Mojave's Lunch Special

Mojave has an interesting weekday lunch special going on. Similar to its sister restaurant Agave, they offer an $11.95 lunch prix-fixe that includes a margarita tasting (aka a small shot glass of margarita).

Here's what you can get for your $11.95 on Monday - Friday from 12pm - 4pm.

Appetizer:

Seasonal greens or a cup of chili

Main Course:

Chicken breast sandwich

Grilled chicken club

Picadillo of black angus

Atlantic salmon sandwich

Enjoy and let me know what you think. I've tried the lunch special at Agave and the portions were decent.

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

Thanksgiving Dessert - Caramelized Apple Pecan Pie

I love pies! Mostly fruit pies but I'm not picky. Inspired by the November issue of Bon Appetit, I decided to make a caramelized apple, pecan pie for Thanksgiving dessert. The apple cooking process was a bit fussy but overall it wasn't too demanding. I took a shortcut with the crust and used a store bought one, which always tastes good. But if you choose to do your own, the recipe here shows you how.

Something else I'd recommend is to adjust the baking time according to your individual oven--I know that sounds obvious but it's better said than ending up with a dry pie. I was pretty proud of my finished product above--looks close to the one in the recipe, right?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Astoria!

Pissaladiere - Provencal Pizza

I wanted to leave you with a last minute recipe before Thanksgiving. Although Pissaladiere is not a traditional Thanksgiving dish, it's delicious and will surely please a crowd. I got it from the Barefoot in Paris cookbook and it's a pizza done in a Provencal style. This means no sauce and no cheese, which is healthier and lighter. Of course I substituted pancetta for anchovies, which added calories, but overall it's mostly made up of veggies.

You can follow this recipe and please know that you can use frozen pizza dough instead of making your own--that's what I did to save time. I'd also suggest using less onions than the recipe calls for. Even though Dan and I loved this dish, we both felt that it would've been better without a quarter of the onions--but that's entirely up to you.

Enjoy your Pissaladiere--you can cut it into small pieces and serve it as an appetizer or you can do large pieces and serve it as an entree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Seva - Stretching the Dollar to the Max

Seva - 30-07 34th street, Astoria, NY 11103

718.626.4440

N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.sevaindianrestaurant.com

I've been hearing such wonderful things about Seva that I invited a group of friends to join me there for Saturday dinner. My brother Peter, his girlfriend Fiana and friends, Gina and Grant joined Dan and me on a fun Indian food adventure. We had a blast and our wallets didn't suffer. Ahh..what a good feeling! We'll be coming back for sure--and you should try it too!

Atmosphere:
There's not much to report about the atmosphere because Seva is as simple as can be. I knew this going into it and that was just fine with me. The dining room is small yet cozy and I'd say that Seva is more suitable for smaller parties than our larger six person group. But they gladly accommodated us--and we all pitched in to build our six person table out of three small ones.

The only embellishment that I noticed at Seva was their artwork. It was nice to see that they support local artists, as we admired a cool tree-of-life mural as well as a couple of abstract paintings.

Food:
Seva really shined with its food preparation, as we all loved our dishes and unanimously agreed on the "awesomeness" of everything. We all went for the $12 three-course dinner prix-fixe because it was truly a deal that couldn't be passed up. Surprised and happy at how much food we got, we rolled out of Seva with full tummies and even fuller smiles.

Chicken Samosa - I love samosas--because let's be honest, what's not to love about something wrapped in a fried pastry crust? Seva's version was wonderful and had great spice to it. The crust was my favorite part because it was buttery and flaky but not greasy. The mint and tamarind chutneys that floated on the bottom were delicious to dip into and I polished off my portion in about two minutes. My dining companions also agreed that this dish rocked. Everyone except Peter ordered it--he got the Mulligatawny soup.

Chicken Tikka Masala - A standard Indian dish, it was by no means boring. The sauce was thick and mildly spicy and the chicken was as soft as can be. While there were about 4 medium-ish chicken cubes in the adorable silver bowl, there was plenty of sauce. I was glad that we ordered a side of Nan to soak up all the sauce, and I nearly licked my bowl clean. This dish is great if you're an Indian-food beginner, as many of us were.

Onion Nan - As you can see from the picture above, this was absolutely scrumptious. The nan was soft and so fragrant from the caramelized onions. And since it bakes in a traditional Tandoor oven, it's artfully decorated with beautiful char marks and its consistency is oh so airy. In addition to the onion, we also got a rosemary nan, which I didn't try because it was out of reach--but my friends said that it was lovely.

Kheer (or rice pudding) - Yum! What a great and simple dessert. It's a vanilla rice pudding with sweet nuts--nothing fancy but uncompromisingly tasty. The portion seemed small but was actually just right, as rice has a way of expanding in my tummy. Everyone agreed that this was gooood!

Other Dishes - There were other dishes that went around the table. Gina got the Lamb Korma with almond and cashew nut sauce - she liked it but couldn't finish it because she was so full. Dan went for the Chicken Rogan Josh, not because of what was in it but because his brother's name is Josh--go figure! He loved the delicious ginger paste in it and like me, he licked the bowl clean.

A couple of people also ordered Gulab Jamun or honeyed dumplings for dessert. I tried one and thought it was good but a little soggy. It reminded me of Ovelia's loukoumades but they weren't as good. I liked my rice pudding better.

Service and Cost:
While the waitstaff was courteous and nice, they were a bit slow. It seemed like they weren't prepared to serve a larger party or to serve a full dining room on a Saturday night for that matter. It took about a half hour to order but once we did, all the dishes came out in good time. Overall, the positives outweighed the negatives so I won't complain too much.

The incredible prices made up for the mediocre service. For 6 complete three-course meals and two orders of nan, the bill came out to $85 and with tip to about $100. That's $17 per person. Is that a steal or what? You do the math!

3 loud Mmmms

Turkey Day in Astoria

Are you staying in the nabe for Thanksgiving? Although some restaurants will be closed, there are plenty that will remain open for business--and are offering impressive Thanksgiving specials. Feast your eyes on these filling Thanksgiving offers...

Seva - Give your Thanksgiving some Indian flare. Enjoy a three-course feast for just $14. The food is fantastic and you'll get way more than what you pay for. Here's a sampling of Thursday's meal - Turkey Tikka Masala, Cranberry Saffron Rice, Cashew Pumpkin Halwa. And remember, you can bring your own booze--this joint is BYOB.
30-07 34th street, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.626.4440

Mojave - Enjoy Mojave's Mexican Thanksgiving for $29.95. You'll get a complimentary cocktail along with a three-course meal. Here's a preview - Butternut Squash Bisque, Cider-brined Hudson Valley Turkey, Pumpkin Cheesecake.
22-36 31st St, Astoria, NY 11105, 718.545.4100

Samba Grill - Celebrate Thanksgiving Brazilian-style, where meat is always the main event. Samba is offering a $25.95 prix-fixe, where you'll enjoy an oven-roasted turkey along with other cuts of meat and an all-you-can-eat buffet. A glass of sangria is included and reservations are strongly suggested.
29-17 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11105. 718.777.9477

Zenon Taverna - Zenon never fails to deliver a delicious and affordable meal. For $21.95 they're offering a three-course meal including the following scrumptious-sounding options: Cream of Turkey Soup, Roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Sweet Potatoes as well as Pumpkin Pie and Coffee.
34-10 31st Avenue, Astoria NY 11106. 718.956.0133

Cavo - Always ringing in the festivities in style, Cavo is offering a four-course Thanksgiving prix-fixe for $45. A sampling of their luxurious menu includes: Veloute of Green Split Peas Braised Short Ribs of Beef, Osso-Buco of Turkey Leg Braised With Orzo Tomatoes and Herbs, Caramel Sweet Potatoes, Fig and Honey Cheesecake.
42-18 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.1001

And don't forget about Thanksgiving dessert...

Martha's Country Bakery - Bring home Martha's old-fashioned lattice fruit pie. They come in a multitude of flavors such as apple, cherry, blueberry, pumpkin, pecan, cranberry walnut and more. Pies range between $12-$14.
36-21 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.545.9737

La Guli Pastry Shop - Another wonderful sweet shop with Italian flare, you can get pies as well as "Happy Thanksgiving" sugar cookies. Pie flavors vary and include: cherry, blueberry, apple, pumpkin, coconut custard, sweet potato and even mince pie! Prices range between $10-$26.50.
29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105 718.728.5612

Happy Thanksgiving Astoria!

SHI - Insider Scoop from Bartender Sue

What a lovely surprise it was this week when I found out that my co-worker Sue bartends at my new favorite Asian Fusion restaurant, SHI. I was excited to get some insider scoop from her, not only about the drinks but also about the food. Take a look at Sue's favorites below--they're already whetting my appetite.

Sue's SHI Must-List

First Course

Lychee Calamari
Crab Rangoon
Dumplings are always good - I prefer fried
Mixed Ceviche

Tom Yum Soup - fantastic but spicy

Second Course
Steak Cubes - they melt in your mouth
Sake Infused Cod - it's like butter
Lemongrass Chicken - I prefer it with shrimp and their seafood is pretty fresh
Pineapple and Raisin Fried Rice

Dessert
Green tea crème brulee
This new banana dessert - it's served warm with vanilla ice cream

Drinks
Our warm sake is pretty good and cheap
Lychee Martini
Ginger Mojitos are pretty good too

Thanks Sue -- these recommendations are great and I personally cannot wait to try the Sake Infused Cod and the Pineapple and Raisin rice. YUM!

SHI - 47- 20 Center Blvd, Long Island City NY 11101
Reservations: 347-242-2450 Take Out: 347-242-24487
Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Avenue
www.shilic.com