Butcher Bar is ready to satisfy New York's unabashed love of pork belly. The sustainable meat heads' pork belly, lettuce and tomato sandwich ($10.99 with slaw and pickle) starts with a quality slab of belly from a naturally raised pig. More

Kürtőskalács, or chimney cakes, are traditional Hungarian pastries that originated in Transylvania. Anna, chef and owner of Chimney Cake, has brought this tasty treat to Long Island City in New York's Queens, with a store that opened in late 2011. The cakes are made with long strips of dough that are then wrapped around wooden molds; originally, the chimney cakes were cooked in a fireplace, but at Anna's cafe they are place inside a vertical oven that slowly turns each cake 'til it's done. More

Cafe Henri does a strong takeout business, but those who stay do seem to stay for a while, browsing the magazines on offer, ordering another café au lait, adding a commentary to the narrative outside the windows. With its simple but satisfying food and comfortable surroundings, Cafe Henri is best for: a lingering date. More

The pub masters behind neighborhood bars Lord Hobo in Cambridge, Mass., and the original Alewife in Baltimore have opened their latest venture, Alewife Queens, located in the residential recesses of Long Island City. The bar is one of their most ambitious yet, with nearly 30 beers on tap and dozens more by the bottle in labels that will delight even the most experienced beer aficionados. (How often do you see the Belgian Drie Fonteinen or Swedish Dugges around these parts?) More

For years, the only place in New York to enjoy a legit plate of burnt ends was Righteous Urban Barbecue. Thanks to Long Island City's John Brown Smokehouse, barbecue lovers in the big city have a new source for this Kansas City classic. More

Shi perfectly encapsulates this section of Long Island City. Both exude glitter and polish and sexy elegance, deliberate planning and careful marketing and a little bit of blandness. From inside, you watch Manhattan shine and sparkle, doing the dance it's done in the imaginations of so many for so long. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and plush leather seats, Shi is best for: a loungey date with a lovely view. More

This restaurant is more sweet than spice. With its decor and dishes steeped in innocent American domesticity, Sage General Store is best for: a date with someone you'd like to hold hands with. More

At LIC Market, just steps off the 7 train at the first stop in Queens, Oatmeal Cookies are gigantic round saucers. They're slightly crunchy along the edges, but other than that, chewy all the way though with chubby little raisins and toasted oats. More

Sometimes all you want is a chocolate cake. No fondants and fillers, just simple. And for that you should head to Little Oven in Long Island City, where from time to time, Chocolate Cake ($3.75) appears on the menu. More

'Tis the end of the school year. So, in that spirit, we'd assign the risotto an A, the sliders a B, the octopus a C+, and the spaghetti an A+, for an overall 3.4 FPA (flavor point average). A few glasses of wine, a few dishes, and you might feel up for a walk around Gantry Plaza State Park or the graffiti mecca that is 5 Pointz, both 100% Queens. LIC Market is best for: a date with interborough connotations. More

The base of this Tart ($3.75) is forgettable but the fillings and toppings are certainly not. More

It's a picture-perfect creation for one, the trio of soft hues each representing pistachio, cherries, and a white chocolate mousse layered between the thinnest slices of sponge cake. More

Last summer, when we went to breakfast at M. Wells, the fine diner opened by husband and wife partners Hugue Dufour (Au Pied de Cochon) and Sarah Obraitis (Heritage Meats), the food was markedly inconsistent. But at the same time, we recognized that there was considerable ambition and talent both in the kitchen and in the front of the house. When we returned to experience their dinner service, we were hoping for excitement, for greatness—and that's just what we found. More

It's possible to feast well on foie gras, escargot, and bone marrow for less than $20. Here's how. Take the 7 train to M. Wells for lunch. More

It's not often that a diner in Queens attracts city-wide media attention—but M. Wells, recently opened in a somewhat barren stretch of Long Island City, is no ordinary diner. Opened by husband-and-wife partners Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis—the former, of hot-ticket Montreal restaurant Au Pied de Cochon, the latter, a Queens native—the diner has already been written up by outlets from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal. And after enthusiastic early reports, we had to check it out. More