'Uncle George's Greek Taverna' Closes in Astoria
[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.
Queens: Astoria
Vendy Award Finalist: The King of Falafel and Shawarma
Note: The 2009 Vendy Awards, a celebration of New York street food, will be held on September 26 at the Queens Museum of Art (buy tickets here). All proceeds will benefit the Street Vendor Project, an arm of the Urban Justice Center, advocating for the interests of New York street vendors. This year's five finalists will all be on hand to feed the crowds, the judges, and compete for the ultimate title in street food. Each day this week, we'll be profiling one of the finalists.
If you let Freddy Zeidaies, the self-proclaimed King of Falafel and Shawarma on 30th Street and Broadway in Astoria, he would also be the lord, mayor, and baron. And in this kingdom of chickpea fritters and rotating meat spits, the fair maidens would receive special treatment. "Sorry, but ladies first," he said giddily to a few men waiting to place orders—followed by a "Yahhh, baby."
Zeidaies may have Austin Powers beat in his frequency of "Yahhh, baby" (usually accompanied by a kissy face and raised eyebrows). The catchphrase also appears on his laminated menu descriptions, along with the adjective "yummmmey" (with enough m's to require two lines).
And indeed, the yummmmey claim is accurate. The falafel and rice plate ($5) includes five egg-shaped fritters—crispy but not greasy, and full of garlicky, parsleyed-out flavor. Zeidaies grew up eating this herb-packed Middle Eastern falafel style (the Egyptian approach, he explains, relies on fava beans). The oval shape is key. According to falafel geometry wisdom, the regular ol' ball formations don't offer the same perfect ratio of crunchy outsides to soft insides.
A Tale of Two Tarts at Astoria’s Restaurant 718
Thanks to Adam "Slice" Kuban I’ve known for years where to snag wonderful coal-fired oven pizza in Astoria: Sac’s Place. But until very recently I've never known where to get Alsatian pizza in Astoria. Until a friend took me to Restaurant 718, I has no idea such a thing existed. As you might guess they don’t call it pizza, but rather tarte flambée, also known as flammekueche. Amateur linguists will note that the name means something along the lines of "baked in flames." It is said to derive from Alsatian farmers who baked bread and would fire up a tarte flambée as way to test the heat of their wood-burning ovens.
Off the Beaten Path: Brains at Montenegro Grille
So many of the entrées at Montenegro Grille bear the descriptors francese, parmigiana and marsala, that it’s hard to tell whether it’s an Italian joint or one specializing in the cuisine of the Southeastern European nation bordered by Albania, Croatia and Serbia. Digging a little deeper reveals such Balkan favorites as cevapi and pljeskavica. I’m a big fan of those little skinless sausages as well as the ginormous lamb and beef patty known as the Bosna burger. But that’s not what brought me to Astoria. It was brains. Specifically veal brains. The last time I ate brains was at a taqueria and I was hung over. Actually, I didn’t even get to try them. Just as I was about to take a bite my friend started talking about Hannibal Lecter and I dropped the runny taco. So when I heard that Montenegro Grille had brains I jumped at the chance to earn another offal merit badge.
To steel myself for the task ahead I downed a glass of Lozova Rakija. Judging from the taste, I think that translates to “white lightning.” Actually it’s an immature grape brandy. Anyway, on to the brains.
Fresh Cevapcici from the Adriatic Meat Market
When I walked into the tiny shop in Astoria that is the Adriatic Meat Market, there was a lot of good-natured smiling from the men hanging out in the store’s one aisle, as they chatted with the butcher in a language unfamiliar to me. I felt like a stranger in a strange land; there were virtually no products with English labels. Unfortunately, I am not at my best in these circumstances, usually feeling like an intruder who should inconspicuously back out the door, probably knocking over a can or two on the way. However, there is also no way to render oneself inconspicuous in a store the size of the average Manhattan apartment living room.
I was there representing Serious Eats: New York, so there was no turning back. I introduced myself to the butcher, Zoran, who frowned slightly, and said, “No good. I used to buy meat from them, but no more. No good.”
I explained that, as far as I knew, no one at Serious Eats sold meat, either good or bad, and that I was there to buy some cevapcici (pronounced “chivappy”), which I would later write about on the Serious Eats site. I don’t know how much got across, but Zoran was all affability and patience. I was told that the cevapcici come eighteen to a container, and are sold fresh or frozen. When I requested fresh, Zoran beamed his approval and explained that he had just made them half an hour ago.
'Uncle George's Greek Taverna' Closes in Astoria
[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.
Vendy Award Finalist: The King of Falafel and Shawarma
Note: The 2009 Vendy Awards, a celebration of New York street food, will be held on September 26 at the Queens Museum of Art (buy tickets here). All proceeds will benefit the Street Vendor Project, an arm of the Urban Justice Center, advocating for the interests of New York street vendors. This year's five finalists will all be on hand to feed the crowds, the judges, and compete for the ultimate title in street food. Each day this week, we'll be profiling one of the finalists.
If you let Freddy Zeidaies, the self-proclaimed King of Falafel and Shawarma on 30th Street and Broadway in Astoria, he would also be the lord, mayor, and baron. And in this kingdom of chickpea fritters and rotating meat spits, the fair maidens would receive special treatment. "Sorry, but ladies first," he said giddily to a few men waiting to place orders—followed by a "Yahhh, baby."
Zeidaies may have Austin Powers beat in his frequency of "Yahhh, baby" (usually accompanied by a kissy face and raised eyebrows). The catchphrase also appears on his laminated menu descriptions, along with the adjective "yummmmey" (with enough m's to require two lines).
And indeed, the yummmmey claim is accurate. The falafel and rice plate ($5) includes five egg-shaped fritters—crispy but not greasy, and full of garlicky, parsleyed-out flavor. Zeidaies grew up eating this herb-packed Middle Eastern falafel style (the Egyptian approach, he explains, relies on fava beans). The oval shape is key. According to falafel geometry wisdom, the regular ol' ball formations don't offer the same perfect ratio of crunchy outsides to soft insides.
A Tale of Two Tarts at Astoria’s Restaurant 718
Thanks to Adam "Slice" Kuban I’ve known for years where to snag wonderful coal-fired oven pizza in Astoria: Sac’s Place. But until very recently I've never known where to get Alsatian pizza in Astoria. Until a friend took me to Restaurant 718, I has no idea such a thing existed. As you might guess they don’t call it pizza, but rather tarte flambée, also known as flammekueche. Amateur linguists will note that the name means something along the lines of "baked in flames." It is said to derive from Alsatian farmers who baked bread and would fire up a tarte flambée as way to test the heat of their wood-burning ovens.
Off the Beaten Path: Brains at Montenegro Grille
So many of the entrées at Montenegro Grille bear the descriptors francese, parmigiana and marsala, that it’s hard to tell whether it’s an Italian joint or one specializing in the cuisine of the Southeastern European nation bordered by Albania, Croatia and Serbia. Digging a little deeper reveals such Balkan favorites as cevapi and pljeskavica. I’m a big fan of those little skinless sausages as well as the ginormous lamb and beef patty known as the Bosna burger. But that’s not what brought me to Astoria. It was brains. Specifically veal brains. The last time I ate brains was at a taqueria and I was hung over. Actually, I didn’t even get to try them. Just as I was about to take a bite my friend started talking about Hannibal Lecter and I dropped the runny taco. So when I heard that Montenegro Grille had brains I jumped at the chance to earn another offal merit badge.
To steel myself for the task ahead I downed a glass of Lozova Rakija. Judging from the taste, I think that translates to “white lightning.” Actually it’s an immature grape brandy. Anyway, on to the brains.
Fresh Cevapcici from the Adriatic Meat Market
When I walked into the tiny shop in Astoria that is the Adriatic Meat Market, there was a lot of good-natured smiling from the men hanging out in the store’s one aisle, as they chatted with the butcher in a language unfamiliar to me. I felt like a stranger in a strange land; there were virtually no products with English labels. Unfortunately, I am not at my best in these circumstances, usually feeling like an intruder who should inconspicuously back out the door, probably knocking over a can or two on the way. However, there is also no way to render oneself inconspicuous in a store the size of the average Manhattan apartment living room.
I was there representing Serious Eats: New York, so there was no turning back. I introduced myself to the butcher, Zoran, who frowned slightly, and said, “No good. I used to buy meat from them, but no more. No good.”
I explained that, as far as I knew, no one at Serious Eats sold meat, either good or bad, and that I was there to buy some cevapcici (pronounced “chivappy”), which I would later write about on the Serious Eats site. I don’t know how much got across, but Zoran was all affability and patience. I was told that the cevapcici come eighteen to a container, and are sold fresh or frozen. When I requested fresh, Zoran beamed his approval and explained that he had just made them half an hour ago.
Michael Psilakis' Greek Food Tour in Astoria
Who better to teach us where to buy Greek food in Astoria than Michael Psilakis, executive chef of Greek restaurants Anthos and Kefi? New York magazine followed Psilakis with a video camera as he visited Greek food purveyors, including Titan Foods ("the Greek Zabar's"), a butcher, and Artopolis Bakery and Patisserie.
Titan: 25-56 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102; 718-626-7771
Artopolis: Agora Plaza, 23-18 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105; 718-728-8484
Previously
In Videos: Michael Psilakis on 'Nightline'
Sugar Rush: Red Wine Tapioca Pudding from Pão de Queijo
I love tapioca pudding, but had never seen the Brazilian version made with red wine until this weekend at Pão de Queijo in Astoria. Known as sagu de vinho, the dessert is made from boiling tapioca pearls in red wine, and adding sugar and cloves. The resulting dessert lives somewhere between jello and pudding, and is a refreshing change of pace from your standard tapioca pudding. Unfortunately the alcohol from the wine gets boiled off during preperation, destroying its chances of being considered the best jello shot of all time.
Pão de Queijo
31-90 30th Street, Astoria NY, (nr. Broadway; map)
718-204-1979
newyorkpaodequeijo.com/
Sugar Rush: Slurpees and How to Pour Them
7-Eleven is giving out free Slurpees tomorrow in honor of it being "7-11 Day"—July 11. (Find a location near you, but call ahead, as not all are participating.)
People outside New York can stop reading this post now. You all are not Slurpee-challenged. You see, one thing I've noticed is that New Yorkers don't know how to pull a proper Slurpee.
I'm a child of the Kansas City suburbs, where 7-Elevens are at every intersection, so this stuff is second nature to me. But as I went to the 7-Eleven today to make a training video for my clueless New York friends out there, I watched as the guy ahead of me did everything wrong. First, he didn't cap his cup prepour. Then he pulled the dispenser lever slowly, guaranteeing an anemic dribble of syrup instead of a full-on rush of ice-cold Slurpness. No, no, no. I'm sure this comes from the lack of 7-Elevens in the area, but this is no excuse. After the jump, I'll teach you all how to pull a Slurpee, in pictures and video. With a (small) list of participating 7-Elevens in New York.
Off the Beaten Path: Merguez Sandwich from Little Morocco
Tempted by last month's post about merguez frites, the Moroccan-inspired French street food, my dad and I decided to celebrate Father's Day by trying the authentic item. We followed a glowing review from the New York Times to Little Morocco, a café in Astoria, Queens, where we shared a sandwich merguez au harissa.
This was a Casablanca-style sandwich, as opposed to the french-fry laden version apparently sold in Paris. The soft, crusty petit pain (aka Italian roll) was spread with garlicky harissa and stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and a few pieces of sausages. It completely lived up to our expectations—though I'm curious to compare it to merguez frites when I'm in Paris next month.
Little Morocco
2439 Steinway Street, Astoria, NY 11103; (map)
(718) 204-8118
Tacos and Tamales at Lupita Grocery in Astoria
Whenever I visit friends near Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, I make sure to take a side trip to Lupita Grocery, an otherwise nondescript little bodega on 21st Avenue. For less than $4, you can grab a small midday snack or a light lunch in the form of a taco or tamale and a bottle of Mexican Coke.
Lupita offers chicken or pork tacos and chicken, cheese, and pork tamales. The pork here is often a little too fatty for me, but I know that for many of you out there, there's no such thing as pork too fatty, so they might be right up your alley. I generally opt for a chicken taco, which comes loaded with hunks of moist white and (mostly) dark meat and a generous helping of pico de gallo. The taco may look small, but it's a filling snack. Double your order and you'd have a satisfying lunch.
The Real-Life Restaurants in New York City from 'Grand Theft Auto IV'
Or, 'Where to Eat in Liberty City'
After much anticipation from millions of gamers, Grand Theft Auto 4 debuted worldwide today. This being Serious Eats, we did some digging around on the game's website for any food- or restaurant-related material inside the game, which takes place in "Liberty City," a metropolis loosely modeled on New York City. Here's what we found.
Kabab Cafe: Has It Gone Downhill?
Conspicuously absent from Peter Meehan's perceptive, thoughtful review of the Kabab Cafe was any mention of one of the original chowhounds, Jim Leff, who championed the restaurant's cause to anyone who would listen even before Chowhound existed.
Many years ago, when I was reviewing restaurants for the New York Daily News and Leff was writing for Newsday, I got a call from Jim, who implored me to review Kabab Cafe ASAP because he was worried about its survival. So he and I ended up eating a decent, not great, meal there while he explained to me in great detail why each dish succeeded or failed.
I did end up reviewing the restaurant. Alas, I can't find the clip of my review, and I don't think you can find it online. Reading Meehan's review, all I could think about was this: Does Jim Leff think it's gone downhill? Because it sounds to me that the Kabab Cafe is the same bastion of inconsistency and idiosyncracy it's always been. And in spite of all that, after reading some, not all, of the 400-plus messages on Chowhound about the Kabab Cafe, I have to conclude the restaurant remains a Chowhound favorite to this day.
Kabab Cafe
Address: 25-12 Steinway Street, Astoria NY 11103
Phone: 718-728-9858
Latino Hot Dog Roadtrip
Wednesday's New York Post had this really cool Latin Hot Dog round-up
in their Tempo section. The piece was uncredited, but the entire section was compiled by Juana Guichardo, Mercedes Sanchez and Eneida Del Valle.
Their five favorites:
Mazorca: 83-17 Northern Boulevard, bet. 83rd and 84th sts., 718-205-2484. The perro mixto features ham, bacon, melted cheese and crushed potato chips.
La Perrada de Chaio: 83-12 Northern Boulevard between 83rd and 84th Sts. Jackson Heights 718-639-6677. The Mexican hot dogs feature guacamole and chiles. The Iraqi(?) hot dog features boiled eggs and pineapple sauce. Both come with mayonnaise and a potato chip dusting.
San Antonio Bakery #2: 36-20 Astoria Blvd. at 37th St., Astoria 718-478-1199: A Chilean Completo features creamed avocado, diced tomatoes, onion and mayo.
The condiment of choice is pebre, cilantro-spiked salsa.
JC & Family: 68-14 Roosevelt Ave. between 68th and 69th Sts., Woodside Queens 718-478-1199. Its version features an all beef hot dog, sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes, mashed avocado, and stripes of mayo.
Cositas Ricas: 79-19 Roosevelt Ave. at 89th St., Jackson Hts. 718-478-1500
Here the dog, called a perro caliente con salchicha, features potatoes, Parmesan cheese, potato chip bits, cheese, mayo and pineapple sauce.
My hot dog round-up in the Times only feature Los Chuzos Y Algo Mas on Roosevelt Avenue. Their Columbian Lucky Dogs feature cheese, pineapple, mustard, crumbled potato chip, and Thousand Island dressing.
And here we New Yorkers thought we knew all about hot dogs. It's time for a Latino hot dog excursion this weekend.
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