'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
Olea rightly calls itself a taverna. White-washed walls, turquoise trim, and seahorse motifs evoke Greece, while the embroidered pillows, metalwork, and colorful inlaid tiles around the bar say Turkey. In the evening, with candlelight gleaming along the broad-beamed ceiling, the restaurant is just plain handsome. Like the decor, dishes are mix-and-match Mediterranean. More
Supper is the kind of casual, effortlessly charming place every neighborhood deserves. More
Assuming you're OK with the setting, Vatan makes for a lovely dinner: tables are far apart, a sitar plays softly from hidden speakers, you don't have to worry about what to order or how to pronounce it, and you're shielded from the fratmosphere of Third Avenue. It's best for: a gut-busting, palate-pleasing, serenity-restoring date. More
Our planet is a very big place. A prosaic observation only until you look at a map and contemplate the movement of people across vast areas before Wi-Fi-friendly flights and noise-cancelling headphones. This restaurant lets you sample some of that history, taking you from Neptune Avenue to the Silk Road. 1001 Nights is best for: a date who's a citizen of the world, whose broad interests are matched by a big appetite. More
Everything (and everyone) looks better in low light, and the Mediterranean offerings here sure beat the all-you-can-eat buffet, featuring chow mein and potato salad, once served at Plato's Retreat. Shalel Lounge is best for: a sexytime date. More
With its polished concrete floor and high ceilings, it can be loud, especially if you're not a fan of, say, early White Stripes or Fleet Foxes, but it is undeniably lovely. If we lived in Astoria, we'd be regulars. DiWine is best for: a date in which you want to loosen your inhibitions over plates of satisfying finger foods. More
This is an immensely transporting restaurant, the kind of place where you wouldn't be surprised to look down to find your thumbs happily beating a tattoo against the table, rather than texting, where you won't just forget to check into Foursquare, but will forget about the internet entirely. More
Currently two of Brazil's most well-known exports are buxom beauties and minimalist underwear. That should change. At a recent meal at Favela Grill, in Astoria, we discovered a few more commodities worth introducing on a large scale to the international marketplace. More
Tiny white lights separate Zerza's red walls from a green ceiling. But if the paint job says "Christmas," the music crones Valentine's Day. "Crazy," Patsy Cline sang, followed by "Unforgettable," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Make Someone Happy," and a host of breathy, jazzy French tunes. Our ears have never felt so wooed. Luckily the food wasn't trying nearly as hard. In fact, the Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes on offer effortlessly skirted the line between sweet and savory. More
