Monday, January 30, 2006

Astoria at Sundance Part 3

As you know, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints screened recently at the Sundance Film Festival. The good news, as I learned from fellow blogger Harlan, is that it won two awards! It won the Dramatic Directing Award for Dito Montiel's work and a Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Performance. Award winners are highlighed here. The Sundance site makes you download .pdf files to find out about the awards, which is something I find to be kind of lame. Anyway, I think the fact that this film won some awards is pretty cool. I look forward to seeing it - hopefully it will get picked up for distribution and will come to Astoria.

Update: Fellow Astorian Annwyn writes:
Another Astorian also won an award...

The Shorts Jury awarded Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking to fellow Astorian Rob VanAlkemade for his film on Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping:

Preacher With an Unknown God

Nice! Thanks, Annwyn!

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Astoria Weekend Edition 27.01.06

Wondering what to do this weekend? Well, wait no more! Here are some things to do in beautiful Astoria and LIC:

Out of work early this Friday? Stop by the Museum of the Moving Image for a free encore screening of Kundun at 5pm. At 7:30, it's Blue Collar, a tribute to Richard Pryor. The rest of the weekend holds more films, so check their site to find out more.

Then there's Ruthless Scrabble! The ultimate Scrabble tournament is here! Presented by Waltz-Astoria, in the spirit of fair play. This is your chance to claim the victory and the fame! Bring your board, or your thinking cap. Door Prize for highest score. Sign up online at Waltz's website. Play starts at 8pm. Free.

Later that evening, stop in at Doyle's Corner to see and hear the band, The Getaway Drive. The band won the John Lennon Song Writing Contest last year and also won the battle of the bands for New York. 10:30pm. Free.

Saturday afternoon at the Women's Studio Center is the Women Writers Forum, which occurs on the fourth Saturday of the Month. Writers are asked to bring one piece of writing 10 minutes or less to share for feedback from their peers. Fiction writers or writers with longer work may email it in advance. The workshop starts at 3pm and is free.

If writing's not your bag (and/or you're not of the female persuasion), stop by PS1 for Black & Blue, a multimedia (slides, screenings, readings) lecture on painters Steven Parrino and Yves Klein. 2pm. Free with museum admission.

On Sunday, head over to Freeze Peach from 4-8pm. The lovely Ariana will be serving up some great coffee and tea, with snacks, and she'll be donating the proceeds and tips from the till to a worthy cause. Come by for the best coffee and tea in the area, and know you're helping the community with your business.

Museum of the Moving Image
35 Avenue at 36 Street
Astoria

Waltz-Astoria
2314 Ditmars Boulevard
Astoria

Doyle's Corner
42 Street and Broadway
Astoria

Women's Studio Center
21-25 44 Avenue
Long Island City

PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave at 46th Avenue
Long Island City

Freeze Peach
22-00 29th Street (Ditmars Boulevard & 29th Street)
Astoria

Thursday Night Fun in LIC and Astoria

Ah, Thursday. One more day before Friday and then Le Weekend! Last night I attended the public meeting at ARROW regarding the East River Greenway. There was a good turnout and it was really nice to see so many in the community attending. There's nothing like being informed and given the opportunity to ask questions to promote a healthy process. One point that came up from a number of people was the desire to shut down the section of Shore Boulevard alongside Astoria Park to car traffic. I, personally, like the idea! I look forward to hearing more about the Greenway project, and of course seeing it come to fruition.

Tonight, stop by the Art-O-Mat for the debut of O’Keeffe Illuminated: Photographs by Tony Vaccaro. Tony is the former chief photographer of Flair Magazine in 1950, and later of LIFE, LOOK, Time and Venture magazines, and a long-time Hunters Point resident. The exhibition includes selections from an extensive body of work taken of Georgia O’Keeffe over a two week period in April 1960 at her home in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Only two images from this body of work have ever been exhibited. Tonight is the opening reception, starting at 6pm.

The Art-O-Mat seems like a pretty cool place. They describe themselves thusly:
Art-O-Mat L.I.C. began in 1995 as one of the Internet’s earliest online art projects. Its latest incarnation is an Artisan Store and Gallery in the heart of Long Island City’s Hunters Point. In the short time since the store’s opening in November 2005, the store has sold works from over 50 artists, artisans, musicians, and authors as well as items from local cultural organizations. Art-O-Mat L.I.C. holds community events such as children’s workshops, community folktales (local oral history), and readings. The store also sells unique gift items, items with local flavor, and books. O’Keeffe Illuminated will be Art-O-Mat’s third exhibition in the Gallery space.


After the reception, head over to the Freeze Peach Cafe to create something yourself! Thursday nights at the cafe are dedicated to ACK, Astoria Crafty Knitty. Bring your knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn, and join your fellow crafters for some creative fun. As always, tea, coffee, and snacks are available at the cafe, and quite delicious they are.
Crafting starts at 8:30pm

Art-O-Mat
46-46 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY

Freeze Peach Cafe
22-00 29th St (Ditmars Blvd & 29th St)
Astoria, NY

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Are You in the Zone?

The Hurricane Evacuation Zone, that is.

I am one of those people that needs to live within a few miles of a substantial body of water, be it a river, lake, or ocean. I love that Astoria is right on the East River, despite the East River's reputation of non-cleanliness and disposed bodies. However, being near the water makes us somewhat vulnerable to the whims of nature, in the form of flooding and hurricanes. Apparently we are at risk for them here in NYC, and being on the western edge of Queens we could see massive flooding in some areas. Curious to know whether or not you're gonna get soaked during the next hurricane? Well, you can check here, to find out whether your address falls within one of New York City's hurricane evacuation zones. Brought to you by the Office of Emergency Management of New York City. I checked my address and I am in no danger. Are you...?

Kabob Cafe Enlightenment

Wowsers, was i overwhelmed by how much i loved Kabob and Ali!?!?!?!
Meg and I finally got to meet our 3rd "joey" Tamara and she was awesome. Her and Ali go way back so we all sat around just stuffing our faces with pretty much whatever he threw in front of us and chit chatted for a couple of hours. What a great place. After a million plates of goodness, Meg and i trekked out to Lazizza (sp?) for some middle eastern sweets. Tamara had to head home to get set to leave today for California to visit her friend Zora-also another Astorian, who is recovering from a bigtime operation.
On our way back from getting sweets we ran into Mr. Happy Ali who promptly escorted us into Mombar (another place i've been wanting to go try). There he walked us through the museum of all handmade and interesting tables, tapestries and tiling. I think it's his brothers place? And his dad was there too. What nice folks. Then we tried to go on our merry way again only to stop in at Sabry's Seafood for a menu (cause again, i want to try them) and were offered some fresh warm bread to take with us! How funny!!! So thank yous were said and then time for home. All in all, i have to say that this little corner of Astoria is chock full of great food and sweet people. And now for the pics of the food... in no particular order or anything-just GOOOOOOD!

Vegetarian Combo thingie (hummus, falafel, babganoush and more)

Fava bean puree with caramelized kinda fried onions and olive oil

Kofta-beef meatballs with potatoes and a poached egg in light tomato sauce

Duck with a honey glaze and rice and veggies

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Queens Enters Restaurant Week 2006

As some of you know, it's Restaurant Week this week and next. These are two weeks when some of the city's best restaurants offer a prix fixe menu in the form of a three-course lunch for $24.07 (the city runs 24/7) and a four-course dinner for $35. Most of the restaurants are located in Manhattan, but one Queens-based restaurant is part of the mix - Water's Edge, in Long Island City. You can even make a reservation via OpenTable.com. And if you go, let me know how it was!

NYC Restaurant Week
January 23-27 and January 30-February 3
Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn

Water's Edge
The East River @44th Drive
Long Island City, NY 11101
718) 482- 0033

Two Important Meetings

One of the great things I love about living in Astoria, is the ability to be involved with my community. Astoria and the greater Long Island City area is an amazing part of NYC and really worth caring for. Two meetings this week have come to my attention, and I feel they are important enough to pass on to you. The only drawback: they occur the same evening! Depending on your schedule and location, try to make one of them if you can.

1. Newtown Creek Oil Spill Meeting.
If you live in southern Long Island City or Greenpoint, this meeting is close to home. In 1979, 17 million gallons of oil were "discovered" in the Newtown Creek, spreading over 55 acres. Wednesday's meeting is the first time since 2003 that the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) has offered an opportunity for public comments and questions concerning the remediation program. In addition to the DEC, representatives from ExxonMobil, Chevron Texaco and BP Amoco will be at the meeting to answer questions.

If you are concerned about this 17 million gallon oil spill you should attend this meeting to learn more and ask questions about what is being done to improve the situation.

Wednesday, January, 25, 2006
7:00 PM
Princess Manor
92 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint


2. Public Meeting: Our East River Greenway!
As I mentioned before, the East River Greenway has been funded and planning is up and running. Please join the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of City Planning to learn about the developing plans for the Queens East River and North Shore Greenway. The Greenway will provide connected bike and pedestrian access from the Pulaski Bridge to Flushing Bay Esplanade, and is proposed to run north along the East River and then East past LaGuardia Airport. There will be time for questions, discussion, and for you to give your input. Help us make this the best community asset it can be! All are welcome!

Wednesday, January 25
6:00 PM
ARROW Recreation Center
35-30 35th Street (35th Street between 35th and 36th Avenues) in Astoria

Monday, January 23, 2006

That Sweet, Sweet Siren Song

of Sugar. Oh how hard you are to resist! Homer couldn't resist that sweet, sweet waffle on the ceiling. Sacrilicious.

I've gotten better at managing my sugar cravings, despite my seemingly never-ending sweet tooth. However, some of us are still having a hard time with the sugar. If you are mystified by your sugar cravings, then tonight's workshop is for you:

Suffering From the Sugar Blues?: Workshop with Holistic Health Counselor

Heather Weisse presents workshop for adults who constantly crave sweets and don't know why. Learn how sugar affects our bodies and minds. Find out how you can gain control without depriving yourself of the foods you love to eat.

Astoria Branch of the Queens Public Library
14-01 Astoria Boulevard
Astoria
6pm
free
718 278 2220

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Astoria at Sundance Part 2

Seems that A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints has gotten some local press, via Newsday:
"The try-anything looseness of Montiel's meta-literary directing style -- inserting text from the shooting script in between scenes, for example -- is part of its appeal. Each time the veteran cast blows on, however (Dianne Wiest as Dito's mother, Robert Downey Jr. as the adult Dito), the film takes on an actory self-consciousness. When it stays focused on its young cast, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" exudes a scrappy, John Cassavetes-like vividness."

I look forward to seeing how well the film does in the eyes of the Sundance jury.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Astoria at Sundance

As most of you know, the Sundance Film Festival is one of the biggest independent film festivals in the country, if not the world. Astoria is well represented this year with A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, a film by first-time writer/director Dito Montiel. You may remember this past summer and early fall there being a lot of filming throughout Astoria, locations marked by white papers taped to trees and telephone poles labeled "Recognizing Saints" and the dates the filming was to occur. For me, having just moved to Astoria, it was a little exciting knowing my town was the location for a movie with prominent actors (Robert Downey, Jr., Shia La Boeuf, Rosario Dawson, Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest) and a well-known executive producer (Sting). According to the Sundance Guide:
“SAINTS is based on director Dito Montiel's youth during the mid-eighties in the tough neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. All his old friends have ended up dead, as junkies, or in prison; Dito is the proverbial man who got out. For him, the "saints" are the folks he remembers, the ones he left behind. For better or worse, they made him who he is today.”

It screens at Sundance January 20-22, and the 25th and 27th. I hope it shows in Astoria after its run in Utah!

Support Rudy this Friday!

no not the politician!
our local Brownbird Rudy Relic

You may remember him from the Astorians for Hurricane Relief fundraisers, and yes he's still a hollerin all over town!
Tomorrow night he will be helping celebrate Slim Whitman's 82nd birthday down at Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St. (@ Richardson St.) Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. 8pm, and its free...

His style is really all his own - you'd have to see him to really appreciate - he stomps his feet, strums his guitar and shouts the blues to the rooftops. He's really a great performer that Astoria proudly claims as one of our own.


Some of his tunes are up on his myspace...cause you know, that's the place to be these days.

who's Slim Whitman you ask? check him out.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Astoria in the News

Perusing the news, I found a few bits on Astoria:

Some people are not happy with Astoria's hookah bars. Personally, I'm not a fan of the smoking (although shisha smoke smells better than cigarette smoke), so I try not put myself in the situation where it's around. As much as I despise smoking, it wouldn't bother me if the hookah bars were exempt from the smoking law, citing a cultural exemption.
"It's not like a cigarette," said Gamal Dewidar, who manages his brother's Elkhaiam cafe and Hookah Palace on Steinway St. "There is a little tobacco and honey mixed in, but it's not dangerous."

Greenway up and running! Funding for a greenway along Queens' East River waterfront has been secured. According to the article, the greenway will run along the river from Newtown Creek up to 20th Avenue (ConEd Land). Nice!
The project, said the Rev. Mitchell Taylor, chairman of the East River Development Alliance, is intended "to build a city for everyone, to bring people together, to create access and opportunity, to create a merge of people that will create a mosaic of opportunity for all of us." A meeting to solicit public comment on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. at the ARROW Recreation Center, 35-30 35th St., Astoria.


Astoria Recyles!
The Restore-Build It Green Warehouse reminds me of Berkeley's Urban Ore, where you can find all sorts of building materials that were once used elsewhere. Particularly memorable about Urban Ore was the "sea of toilets as far as the eye could see." Well, not really but there were a lot. Looks like Build It Green has that in common with Urban Ore. Check it out!
It's 18,000 square feet filled with tons and tons of stuff you've thrown out, like that pink toilet you replaced with a white one, or those cabinets that you thought were too dated.

If Justin Green has his way, all of those home construction items that could be used again, will be used again. Instead of going to a landfill, they'll come to the Restore-Build It Green warehouse in Astoria. It was opened last March by the Community Environmental Center. It's modeled after similar stores in other cities.

But why would you buy a toilet here and not at a store? Because you can get it for $15, and that's a good deal. What's even better is that Build It Green is a not for profit, the money raised here goes to good causes like Habitat for Humanity

Socialize

Its hump day, so i feel like welcoming the weekend already! Plan it...

Saturday January 21
Go OUT!
so have you heard of the new joint, Hell Gate Social?
word out on the street is the its a great place to socialize with your fellow Astorians.
They have live music and dj's with an ecclectic mix of afro-funk, soul-jazzz, disco-punk and any other random hyphenated combo you can think of apparently! They plan to show indie films/shorts from locals in the summer which i am looking forward to. It looks a bit out of the way for me at 12-21 Astoria Blvd. (at 14th St.) / 718-204-8313, but i will be trying to get out there at some point and get a real feel for it.
or
I know its been spoken of before, but i finally went to Crescent Lounge, i must say-loved it. It was such a chill place. And what seemed to be a huge group of regulars were very welcoming.
Comfy chairs and decent drinks, i can see forgetting about the time at a place like that. Take some friends and enjoy.


don't do this though-Enoteca Sapori D'Ischia

I know its in Woodside and all, but i figured it to be close enough to try. think again flooz, not only was it in an industrial funkhole area-it wasn't the Enoteca i was hoping for. They should rename it Trattoria Sapori D'Ischia. My party and i decided just from standing outside looking in that it wasn't what was advertised. It was a small 2 room deal, one was a cloth restaurant looking room and the other a tiny bar area with maybe a handful of tables. Behind the bar they did seem stocked with a variety of wine, but still it looked like an italian restaurant with just a really big wine selection... We weren't looking for food, just a place to get a few glasses of wine. It felt weird and uncomfortable to us. We left. Maybe one day if i am really hungry and in the area i'll stop in and see what its really about, but till then-i'm still searching for Astoria's wine bar dangit!


Sunday January 22
wake up semi early and go be peaceful...
Creating Happiness
3 Talks Introducing Buddhist Meditation and Psychology
With Luis Villalon
Sundays 12:00 - 2:00 pm
at Grace Lutheran Church
31-20 21st Ave
(between 31st and 32nd street)
then
feeling better about life? go get literary enlightenment:
Astorians Tara McCarthy, author of Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Marcy Dermansky, author of Twins, with be reading from their novels--both of which feature twins--at LIC Bar in Long Island City, Queens, at 3pm. The event will be hosted by Ron Hogan of Beatrice.com (and author of The Stewardess if Flying the Plane).
LIC bar is at 45-58 Vernon Blvd. on the corner of 46th Avenue and Vernon. 7 train to Vernon/Jackson.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Help improve our waterfront!

Want to contribute to the health of our local waterfront and meet like-minded people at the same time? Well, do I have the thing for you! The Astoria and LIC Waterfront Community Group is meeting Wednesday, January 18 at 6:30 pm to talk about ways to to improve our Astoria/LIC waterfront parks and our waterfront as a whole. Specifically, discussion will center around finalizing the mission of the group. The meeting will be at the Greater Astoria Historical Society, located in the Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor, in beautiful Astoria.

All are welcome!

Always looking out for my peeps!

One night only, right here, for you, enjoy!

Monday, January 16, 2006

Olympia Chemists

While in line buying cookies at Rose & Joe's Bakery today to satisfy my never-ending sweet tooth, I spied a slick postcard on the counter advertising for Olympia Chemist's (woe is the life of the misplaced apostrophe). I was there a couple weekends ago, and thought it was a pretty nice place. Bright and cheery, they carry a wide selection of organic, herbal, and homeopathic remedies, cosmetics and fragrances, as well as vitamins and sundries. I was particularly pleased to see that they carry a few of my favorite brands, like Burt's Bees (love the lemon butter cuticle cream) and L'Occitane (love the lemon verbena line - yes, I adore the scent of lemon and citrus in general). They will fill prescriptions and accept major insurances. The woman who was working there (possibly the owner - I didn't ask at the time) was really helpful in guiding me to a good multivitamin and I appreciated that she just let me browse the rest of the store without hovering over me or pressuring me to buy anything in particular. After I made my purchase, she offered me a sample of some very nice glycerine citrus soap. Yay for free stuff!

The bonus about visiting this place is that you are a couple doors down from Artopolis Bakery and the Mediterranean Foods market, as well as an interesting looking meat market (more about these places in future postings).

Olympia Chemists
Agora Plaza
23-18 31st Street
Astoria

Friday, January 13, 2006

Astoria Weekend Edition 13.01.06

Looking for something to do in Astoria this weekend? Well, here are some fun suggestions!

Enjoy live Brazilian music at Girassol Churrascaria Steak House tonight! Dois Caipirinhas will be playing Bossa Nova and MPB from 8-10pm, and will be doing so each Friday night in January. Girassol Churrascaria is located at 33-18 28th Avenue in Astoria.

Waltz, a lovely cafe located on Ditmars Avenue, is having a wine tasting event this Saturday evening at 8pm. Wine aficionado Kevin Rose will be there to teach you about the basics of wine etiquette and share his expertise in the history of wine-making. Acompanying food and music will be provided. $20 for the whole shebang. Waltz recently got their liquor license, so be sure to visit them for a drink and dessert!

On Sunday, come back to Waltz to enjoy some "red hot jazz" at
4pm, performed by Hiroya Tsukamoto and friends. Later on that day, stop by the Freeze Peach Cafe for some amazing tea and coffee, and snacks! Snacks are new at the Peach, and boy are they good (tip: the almond biscotti is particularly good with a chai latte). Yours truly will be working behind the counter from 4-8pm to raise funds for a worthy local organization. Coincidentally, the proceeds will be going toward the Women's Studio Center, which flooz posted about below. Come in for some top notch hot drinks and know that your money will go to such a worthy entity. Please be sure to say hi and tell me you read about it on the blog!

Artists in Astoria!

Creative Time
After looking for quite sometime, i finally found something doable.
They've got all sorts of cool little workshops/classes throughout the year. There is a life drawing class starting the last thurs of January that i am super gung ho about.
Check in every once in awhile, there may be something up your alley.

Women's Studio Center is located at:
21-25 44 Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101

(see there ARE artists here!)

oh and for a peek into the latest news to come out of astoria in today's metro-check it. oh the randomness of it all.

have a faboo holiday weekend.

p.s.-a tease of whats to come... brazilian markets, hell in astoria, appliances as restaurants?

Thursday, January 12, 2006

This Show Again Addendum

Yep - what Flooz said. This Show Again had earned a sidebar link, a long time coming. I've just been distracted with my hippie life in Vermont. ~

It's a fun show. You should check it out.

Cheers!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

This Show Again Apology Post!


Hear Ye Hear Ye!
We (or i do anyway) have to apologize to the local boys at This Show Again for not having bounced some love back by now. I have to say, i do listen to the ONLY ASTORIAN PODCAST pretty much every week, or when there's a new one posted anyway.

I definitley do not want people to think-bah, joey is in vermont so this blog is going kaput! Thats not it at all. The passing of the torch just happened to take place during the hellish holiday season and that led to a bit of a gap in posting! Joey is actually still lurking around in web land so she isn't as far away as we may think. She'll stop in every once in awhile, i'm thinking she'll be our first "correspondent" or something, you can keep a tab on her on her new blog very appropriately named Joey In Vermont.

In the meantime, Meg, Tamara and I will be doing our darndest to keep you in on the local haps.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Sunlight of Life


Sunlight of Life
Originally uploaded by mcotner.
I walk down Astoria Blvd often, coming home from my way off the subway station. At the corner of Astoria Blvd. and 35th Street is a wall with these bas relief concrete sculptures on it. I think they are very interesting and beautiful. There are more pictures, here.

Hot Dogs Gone Wild!

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, the first discovery on the Gastronomic Trail 2006/Astoria Edition....
San Antonio Bakery #2.
Oh yes, there have been whispers and gossip and the occasional wiff, but not until now did we get the chance to actually have THE CHILEAN HOT DOG!!! Oh how the gods were looking down upon us today with joy as Meg and I met on the corner of 37th St and Astoria Blvd. to begin our adventure.
Lets see, so its a smallish place, maybe 8 or so tables? TV blaring GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL, soccer on (did you know theres a channel called Gol?)
Really sweet owner Ruben and his handful of associates was always a few steps away and ready to answer all of our questions, and there were alot...
After much mulling over the counter of delicacies, we decided on just getting the basics and splitting it all down the middle.

We started off with two cans of chilean pop. Pap (papaya) and a cherry one that i forget the name, something like Biz or something. As Meg pointed out-made with sugar not corn syrup-gud thing .




At the table we got a heaping bowl of pebre- a most delicious condiment! i would say its a kind of salsa, but that wouldn't even do it justice. We were told, go ahead put it on EVERYTHING and thats what we did, and dang it was gud.











Then it was time for the dog! Let me remind you that this is a bakery. They make this delicious bread...sooooo yummy. they use this homemade bread toss in a dog then add chopped tomatoes, onions, avocado and mayo on top. They even have these cute little dog trays that hold them perfectly! So half for me and half for meg, down the gullet (with the pebre of course)

On to the next course. Thin pork slices with melted cheese on some slammin bread. Its served simply then you add the bam of the pebre, heaven!
Warm gooey goodness.

breathe

Dessert time. Lemon Pie, better known as meringue. It was to the point of almost being a caramelized candy topping. Nice clean tart filling in a crumbly shell. No complaints from me at all. I just got back from key west were i felt the need to search for great key lime pie, its not that, but different. Definitley gud.

Then the pan cake. This had Meg written all over it. Thin moist slices of some kind of cake with dulce de lece between each sliver. It had a heavy coating of it on the outside that hardened slightly into a caramel ... love love love that. You probably think-ugh sweetness overload. But thats the best part, there wasn't.

Somehow there was a beautiful balance and everything hit the spot right on. This place gets a definite 2 thumbs up for me. I just wish i had just stepped in there alot sooner. I've been walking by it everyday for years but just never really had the thought to go in.
If you can read this, then you must go there and try them! They are closed on mondays and the rest of the week they are 9-7 or so. sundays till 6. Ruben mentioned expanding the menu to pizza...chilean pizza! all sorts of wonders await!!! oh yeah, they have empanadas like none i've ever seen before. cheese and beef and they look like enough for a decent lunch even...thats the next thing to try. I'm thinkin tomorrow on my way home.

Stay tuned!