek restaurants in the world to get a Michelin star. Michael was on a research mission with a new pastry chef. I only mention this to underscore the important influence that Regina Katopodis is becoming. She knows quality. She knows how to deliver it. She is wholesaling to some of the finest restaurants and food services in the country, not just here in New York.

It should go without saying that I was totally bad and ate too much pastry while hanging out at Artopolis – although I could have done worse. Before getting to the sweets, however, I needed something savory, a spinach-filled pastry.

Did I want it heated? the clerk asked.

“Not if it’s going in a microwave,” I said.

That’s where most things are reheated these days, all over the world, even if the zapper ruins bread and pastry. Even in souks in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco they are ruining food with microwave ovens. In Sicily, every dump that sells arancini is ruining them by zapping them. So I was thrilled to see the Artopolis clerk cringed when I used the word microwave. She put my pastry in a conventional oven to heat it through. I knew I loved this place.

I have another Queens restaurant to report on – ZUM STAMMTISCH, one of the only German restaurants left in New York City. And so many other little things. But tomorrow is another day, and this is getting long.

I promise to write more frequently.

All best,

Arthur

Grilled Scallops and Tomatoes Provencale

I wanted to cook something light last weekend, especially with all of the heavy holiday food that we consumed. Sticking primarily to fish and veggies, I decided to try the following scallop recipe out of my latest Bon Appetit issue. Although I omitted using nectarines, I pretty much stayed true to the recipe.

For a side dish, I worked my magic with an old recipe for Tomatoes Provencale that I inherited from my ICE cooking class. See the easy directions below. The best part of this dish is its healthfulness and fragrant ingredients. It's inexpensive to make and makes for good leftovers. Enjoy!

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Provencale (8 Servings)

Ingredients:

4 firm, ripe medium tomatoes

Salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of finely minced shallots (you can use onions if you can't get shallots)

3-5 tablespoons of minced fresh basil

1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon of dried (I prefer dried)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of olive oil plus additional

1/2 cup of dry white bread crumbs (you can also use Italian bread crumbs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil the baking dish.

Cut the tomatoes in half, crosswide. Using your index finger, poke the seeds from the tomato cavities. Sprinkle the halves lightly with salt and place the tomatoes upside down on a rack. Allow to drain for about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, shallots (or onions), basil, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 cup of the oil and the bread crumbs.

Season the insides of the tomato halves with pepper and fill each with 1-2 spoonfuls of the stuffing. Sprinkle with a few drops of oil. Arrange the tomatoes in the baking dish. At this point, the tomatoes can be held for several hours.

Place the baking dish in the upper third of the oven and bake until the tomatoes are tender but still hold their shape (10-15 minutes). The filling should be lightly browned. Cool slightly and serve.

Feast on this guilt-free dinner--Dan and I did and we'll make it again soon. The key is to use fresh sea scallops and fresh veggies. I got the scallops at the Best of the Sea fish market on 30th Avenue and the fruit from the 24-hour United Brothers Fruit also on 30th Avenue.

Zodiac - Facelift-in-Progress

Zodiac - 30-15 Newtown Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102

718.726.3995

N/W Train to 30th Avenue

I noticed that Zodiac, one of Astoria's staple Greek cafes is out of commission for the time being. The signs in the window say "we are closed for renovation" and "we'll be back soon." Sounds promising and the community will undoubtedly welcome a new and improved Zodiac. This place is known to have good--and authentic--Greek food but it was starting to look a bit shabby with its fake palms and tacky electric blue seating.

I'm excited for a new Zodiac and will report back about its reopening. Stay tuned...

Zlata Praha - $6.95 Lunch Special

Zlata Praha - 28-48 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11102

718.721.6422

N/W Train to 30th Avenue

www.zlatapraha.cc

Zlata Praha is one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria--primarily because it reminds me of my home country of Slovakia. The food is hearty and quite affordable. My family has been coming here for years and we've also taken advantage of their incredible lunch special, which is well worth the unbelievable $6.95 that you'll pay for it. Trust me, you will not find a deal like this anywhere else. The food is filling, homemade and in my opinion delicious. Don't expect too much in terms of ambiance--this place is simple and as far from trendy as you can get.

Here's more information about this rare--and tasty--lunch special.

Tuesday - Friday from 11:30a - 3:30p

Includes a cup of soup, an entree, dessert and coffee

All for...$6.95

And don't worry about it being a limited-time offer--the price has remained in this neighborhood for as long as I can remember.