Queens
Posted by Tia Kim, November 5, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Tia Kim]
Much has been written about Bon Chon, the first Korean fried chicken chain in the states that made Americans put down their KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) for a different KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).
However, two of the Bon Chon franchises in New York, one off of 32nd Street and one in Flushing, have pulled a Palin and gone rogue. The two restaurant-bars are now calling themselves "Mad for Chicken." Considering the former K-Town Bon Chon was my go-to wings and beer spot, the news was a bit unsettling. So a few days ago, I decided I needed some wings to settle my nerves.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 4, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
Queens offers every kind of Asian food: Indian, Indonesian, Korean, Thai, and a plethora of regional Chinese. The void in this wonderland of ethnic eats has always been the bánh mì, or Vietnamese sandwich. This is because until last week there were no delis, or jewelry store-delis specializing in Vietnamese sandwiches. Sure, a few restaurants offer a serviceable version, notably Phở Bắc in Elmhurst, but for the most part bánh mì in Queens are little more than ham sandwiches with a Vietnamese accent.
Enter Golden Vietnam Bakery. I almost fell over when I encountered what is surely Queens's first bánh mì specialist on the first floor of Flushing's Golden Shopping Mall. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief at the guy sitting at the counter happily eating a Vietnamese sandwich.
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Posted by Carey Jones, November 3, 2009 at 2:00 PM
[Photo: Eating In Translation]
Uncle George's Greek Taverna, which Vittles Vamp calls "the Astoria 'it' destination for Fodor's-lugging gyro and souvlaki loving tourists," has closed its doors.
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 3, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
While many in New York City spent Halloween watching the parade, I did it up Queens style. There's something incredible about walking the pan-Latin stretch of Roosevelt Avenue, from Jackson Heights into Corona, and seeing all the costumed little kids trick-or-treating with their parents. Plus, I get to eat at food streets carts like Delicias Isabel, a Mexican operation that stands outside of the truly creepy botanica, El Indio Amazonico.
Lately I've been giving Mexican food short shrift, so I was particularly glad to have run across this cart and especially intrigued by the sign reading "picaditas." The gal behind the counter refused to let me takes pictures, but she assured me that a picadita was far better than a mere taco. "Es como un huarache?" I asked, wondering if it was like the sandal-shaped Mexican snack. After receiving an enthusiastic nod in response I ordered a picadita de lengua ($5).
Picadita means "little pinch," and I watched eagerly as she formed masa into a circle and then pinched the edges upwards creating a shallow bowl of sorts. To this she added a shmear of refried beans. While it continued to cook, she crisped up chunks of steamed beef tongue on the plancha. These were then added to the saucer of cooked masa and finally topped off with shredded lettuce, crema, and crumbled cotija cheese. The end result was a tad messy to eat without utensils but nonetheless delicious.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 2, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
I am familiar with this Asian dessert, here accurately if unappealingly called a "sesame bean paste rice ball": black sesame paste stuffed in soft mochi, and served in a soup of fermented rice. The hot liquid sesame, thick and creamy, slowly drips out as you bite away the mochi. Immensely satisfying. But this particular version, served at Spicy & Tasty in Flushing was new for me.
Eggs! Egg whites, specifically. Swirled into the dessert soup in the same manner as hot and sour soup, among the grains of fermented rice. I associate egg whites with savory soups, never sweet ones, but this dessert grew on me. The restaurant service may have been surly, but I'd go back for this alone.
Spicy & Tasty
3907 Prince Street, Flushing NY 11354 (map)
718-359-1601
Posted by Tia Kim, November 5, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Tia Kim]
Much has been written about Bon Chon, the first Korean fried chicken chain in the states that made Americans put down their KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) for a different KFC (Korean Fried Chicken).
However, two of the Bon Chon franchises in New York, one off of 32nd Street and one in Flushing, have pulled a Palin and gone rogue. The two restaurant-bars are now calling themselves "Mad for Chicken." Considering the former K-Town Bon Chon was my go-to wings and beer spot, the news was a bit unsettling. So a few days ago, I decided I needed some wings to settle my nerves.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 4, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
Queens offers every kind of Asian food: Indian, Indonesian, Korean, Thai, and a plethora of regional Chinese. The void in this wonderland of ethnic eats has always been the bánh mì, or Vietnamese sandwich. This is because until last week there were no delis, or jewelry store-delis specializing in Vietnamese sandwiches. Sure, a few restaurants offer a serviceable version, notably Phở Bắc in Elmhurst, but for the most part bánh mì in Queens are little more than ham sandwiches with a Vietnamese accent.
Enter Golden Vietnam Bakery. I almost fell over when I encountered what is surely Queens's first bánh mì specialist on the first floor of Flushing's Golden Shopping Mall. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief at the guy sitting at the counter happily eating a Vietnamese sandwich.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, November 3, 2009 at 2:00 PM
[Photo: Eating In Translation]
Uncle George's Greek Taverna, which Vittles Vamp calls "the Astoria 'it' destination for Fodor's-lugging gyro and souvlaki loving tourists," has closed its doors.
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 3, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
While many in New York City spent Halloween watching the parade, I did it up Queens style. There's something incredible about walking the pan-Latin stretch of Roosevelt Avenue, from Jackson Heights into Corona, and seeing all the costumed little kids trick-or-treating with their parents. Plus, I get to eat at food streets carts like Delicias Isabel, a Mexican operation that stands outside of the truly creepy botanica, El Indio Amazonico.
Lately I've been giving Mexican food short shrift, so I was particularly glad to have run across this cart and especially intrigued by the sign reading "picaditas." The gal behind the counter refused to let me takes pictures, but she assured me that a picadita was far better than a mere taco. "Es como un huarache?" I asked, wondering if it was like the sandal-shaped Mexican snack. After receiving an enthusiastic nod in response I ordered a picadita de lengua ($5).
Picadita means "little pinch," and I watched eagerly as she formed masa into a circle and then pinched the edges upwards creating a shallow bowl of sorts. To this she added a shmear of refried beans. While it continued to cook, she crisped up chunks of steamed beef tongue on the plancha. These were then added to the saucer of cooked masa and finally topped off with shredded lettuce, crema, and crumbled cotija cheese. The end result was a tad messy to eat without utensils but nonetheless delicious.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 2, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
I am familiar with this Asian dessert, here accurately if unappealingly called a "sesame bean paste rice ball": black sesame paste stuffed in soft mochi, and served in a soup of fermented rice. The hot liquid sesame, thick and creamy, slowly drips out as you bite away the mochi. Immensely satisfying. But this particular version, served at Spicy & Tasty in Flushing was new for me.
Eggs! Egg whites, specifically. Swirled into the dessert soup in the same manner as hot and sour soup, among the grains of fermented rice. I associate egg whites with savory soups, never sweet ones, but this dessert grew on me. The restaurant service may have been surly, but I'd go back for this alone.
Spicy & Tasty
3907 Prince Street, Flushing NY 11354 (map)
718-359-1601
Posted by Joe DiStefano, October 19, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
Saturday marked the last day of the Hindu holiday Diwali, otherwise known as the Festival of Lights. It was also the first and last day Sikhs celebrate Diwali. I know this only because I called Harpreet Singh Toor, chairman of the Sikh Cultural Society, and asked him where to eat for Diwali. "Come to the gurdwara [temple] in Richmond Hill," he answered.
So I did—but first I walked Liberty Avenue in search of the Trinidadian treat doubles, and discovered Trini Flava's Restaurant. With a slogan like "Trini Flavas 2 D Bone," and a hand-printed sign reading Diwali specials, somehow I knew I'd be having more than doubles.
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Posted by Carey Jones, October 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Our Top Five
- The Winner: Two Little Red Hens
- Mona Lisa Pastry Shoppe
- Lady M Cake Boutique
- Cheesecake Factory
- Fairway Market
In the pantheon of iconic New York foods, not much outranks the proud cheesecake. Whether after dinner at Luger's, by the round at Eileen's, or shipped across the country by Junior's, New York cheesecakes are a force to be reckoned with. The cheesecake is a dessert that's perfect in its simplicity. A silky, creamy base, an optional thin crust—and that's it.
What makes a first-class cheesecake? It's smooth and creamy, just sweet enough, with a hint of tartness. If there's a crust, it adds something extra without overwhelming the taste of the cheesecake itself. And it's rich enough to seem a bit decadent, without going down like a cement pour. You should want to keep eating—at least, for more than one bite.
So we canvassed the boroughs for New York's best cheesecake, arrived at our finalists, and assembled our panel of crack tasters. All cakes were tasted blind, brought to the same temperature, in similar-size slices. We even scuffed up the edges of the more cosmetically privileged. And we had our tasters start with different samples, to cancel out the effects of palate fatigue—a real concern, after 14 cheesecakes. As it turns out, the first bite wasn't always the best bite.
(For the purposes of fair comparison, we went only with bakery cheesecakes, rather than restaurant ones. We also excluded all flavored and ricotta-based cheesecakes—stay tuned for later taste-tests.)
So after countless miles traveled, bites considered, and calories consumed, we've arrived at our winners. Our favorites, our surprise showings, and the best cheesecake in New York—after the jump.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, October 16, 2009 at 4:30 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
The awning for Guangyuan Jinweishifang depicts a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Sure enough, just inside the doorway of this new restaurant on a bustling block in Flushing's Chinatown, there's a gent making hand-pulled noodles. I tried the beef and pork varieties ($4.50). Both were quite good, with properly al dente noodles and rich broths. There is also an excellent jia cai he zi, or chive pie ($1.50), a specialty of Tianjin. Makes sense, since the name of the joint translates roughly to house of many tasty things from Tianjin. Sadly, their barbecued meats are not among the tastiest things; the pork was overcooked.
Guangyuan Jinweishifang's strangest item, after the jump.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, October 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Discover Queens Restaurant Week started this week and runs until next Thursday, October 15. Over 75 participating restaurants are offering prix-fixe dinner menus for $25, with some restaurants offering $25 lunches for two people. Cuisines include Argentinean, French, Greek, Portuguese, Korean, North African, Indian, and more.
Posted by Carey Jones, October 6, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Or, 'Ed Levine's Existential Bagel Crisis'
[Photographs: Robyn Lee and Carey Jones]
The Heisen-Bagel Uncertainty Principle
n. The principle of bagels that holds the following: The act of transporting a bagel to a second location produces fundamental uncertainties in its inherent qualities, such that determining a true "best bagel," in a head-to-head face-off, becomes impossible.
It's a question asked so often that it's astounding that we've never attempted an answer.
Who makes the best bagel in New York?
There are a few clear contenders. In the past, Ed has leaned toward the Upper West Side's Absolute Bagels; his exhaustive 2003 bagel hunt for the New York Times also saluted Bagel Oasis and Hot Bialys in Queens, Terrace Bagels in Windsor Terrace, and Manhattan stalwart Murray's.
And then there are Ess-A-Bagel and H&H, and neighborhood favorites like Bagel Hole and Brooklyn Bagel—all of whom have their fanatical defenders.
So we organized a simple taste-test. Serious eaters would fan out over the three most bagel-happy boroughs and hurry back to World Headquarters with their piping hot loot, as fast as their feet, bikes, buses, trains, subways, or Zipcars could carry them. We'd cut them all up; we'd do a blind tasting; we'd ponder their merits and crown a winner. Simple, right?
But it wasn't that easy.
Ed, hard at work.
The problem became clear as we chomped our way through Round One, pens at the ready, taking bite after bite. None of the bagels were more than two hours old. All of them had been hand-delivered that morning. But chewing through so many mouthfuls of plain bagels, we all felt the same uneasy feeling descending upon us. Ed broke the silence.
"They all taste the same."
Well... not quite the same.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, October 1, 2009 at 12:45 PM
[Photos: The Eaten Path]
Ganesha Temple, in Flushing, Queens, is one of the oldest Hindu worship sites in the United States, according to James at The Eaten Path. But even more fun might be the cafeteria in the basement of the adjacent community center, the Ganesha Temple Canteen—where you can find pondicherry and masala dosas, deep-fried puri, and more homestyle Indian fare.
Posted by Carey Jones, September 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Serious Eater and AHT Editor Robyn Lee, otherwise known as The Girl Who Ate Everything, eats her way through Flushing, with characteristically stunning documentation. On the menu: Dungeness crab, pork stomach soup, shaved ice, "pimple tea," oyster pancakes, stinky tofu, and an impressive number more.
Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
I stopped eating the doughy, half-empty pouches that corner slice shops call calzone years ago. Until tackling this immense one the other day, I’d never eaten a proper Italian style calzone. The brick-oven blistered bad boy is the creation of Massimo Slama, the Trieste-born pizzaiolo at Manducatis Rustica in Long Island City. At $15, it’s not cheap, but is delicious and filling, so much so that I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day. “In Europe they’re huge,” Chef Gianna Cerbone told me.
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Posted by Carey Jones, September 18, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Ripert, second from left; DiStefano; Bourdain. Photograph: Michael Scott Berman]
No one knows more about Queens than our man Joe DiStefano, so we're not at all surprised that Edible Queens tapped him to write the feature piece in their debut issue—a food tour of Flushing with acclaimed chefs Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain.
Eating their way through the Golden Shopping Mall and Su San Seafood, the trio tackle sea cucumber, nearly-raw potato salad, and, incredibly, live octopus:
A platter descended upon the table. Upon it was a mass of 2-inch-long sections of still squirming octopus tentacles. Ripert’s eyes grew wide and he looked to me expectantly.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 15, 2009 at 2:45 PM
[Photographs: Joe DiStefano]
When I'm in Flushing's Chinatown, no matter what regional cuisine I eat—Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan, or Xi'an—it's almost always accompanied by an ice-cold Tsingtao. The crisp lager cools and refreshes the palate, readying it for the next wave of flavor, whether it's spicy, salty, smoky, pungent, sweet, or a combination thereof. But as much as I love the green-bottled beer with the pagoda on the label, I have never eaten anything from the brewery's home of Qingdao, the seaport in Shandong province. So I was particularly excited when I heard about M&T Restaurant Inc., a month-old spot specializing in Qingdao cuisine.
It's always fascinating how the corporation name of Chinese restaurants winds up on storefront awnings. The owners tell me the characters above the English name read "Qing Dao Ren Jia," or “Qingdao people’s home.” The three characters above the pagoda-like structure are “Mei Er Te,” or “beautiful and extraordinary."
A meal at M&T always starts with a vegetarian amuse bouche. It's a nice touch, plus it gives one something to do while perusing the lengthy menu and marveling at the vast array of dishes taped to the mirror lining one side of the long room. On my first visit my posse and I snacked on xi cai hua sheng mia, a refreshing mix of boiled peanuts, celery, carrots, and dou fu pi (tofu skin), dressed with a whisper of chili oil (a full portion is $3.95). The second visit’s treat was crunchy slices of lotus root.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 2, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Editor’s note: As Metromix reported, the food offerings at this year’s U.S. Open are several cuts above the usual ballpark fare. There’s the half-pound U.S. Open Burger, Philly Cheesesteaks, crepes (both sweet and savory), lobster rolls, Carnegie Deli corned beef sandwiches, and ouzo shrimp. But what if you don’t want to eat in the stadium? After all, you are coming to Queens, home to some of the most varied and interesting ethnic foods in New York City. So we turned to our resident Queens expert Joe DiStefano to compile a list of 10 ethnic restaurants near the U.S. Tennis Center.
1. Golden Shopping Mall
[Joe DiStefano, unless otherwise noted]
This two-level food court in Flushing is actually a warrenlike collection of tiny restaurants that offers a cook’s tour of regional Chinese cuisines. Take care not to spill any of the fiery red chili oil from Chengdu Heavenly Plenty on your yellow cable-knit sweater.
41-28 Main Street, Flushing NY 11355 (map)
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, September 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM
I took a little heat from commenters last week for a piece about Han Song Ting’s Chinese take on the Korean cold noodle soup naeng myun. Their beef: Naeng myun noodles are traditionally made from a mixture of buckwheat and potato that gives them an elastic snap. So after reading on Chowhound that Chung Moo Rollrice & Dongas serves a killer bibim naeng myun I decided to give it a whirl. I was especially jazzed since I’ve passed the tiny spot on Union Street dozens of times without ever venturing inside.
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Posted by Carey Jones, August 28, 2009 at 2:15 PM
[Bionic Bites]
Our contributor Tia Kim heads out to Jackson Heights for a Nepalese/Tibetan meal at Thakali Kitchen: momos, bitter fried karela melons, and stir-fried goat—plus jalebis at Maharaja for dessert. Check out her gorgeous pics over at Bionic Bites.
Posted by Joe DiStefano, August 27, 2009 at 11:00 AM
"The spicy cold Korean noodle soup that I like to call liquid air conditioning."
Han Song Ting's former location.
Han Song Ting was one of my favorite stalls in the now defunct Roosevelt Food Court. Next to a Sichuan spot and across from a Taiwanese dumpling specialist, it offered such Korean dishes as bibimbap and samgyetang alongside Chinese dumplings. The reason for this cross-cultural menu? The owners come from Shenyang, China, where many people are of Korean ancestry. Several months ago I learned of its new location thanks to a sign on the gate of the former Roosevelt Food Court. Everything was in Chinese save for an address; “37-02 Main Street.”
When I arrived, I walked to the back of a largely untenanted mall and saw the familiar green and white sign and a bunch of guys putting the finishing touches on the kitchen. The proprietor’s daughter asked how I found the place and I mentioned the sign. “Oh, you read Mandarin?” she asked. “Nope, but the address was in English,” I replied.
I was told Han Song Ting would be unable to serve samgyetang, a restorative chicken and ginseng soup, in its new space, but they urged me to come back for freshly made noodles. And I have been doing so ever since—in the form of xian ya leng mian, which is Chinese for naeng myun, the spicy cold Korean noodle soup that I like to call liquid air conditioning. Since we are truly in the dog days of summer, I now feel a moral obligation to inform the hungry masses about this haunt of mine whose secret I have kept for so long. A look at the noodle engine and the soup itself after the jump.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, August 26, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Some rely on ice cream, but in the lingering dog days of summer I often regulate my core temperature with spicy food. So the other day a friend and I headed over to Flushing’s Zhu Da Zi Chengdu Xiao Chi, or “Big Sister Zhu’s Chengdu Snacks,” for a bowl of one of Chengdu’s most popular snacks—dan dan mian, or spicy noodles with chili and minced pork. Big Sister Zhu’s version of this Sichuan street food classic is the spiciest I’ve ever tried. Sadly, they were out of it that day, and suggested ma la liang mian, or spicy sesame cold noodles. I ordered them begrudgingly. To tell the truth, I can’t remember the last time I ate spicy sesame cold noodles.
But I’m glad I ate Big Sister Zhu’s.
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